Rufus

Film: Rufus

Year: 2025

Director: Mars Roberge

Writer: Mars Roberge

Starring: ‘Freeway’ Ricky Ross, Debra Haden and Rah Digga

Review:

This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Lauren from Breaking Glass Pictures. She sent over a press release. Seeing that this was a 2025 horror anthology, I agreed to see it. I try to get as many independent films as I can to help with my end of year numbers. Other than knowing the title, I did see the synopsis ahead of watching this.

Synopsis: a man in the hood, Rufus (‘Freeway’ Ricky Ross), tells five disturbing dark stories about body horror to his family and friends, against his wife’s will.

Now we start this with Rufus talking to two kids while they’re standing outside. They want him to tell a story since he tells the best spooky stories. This will be the wraparound where people will come talk to him, including his wife, Louise (Rah Digga). She tries to get him to come inside, but he isn’t ready.

It then goes into our first story. Officer Charlie (Sherard Sharpe) visits Stanley (Angelo Moore) at the morgue to view the body of a sadistic killer. The body falls, Stanley cuts his hand, and the blood mixes. Subsequently, Stanley loses control of his hands. They act independently, dragging him while he sleeps, inappropriately touching, and hitting people, causing him legal trouble and forcing him to hide from authorities.

The next tale follows Emily (Debra Haden). She landed a role for a stage show. She is shown around by Clarice (Digga). Things aren’t quite right, but Emily is new to the city. She wants to nail this part. The rehearsals are rigorous but it doesn’t prepare her for the truth of the upcoming performance, which could be her last.

Our third story takes place in a hospital. Dr. Saul (Spookey Ruben) is conducting a study. He is hoping for results so his funding can be extended. A nurse who works with him is Ruth (Jennifer Drake). It seems like these two are having a relationship. The study is being done on people in a coma. We are in a room where Amos (David Scott Greene) and Pini (Princess Frank) are a part of it. There is another nurse, Luciana (Annalisa Guidone), who seems to have gotten through to communicating with them. It takes convincing, but not everyone can hear it.

We then have a quick one coming in at fourth. There is a couple, Linda (Monique Parent), and Alicia (Verona Blue). Linda has a party coming up for a promotion that she got. They celebrate with their dog that has a very interesting reveal about it.

The last tale is an odd one where we have a veteran, who is suffering from PTSD. I believe his name is Roger (Jim Sclavunos). He goes about attacking homeless people and setting up these baby dolls that explode. This is delving into the haunting psychological cost of war.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Since this has the same director and production team for all the shorts, I’m going to just look at this as an overall feature. Where I’ll then start is that I do like the simple wraparound story where we have this guy, Rufus, telling stories to people in the neighborhood. My only issue there is that I tend to like having a stinger or something like that, which doesn’t happen. Ross was fine along with Digga and anyone who listens to him.

I’ll then say that the first story is a concept that we’ve seen before but it was a good hook. The idea goes back to things like The Hands of Orlac. What I appreciate is that this doesn’t overstay its welcome. It doesn’t take long for Stanley's hands to start working independently of him. I also think it does well in escalating up the things that are done, until he flees into the countryside. Credit here to Moore for carrying this one.

The next story was also a good follow up. I’m a fan of stories like this where we know something is up, but seeing the characters overlook it especially in show business. There is an eerie feel since everyone in the show dresses in robes. It seems like they’re in a secret society. There is a reveal with them and then seeing the people who are in the audience. My biggest issue here is that they went CGI with something at the reveal and it doesn’t look good. The limited practical effects were solid though.

The longest story, which gets broken in half and showed to end things out, was intriguing. It is a bit muddled though. This is the story about the people who are in comas, there is a doctor doing studies on them and then this other nurse, Luciana, is able to open up the communication between them with this odd dance. This has intriguing parts to it. I like the idea of people in a coma being able to talk telepathically. This just runs too long. There is comedy with things that get said. That wasn’t an issue, but I did find my interest wane the longer this goes.

The fourth story is a fun little quick hitter. There isn’t much development here outside of us getting to know the two main characters. I had a feeling where it was going to go the moment that I saw something. Before that, we kept seeing the face of a child. It didn’t have the impact that I think they were going for.

Then the final story also has interesting elements. We’ve seen the effects of war on veterans before. This one has a surreal feel to it where we have this guy, Roger, who seems to be going crazy. Then he goes on a rampage. I may have missed something here because this one felt a bit disjointed and I needed a connecting thread for it to come together. What they’re trying to convey though is something that is socially relevant.

I’ll then shift over to the acting performances. There’s an amateur feel here which is fine. Ross works as the storyteller. He has that look of someone who’s seen things so it works. Haden, Digga and Moore were probably the best performances. I think they either carry their story or do well in pushing the focus to where they need to end up. Sclavunos, Parent, Ruben, Blue, Drake, Greene, Guidone and Frank were also solid. The acting here in general fit what was needed.

All that is left then is filmmaking aspects. I do think for the most part that the cinematography and framing were good. It didn’t blow me away. This is shot competently which for a low budget effort is all I truly ask for. Moving over to the effects, when they’re practically done, I think they look good. My issue is that the CGI isn’t. It sticks out, but I’m also not going to harp on it as with a lower budget, I get that certain things can’t be done. Other than that, the sound design and music were fine without necessarily standing out.

In conclusion, this is a solid, albeit uneven, horror anthology that is held together by its simple wraparound narrative. Though the Stanley and Emily segments offer compelling body horror and strong performances (Moore, Haden, Digga), other tales, like the coma-patient and PTSD stories, feel disjointed or overlong. The low-budget filmmaking is competent, with good practical effects, though the limited CGI is a negative. Ultimately, the film is a worthwhile watch for independent horror fans, successfully delivering dark, disturbing vignettes with amateur charm and relevant themes.

My Rating: 5 out of 10