Billy and his girlfriend Lisa have been having a rough time in their relationship. The opening of the horror movie Exit 0 makes this exceptionally clear. No matter what Lisa does, Billy is verbally obnoxious and seems like an insufferable car companion. The two are headed to a B&B where Billy stayed as a small child and had fond memories. This is an attempt to help them find the spark that connected them in the first place. During the drive, the couple decide to stop at a rest stop. Billy notices a black vehicle when they stop the car, and while using the restroom a strange man slams the bathroom door shut (as Billy has decided to use the facilities while leaving the door open). When he returns to his car, the black vehicle is gone and Lisa has no idea what Billy is talking about. When the couple reaches the hotel, they meet a strange caretaker, Billy has a drink with a random writer staying on the same floor, and somehow discovers he’s lost an hour of time. Lisa is sympathetic and obviously trying to keep Billy from freaking out. While she showers in their hotel room, Billy finds a VHS tape under the chest of drawers (which keeps opening on its own) and discovers some pretty shady information about the hotel he thought he knew.
This movie may have one of the most insufferable boyfriends of all time. Gabe Fazio does an incredible job of getting the viewer to be completely exasperated with the character Billy Curtis. Within a few minutes of the film, one has a very hard time understanding what Lisa (played by Augie Duke) sees in him. His treatment of her borders on verbal abuse multiple times and he definitely gives viewers that “uh-oh” feeling from the beginning. When he erupts about losing an hour of time by justifying that he wears a Rolex, the eye rolls are real. Run, Lisa. Just go into a town and call a friend to come pick you up. If you’re super sensitive to violence against women, I’d recommend skipping Exit 0. The VHS tape Billy finds is like one shade above torture porn and I will admit, I found myself having to stop the film and skimming the rest .
Exit 0 has won a handful of awards through the horror circuit and is slowly making the rounds. The DVD of Exit 0 is available March 10th, 2020.
