LAST STRAW Trailer (2024) Jessica Belkin, Thriller Movie

LAST STRAW Trailer (2024) Jessica Belkin, Thriller Movie

LAST STRAW Trailer (2024) Jessica Belkin, Thriller Movie
© 2024 - Shout! Studios
This will be her "last straw." An early teaser trailer has debuted for an indie horror film titled Last Straw, which is premiering at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival coming up in October. It's also set to screen at Beyond Fest in LA as well. Last Straw marks the directorial debut of Alan Scott Neal with a script by Taylor Sardoni, described as "a raw & relentless twist on the home-invasion thriller." Here's the full synopsis: A young waitress, working the night shift all by herself at a rural diner on the side of a back road, will wind up forced to back after being attacked by a group of masked assailants. Completely alone in the face of danger, she will have to confront them all, resorting to violence if necessary, in order to survive. She fights for her life over the course of one, long night. Starring Jessica Belkin as the waitress, with Jeremy Sisto, Glen Gould, and Taylor Kowalski. Barely 30 seconds of footage in here, but it's enough to get my attention. Fire it up.

Here's the first look teaser trailer for Alan Scott Neal's Last Straw, direct from YouTube:

Last Straw Teaser Trailer

Last Straw Teaser Trailer

Set over one night in a dusty roadside diner, Last Straw follows Nancy (Jessica Belkin), a young waitress working alone on the late shift. As a series of chaotic events spiral out of control, Nancy finds herself in a fight for her life when she is terrorized by a group of masked assailants. No one is who they appear to be, and with nowhere to turn, she must do everything she can to survive the night. Last Straw is directed by American filmmaker Alan Scott Neal, making his feature directorial debut. After working in the casting department for series including Euphoria and The Idol, and directing three short films, he delivers his first feature film. The screenplay is written by Taylor Sardoni. It's produced by Daniel Brandt, Bad Grey's Dane Eckerle and Cole Eckerle, along with Michael Giannone & Phil Keefe, Levon Panek, and Sam Slater. This is premiering soon at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival this fall. No other release dates have been set - stay tuned.
Beyond Fest 2023 gets underway in LA next week, with all sorts of genre world premieres. Among the line-up at this year’s fest? Alan Scott Neal‘s “Last Straw,” an off-kilter take on the home-invasion thriller starring “American Horror Story” actress Jessica Belkin.

READ MORE: Fall 2023 Film Preview: 60+ Most Anticipated Movies To Watch

In the new thriller, Belkin stars as Nancy, a waitress terrorized by a group of masked attackers while working the late shift at a roadside dinner.

Here’s the official synopsis of “Last Straw,” courtesy of Track Shot:

Set over one night in a dusty roadside diner, LAST STRAW follows Nancy, a young waitress working alone on the late shift. As a series of chaotic events spiral out of control, Nancy finds herself in a fight for her life when she is terrorized by a group of masked assailants. No one is who they appear to be, and with nowhere to turn, she must do everything she can to survive the night.

“Last Straw” also stars Jeremy Sisto, Taylor Kowalski, Glen Gould, Jack DiFalco, and Tara Raani.

Allan Scott Neal directs his feature debut from a script by Taylor Sardoni. “Last Straw” also features an original score by Neon Indian member Alan Palomo.

Daniel Brandt produces “Last Straw” with Bad Grey‘s Dane & Cole Eckerle along with Phil Keefe & Michael Giannone through AC3 Media, Levon Panek, and Burn Later Productions‘ Sam Slater.

Before it screens at Beyond Fest, “Last Straw” has its world premiere at the Sitges Film Festival in Catalonia, Spain.

Expect “Last Straw” to get a release, in theaters or on streaming (or some combo of both), sometime in 2024. Watch a trailer for the thriller below.

Alan Scott NealBeyond Fest 2023Jeremy SistoJessica BelkinLast StrawStilgo Film Festival 2023
The Hair-Raising 'Last Straw' is Coming to Theaters
It’s no secret that working in the restaurant industry can be stressful, to say the least. It seems like workers in this industry can’t catch a break. What with inflation, customer attitudes, and wage fluctuation, there’s already enough horror involved. Throw in a bunch of murderous lunatics, and the results are overkill.

