Cheap Thrills
Synopsis: Cheap Thrills follows Craig (Pat Healy, Compliance), a struggling family man who loses his low-wage job and is threatened with eviction. In an effort to delay facing the music at home, he heads to a local bar and encounters an old friend (Ethan Embry, Empire Records). The two friends are roped into a round of drinks by a charismatic and obscenely wealthy stranger (David Koechner, Anchorman 2) along with his mysterious wife (Sara Paxton, The Inkeepers). The couple engages the two friends in a series of innocent dares in exchange for money over the course of the evening, with each challenge upping the ante in both reward and boundaries. It seems like easy and much needed money, but the couple’s twisted sense of humor pushes just how far Craig and his friend are willing to go for money and cheap thrills.
Genre
Rated
Language
Run Time
Starring
Ethan Embry (Vince)
Sara Paxton (Violet)
David Koechner (Colin)
Amanda Fuller (Audrey)
Directed by
Written by
Trent Haaga
Produced by
Travis Stevens
John Suits
Executive Producer
Jonathan Schurgin
Gena Wilbur
Edited by
Composer
Production Designer
Cinematographer
Sebastian Winterø
Prod. Company
Awards
SXSW Film Festival - USA - 2013
Audience Award, Midnight Films (Travis Stevens, Gabriel Cowan, E.L. Katz, John Suits, Pat Healy)
Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema - Spain - 2013
Best Screenplay (Trent Haaga (writer), David Chirchirillo (writer) 2013)
Fantasia Film Festival - Canada - 2013
Jury Prize for Best First Film (E.L. Katz)
Chicago International Film Festival - USA - 2013
Gold Hugo - After Dark Competition (E.L. Katz (director))
Boston Underground Film Festival - USA - 2013
Director's Award for Best Feature (E.L. Katz)
Fright Meter Awards - USA - 2014
Best Actor (Pat Healy)
CinEuphoria Awards - International - 2014
Best Ensemble - International Competition (Cheap Thrills)
CinEuphoria Awards - International - 2014
Freedom of Expression - Honorary Award (E.L. Katz (director))
Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival - Netherlands - 2014
Imagine Movie Zone Award (E.L. Katz (director))
Nominations
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival - Estonia - 2013
Best North American Independent Film
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival - Spain - 2013
Maria, Best Motion Picture
Fright Meter Awards - USA - 2014
Best Screenplay
Fright Meter Awards - USA - 2014
Best Horror Movie
Fright Meter Awards - USA - 2014
Best Supporting Actor
iHorror Awards - USA - 2015
Best Indie Horror Film
Quotes
Gird your stomach for Cheap Thrills, a bloody but enjoyably ironic horror which enters that queasy zone where Michael Haneke's Funny Games meets a reality-TV bush tucker trial. - Kate Muir , Times (UK)
It's a thought-provoking ride, particularly in a post-financial crisis world where a combination of desperation and temptation can make anyone consider doing the unthinkable. - Jeremy Aspinall , London Evening Standard
The script is smarter than the premise sounds, with writers David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga dispensing enough information to make victims both sympathetic and despicable, the instigators charismatic and sinister. - Leslie Felperin , Guardian
There are satisfying echoes of Stephen King's sly black humour in this deliciously nasty comedy thriller. - Nigel Floyd , Time Out
Screenwriters David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga pose a simple question -- how much will a person degrade himself to make ends meet? -- but it's a potent one, at least for those of us who ponder it every Monday through Friday. - J. R. Jones , Chicago Reader
Press
Rotten Tomatoes - Certified Fresh - 89% Tomatometer - [Rotten Tomatoes]
