[FrightFest 2025] FILM REVIEW: In A Cold Vein

In A Cold Vein - FrightFest World Premiere Review

Director: Eric Owen

Starring: Evan Gamble, Mor Cohen, Cliff Dean, P. Michael Hayes II, Brian Villalobos

Written by: Eric Owen

Produced by: Eric Owen, Evrim Ersoy, Samantha N. McDaniel, Josh Taylor

Cinematography by: Josh Taylor

Original Score by: Eric Owen

Synopsis:

After escaping a would-be assassination, a man will stop at nothing to find who is behind his attempted murder and make sure his family is safe.

Thoughts:

Is the "man on a vengeful mission" the most overused premise in cinematic history? Probably, but it's difficult not to be down for it especially when it's done well. 'In A Cold Vein' is an admirable attempt at tackling this sub-genre but it just struggles a bit to be original.

Evan Gamble plays Dean, a man that wakes up in the back of a white van, hands and feet bound, duct tape over his mouth, sweating profusely. He's been kidnapped by a couple of lowlife criminals wearing white ski masks and matching jumpsuits, who we later find out are called Phil and Steve. And the end game doesn't look too good for Dean. They're not the smartest duo in the world and after a few missteps and a close call with a local ranger, they end up allowing Dean to escape by mistake. But they think they've tagged him as he falls down a rocky ravine so they reluctantly get back on the road hoping that Dean will soon perish from his wounds.

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But Dean is made of stronger stuff than they think and he manages to make his way up from the ravine safely and walks back into town via a strange encounter with a drunk driver named Chuck. After bumping into Phil and Steve again, he takes them out and begins the journey of finding out who is behind his kidnapping and attempted murder. And what he finds cuts deep.

Eric Owen's sophomore feature film is billed as a "a noir cat and mouse chase" but thats overselling it sadly. It is dark and bleak and actually reminded me of those random 90s thrillers you use to see at the video store and only took a chance on if nothing else decent caught your eye. It's well shot with some nice gritty aesthetics. The script is also well written but I can't say the same for the performances.

Evan Gamble is convincing as the lead. The issue is his character isn't very likeable. He's a father who desperately wants to get back to his son but other than that there's very little attributes there that help to make a connection with the viewers. I guess he's a hero by default but I think we needed more character reveal and more charisma too. Phil and Steve are actually great as the two goons who end up fucking up the job. The rest of the support cast aren't very believable in their roles.

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The sequence were Dean meets up with Phil and Steve again is pretty gruesome with a gnarly close up but I was expecting more violence overall. If it was re-cut with a more innovative structure then it might stand out from the crowd more but it felt like I had seen 'In A Cold Vein' a hundred times before, that's how generic the story felt, even with the twist.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️

-Gavin Logan

'In A Cold Vein' received its World Premiere at FrightFest '25 on August 22nd