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service…
Starring Jessica Belkin, Jeremy Sisto, and Taylor Kowalski, this horror film is a real kitchen nightmare. The story follows a young waitress working the night shift at an isolated diner. So basically, this is the nightmare of anyone who’s worked in the middle of nowhere. With plenty of neon lights and an 80s-style synth, this upcoming thriller is certainly hitting all the right chords. The diner itself even manages to give off the right amount of isolation and creepiness to set the mood. The trailer gives close-ups of the antagonisers. Some of their masks give off retro-masked slasher vibes. One mask in particular is reminiscent of the clown mask used in Rob Zombie’s Halloween, which was worn by a child, Michael Myers.

Last Straw Teaser Trailer Drops
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Serving Up Good Horror
Two of the three actors mentioned are no rookies when it comes to horror. Jessica Belkin has starred in American Horror Story and Deathlink, while Jeremy Sisto starred in the inbred hillbilly classic Wrong Turn. Under production by Blue Finch Films and directed by Alan Scott Neal, Last Straw certainly has the potential to be one of the biggest surprise hitters for horror in 2023. It is worth mentioning, however, that Neal has seemingly never worked on a thriller or horror film before. This lack of experience is the only major concern that viewers may have going in. In recent years, there has been a serious lack of horror thrillers, so hopefully, this film manages to scratch that itch. As of now, there is no strict release date in sight for this film; however, international sales are slated to occur in the American Film Market later this year. Stay tuned for any updates on this potential gem.
Blue Finch Films have sold North American rights to thriller “Last Straw” to Shout! Studios at the Berlin European Film Market.

Written by Taylor Sardoni, “Last Straw” pays homage to the pressure- cooker genre films of the past and aims to present a raw and unrelenting twist on the home-invasion thriller. The story revolves around a young waitress working the late shift alone at a rural roadside diner. Her life takes a terrifying turn when she becomes the target of a group of masked assailants. As the night unfolds she must muster all her strength to survive.

This film, which premiered at Beyond Fest and Sitges last year, marks the directorial debut of Alan Scott Neal, and the cast includes Jessica Belkin (“American Horror Story”), Jeremy Sisto (“Thirteen”) and Taylor Kowalski (“Snowfall”).

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Daniel Brandt (“I Love My Dad”), Bad Grey’s Dane Eckerle (“I Love My Dad”) and Cole Eckerle (“Mother, May I?”) produce alongside Michael Giannone and Phil Keefe representing AC3 Media, Levon Panek and Sam Slater of Burn Later Prods.

Popular on Variety
“‘Last Straw’ is a smart and twisty edge-of-your-seat thriller that delivers scares and surprises in equal measure. A layered screenplay and terrific performances led by the dynamic Jessica Belkin make this night of hell-on-earth a terrifying pleasure, and Shout! is honored to bring the experience to audiences nationwide,” said Gus Krieger, director of acquisitions and development at Shout! Studios.

Eckerle and Brandt added: “It’s clear that Shout! Studios is a company that’s run by people who truly love movies. They have a deep understanding of how to position genre films for success. We set out to make a film that had a hyper-specific, modern voice while also paying homage to genre classics that came before it. Ironically, some of those classics are a part of Shout’s library, so for that reason and so many more, we couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with them to bring ‘Last Straw’ to North American audiences.”

Blue Finch’s EFM slate includes SXSW-bound horror film “Oddity” and horror-comedy “Destroy All Neighbors.” The company’s international slate also includes thriller “Steppenwolf” from writer-director Adilkhan Yerzhanov, which premiered at Rotterdam, Sitges and Beyond Fest title “Last Straw,” Tribeca selected “You’ll Never Find Me,” SXSW narrative competition winner “Raging Grace” and Sydney-winning, SXSW 2024-selected gender politics thriller “Birdeater.”

