Crime doesn’t pay . . . even in a pandemic.
Well-acted by its small cast of five actors and loaded with some interesting cinematography (thanks to cinematographer Grant Cooper) and fantastic locations sprinkled throughout its running time, Peppergrass, a new thriller from Terror Films, offers horror fans an interesting trail to follow as a robbery turns into a revenge thriller which is centered around scoring the right truffles for Eula Baek’s restaurant, which is suffering due to the ongoing pandemic.
And truffles are worth a fortune.
Eula (Chantelle Han) has a plan to save the restaurant she inherited from her grandfather. She’s going to need to get her hands on some rare truffles to help her raise the money needed, though. So, with her crime-minded friend, Morris (Charles Boyland), she hatches a plan to rob a priceless truffle from a reclusive veteran. Things go dark pretty quick as the two set out in the darkest of nights to find this recluse.
And these dense woods are full of surprises.
From pigs mounting their vehicle to the bizarre behaviors of the veteran at the center of this rural survival flick, Peppergrass is a low budget film built of pure tension and poetry. It’s a slow burn of a film as this robbery goes tits up and Eula finds herself on the run in a space of snow-trapped trees she doesn’t recognize.
Night shoots are a labor of love, especially when trying to nail down details in the location, but the talent behind Peppergrass have done it. When other films go for day-for-night shots, this one delivers the goods, scoring props for building atmosphere and then whopping the audience upside the head with the mysterious performance from Michael Copeman as Captain Reuben Lom, the pissed off victim of their scheme.
Co-directors Steven Garbas (who co-wrote this pig-centered thriller with Phillip Irwin) and Chantelle Han keep things interesting with some character building as we go toward the remote location, but when all Hell breaks loose thanks to Morris, who is beyond anxious for the largest truffle to remain on the table, they amp up the pace of the film and focus on survival and things get twisted all wrong way round and, thus, our survival story begins . . .
. . . but these woods are lovely. dark and deep. And the only ones who know where Eula is, are interested in what she is carrying.
From Terror Films, Peppergrass will be released June 16th on digital platforms everywhere. Truffles, man. It had to be truffles.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 94 mins
Director: Steven Garbas; Chantelle Han
Writer: Steven Garbas; Philip Irwin
Cast: Chantelle Han; Charles Boyland; Michael Copeman
Genre: Thriller
Tagline: Not are pigs are swine.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Terror Films
Official Site:
Release Date: June 16, 2023 (digital platforms)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: During the pandemic, a pregnant restaurateur tries to rob a priceless truffle from a reclusive World War 2 veteran.
