Wounds, written and directed by Ron Krauss, is a horror film that forces us to examine how trauma can take hold of our lives. The film follows Caleb (Jack Kilmer), a young SFX makeup artist struggling to create realistic effects. After witnessing a traumatic event, he descends into a psychological abyss that leads him to take drastic measures for the sake of his art.
Since Caleb was a little boy, darkness has surrounded him. When he was a child, he witnessed his mother being physically abused by his father, and he is the sole survivor of a terrible car accident they were all involved in. His uncle Jefferson (Eric Roberts) raised him after their passing. That’s how he became an SFX makeup artist.
Jefferson owns the film studio where Caleb works and lives. He’s basically a nepo baby, but he wants to be seen as Caleb Castle. Not Jefferson’s nephew. He works day and night to hone his craft. He studies films and books. And practices horror makeup looks on dummy arms. Despite all of this, it’s still not enough.
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He constantly works to prove he’s good enough, but Bradford (Richie Radici), the director of the film he’s working on, is not impressed. Caleb’s work appears amateurish, and he’s not as good as pro Todd Bracken (Lambert Houston). All Caleb wants is to be a makeup artist. It means everything to him. He wants to be the next Todd. When Caleb learns his uncle’s studio is at risk of shutting down, he realizes quickly that he needs to get it together.
For some reason, which is never fully explained, after witnessing a murder, he comes alive. His special effects improve, and Bradford starts praising his work. It even gives him the confidence to ask out Ginny (Paris Jackson), another makeup artist he works with. As the film progresses, so does his obsession with delivering the perfect special effects. The work is all-consuming, and the phrase “Bleed for your art” takes on a new meaning.
Wounds is your standard horror flick filled with all the gory (often fake-looking) scenes you look for. But what was most intriguing to me was the underlying element that dealt with trauma. As I said, Caleb was involved in a horrible car accident with his parents. They died, but he survived.
I believe he was experiencing survivors’ guilt because he often looked at his face, which included a scar on his forehead. He would constantly pull on his face as if he saw a monster underneath. And it felt like he has an obsession with his appearance. It was almost like he wanted more to be wrong with his face as a reminder of the accident. Caleb is consumed by grief, and he doesn’t seem to realize it or how it’s affecting his life.
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We also see how witnessing that car accident has affected his response to death. When he witnesses a man being murdered right in front of his face, instead of calling the cops or 911, he uses the body to practice and perfect his craft. He’s unfazed by what he saw, and it’s disturbing. It made me think that his living with his uncle as a child may not have been the best option. Since his uncle deals in the horror industry, it’s almost as if Caleb became desensitized to seeing death. As if he doesn’t believe that death is real.
I don’t feel Caleb has fully come to terms with what he went through. He’s been around horror for a lot of his life. He watches horror films when he’s not working. And he lives in the studio. He never takes a break. Ginny is the only one who can see that something is wrong with him. She does what any good friend would do and tries to get him help. Unfortunately, Caleb isn’t looking for or willing to accept it.
Instead, Caleb wants to feel the hurt. He wants to feel those wounds. Feeling the wounds makes him feel a connection to something. What that connection is, I’m not sure. Because we don’t get that explanation. All we know is that there is something Caleb is searching for that he can’t seem to reach. And this is the only way he believes he can.
Caleb doesn’t make good choices in Wounds. But it was hard not to feel for him. It’s also hard to determine whether he is a villain in this story. Though some things he does are questionable I won’t deny that. But that’s what a good horror film should do. You should watch it and have questions about what you’re watching unfold. A good horror film makes you think. Wounds is one of those films.
Wounds screened at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival.