Read More About:
Berlin European Film Market, Blue Finch Films, Shout! Factory
The best thrillers don’t need much to deliver an effective blow. Some might utilize a single cast member, others a small group. Some may restrict the setting, while others might move around a bit. “Last Straw” fits into the overall genre nicely by blending the best elements of all, with a minuscule cast and minimal location changes, all tied together by a simple story with enough power and sudden right turns to keep things interesting. It may not succeed in redefining the game, but it’s hard to doubt this was ever the plan.

READ MORE: ‘Last Straw’ Teaser: New Thriller Updates The Home Invasion Premise At Beyond Fest 2023

Taking a page from the premise of “The Strangers” and with a setup that could draw comparisons to a junior varsity “Falling Down, “ “Last Straw” makes the most of a small town setting, though even the whereabouts could be considered unnecessary as the film finds itself primarily set in and around a sleepy diner seemingly transported from decades prior. It’s a mishmash of nostalgia, from the counter lifted out of any George Webb to the rotary phone and even a CD jukebox at the disposal of its small staff, which includes waiter Bobby (Joji Otani-Hansen), custodian Petey (Christopher M. Lopes) and Jake (Taylor Kowalski) behind the grill. It’s here that we meet Nancy (Jessica Belkin), a year removed from the halcyon days of high school and, as seen in the opening moments, has recently learned she’s pregnant with fellow employee Bobby, presumably the father. As her shift begins one overcast day, and with her emotions on edge, the next few hours bring amongst the general angst of dealing with customers, her boss/father Edward (Jeremy Sisto) or a group of local hoodlums tearing through the parking lot on a ramshackle set of mopeds, with Nancy’s threats to get the police involved only serving to get them to leave barely, not before making themselves at home at a diner booth and now sporting low-priced Halloween masks ostensibly just for fun. Though she succeeds in driving them out, a heated argument during a staff meeting minutes later results in Jake’s termination by Nancy, the acting manager, but this is undoubtedly the least of her worries, as nightfall sees that same gang of moped-driving thugs return, now terrorizing the restaurant where Nancy’s working solo. Once they make their way inside, things start to look predictable, that is, until they don’t.

Without giving too much away, the atmosphere that encompasses “Last Straw” feels both appropriately low-budget while as far removed from the tone of a student film; this, happily, speaks volumes of director Alan Scott Neal in his debut at the helm, a position he holds with the touch of someone who’s been around the block a time or two before but with a focus dedicated to keeping the pace surging forward, the transitions from scene to scene tight and the vibe both intense and even somewhat eerie throughout. Though the cast finds themselves working against the dialogue occasionally, everyone gives 100%, with Belkin and Kowalski at the front of the pack. Belkin’s Nancy manages to shift quickly and flawlessly from near-boredom at the mere thought of working until close to frustrated near-rage, all the way to panic and all as if it’s Belkin herself experiencing this slew of emotions. It’s the mark of a dedicated actor; Kowalski, meanwhile, delivers just as well, with his drug-fueled chef Jake making dramatic shifts that need to be seen to be believed. It’s not pretty, but in the world of “Last Straw, “ it works.

Yes, the mood turns violent, another swing that renders every vicious scene borderline shocking without an overuse of gore or gratuity. Luckily, even these savagely dark moments get a boost from the incredible score courtesy of Alan Palomo (of the electronic band Neon Indian), whose synth-wave soundtrack recalls “Turbo Kid” or “Drive” in the best way possible. It’s impossible to accurately place the year in which “Last Straw” occurs, and the music throughout doesn’t help; this, by the way, is a good thing. Though the ending might leave the audience on a dour note, it’s still not without a glimmer of hope.

Ultimately, “Last Straw” is far from the sort of movie that everyone will want to revisit more than once, nor throw on as a means to unwind. It does, however, put the talent on both sides of the camera on full display, teeing up all for the undeniable potential for future success. In this way, there’s much to appreciate; it’s the sort of movie you’re glad to finish, but enjoy the journey to the end. [B]

Alan PalomoAlan Scott NealJessica BelkinLast Straw