JETHICA: Lo-Fi Horror Comedy Done Right

On the surface, supernatural horror-satire Jethica is a decidedly small-scale affair; director Pete Ohs co-wrote the script with the four main actors in the cast while also serving as producer, editor, and cinematographer. Yet what the film lacks in flashy production values, it more than makes up for with considerable ingenuity and cleverness — not to mention, a great deal of delightfully dry, deadpan humor. In fact, Jethica would make an ideal double-feature with another inventive, indie genre film that came out within the past year, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s Something in the Dirt.

Ashes to Ashes

Elena (Callie Hernandez) is bunkered down at her late grandmother’s remote New Mexico ranch, waiting for some serious trouble to blow over. Jessica (Ashley Denise Robinson) is on a road trip, running from an unhinged stalker named Kevin (Will Madden) who refuses to leave her in peace. When these two high school friends run into each other unexpectedly at a gas station, Elena invites Jessica to crash at the ranch, where they can reconnect and (hopefully) relax.

Unfortunately for both women, Kevin tracks Jessica right to Elena’s front door — and getting him to leave isn’t as easy as calling the police. After all, Jessica already tried that; in typical cop fashion, they said they couldn’t do anything, as Kevin’s incessant harassment wasn’t technically breaking any laws. No, Elena and Jessica must seek help from the supernatural realm if they want to banish Kevin for good.

Dust to Dust

The horror of Jethica exists not just in the disturbing nature of the nonstop notes, voicemails, and videos that Kevin sends Jessica, but in the loneliness and alienation that plagues every character in the film. They are all starved for real, healthy human connection, yet it takes considerable trauma for them to finally find it. This almost inescapable solitude is emphasized by the emptiness of the sprawling New Mexico landscape that surrounds them, photographed by Ohs to maximize the eeriness of the great expanse. The endless skies of the Southwest should be the exact opposite of claustrophobic, but in a strange way, they have a similar effect on your psyche; they make you feel trapped and alone at the end of the world and suffuse the film with a bittersweet sadness that lingers. Jethica is all the more emotionally effective for being such an intimate production; watching it, you truly feel as though you have been dropped right into a situation that could happen anywhere out there in an otherwise forgotten corner of the world.

Yet while Jethica deals with some intense issues — both supernatural and all-too-real—it is also undeniably funny. A great deal of the film’s freaky charm comes from the matter-of-fact way that Hernandez’s Elena deals with her and Jessica’s seemingly preposterous predicament. Elena’s grandmother was a romantic and spiritual woman who used magic to stay connected with her deceased husband; her beliefs and traditions have been passed down to her granddaughter, who sees contacting the spirits beyond the grave as not only a normal way to deal with an annoyance like Kevin but the only way. Digging up decades-old graves for bones to use for summoning ghosts? It’s no big deal to Elena — and it’s hilarious to watch her deal with the consequences of spells gone awry, even when said consequences have a surprisingly violent nature. (Indeed, the sharp contrast between humor and horror makes such scenes feel all the more visceral.)

Conclusion

Despite running a mere 72 minutes, Jethica’s story comes full circle in a way that feels incredibly satisfying — so really, what do you have to lose by taking a chance on it?

Jethica is available on digital and VOD in the UK beginning February 6, 2023. It begins exclusively streaming on Fandor in the U.S. on February 14, 2023.

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