I was not sure what to expect from this independent film. I get sent alot of these films and usually they wear the story on there sleeve like its some kind of badge. They are usually either a zombie flick, a creature feature, or a slasher. That tends to be what most indie filmmakers do for there first production. However Paul Del Vecchio decided to go a completely different route and combine elements of Asian cinema with the American haunted house films to creatre something very unique. A creepy and disturbing atmosphere makes this film stand out above many other films out there with that same budget.

The story is basically a morality tale that you shouldn't become to consumed with yourself and trying to become famous because you may just become infamous. That is what happens to Michael in this film. He wants to be known as the next Bill Gates, someone who's name will live on forever and people will talk about for generations. One day a stranger shows up at his door and offers to grant his wish. Usually in these cases it is never a good thing when someone tells you this.. especially in a horror flick. As you can imagine things don't work out the way he planned.

The man tells him to wear a collar to bed each night and he will be sure to become a legend. So with a lot of thought Michael finally decides that he has nothing to lose and does it late one night. What he sees frightens and excites him at the same time. He keeps putting the collar back on to figure out what is truly going on in his dreams. Something he will regret for the rest of his life.

The action packed beginning is really a ruse to what nasty nuggets of horror Del Vecchio has planted latter on in Forever. I enjoyed all the camera tricks that he employed in the film rather than trying to pull off some kind of digital effect, The special effects that he does use are all practical and very effective. I was surprised at what he was able to do on such a low budget. One of my favorite gags in this film is actually a rather mundane gun shot. But rather than a simple squib this thing erupts with the red stuff. It totally throws the viewer off guard.

The actors in Forever are surprisingly good for this being such a low budget feature. Brian Brady did a fantastic job of playing the tortured character of Michael. It was definetly a hard role to engulf yourself in and pull off believeably but he managed to do so. Despite being one of the producers Steve Gagliano had a great look for the role of the stranger. His demeanor and sly smile made him a very sadistic character that really worked on film.

I was surprised to discover that Del Vecchio and his co-writer Douglas Frye wrote the script in just a few days. Litterally. The story is multi-layered and works on several fears that you may have. Insecurities, depression, loneliness, losing your job, disgracing your family name. There are so many things that appear in this film that the list could go on. But I think everyone can relate to alot of the feeling that this man is going through.

I was genuinely surprised at how well this one played. Don't let any of the artwork on this one fool you. While the back of the screener I recieved features a beaten and bloody woman there is much more to this story. I would like to maybe have seen just a simple photo of the collar used. But thats simply nitpicking at the marketing of the film. The film should sell itself. Right now all I know of the actual DVD is that at this point they are working on getting one together and hopefully they will soon have a distribution deal. Once they do I highly suggest hunting down this great indie film.