3 star relentless peril in the desert.
The Fearway is a 2023 American horror/thriller written by Noah Bessey and directed by Robert Gajic, who makes his feature directorial debut with this film.
It is presented on UK Digital Platforms from 13th February 2023 courtesy of Reel 2 Reel Films.
“OK, so wait a second. I am willing to put up with the burns, the missing eye, whatever, but the minute I decide to grow out my hair long enough to wear it in a bun, that’s it?”
Sarah (Shannon Dalonzo – If She Screams) and her fiance Michael (Justin Gordon – Before I Wake) are a young couple who have been together since high school and are very much in love. We first meet them driving along the iconic Route 66 en route to visit her sick father to discuss plans for their wedding.
Everything seems to be going well until they hit something on the road. Getting out of their car they don’t see anything, no damage to the car and no sign of what they hit, although they do find a patch of ice, which is pretty strange in the desert. They continue on and soon a black muscle car appears behind them, catches up and begins to harrass them.
Fleeing in fear, they pull into a roadside diner, encouragingly titled Last Chance and the muscle car drives away. The staff are helpful, the waitress (Jessica Gray – Dead Heist) and the bus boy (John D. Hickman – Wrong Place) are eager to serve and the manager (Simon Phillips – Butchers, Survive the Game) seems to have his finger on the pulse.
They head back on the road, but soon find themselves being pursued again and even worse, arrive back at the diner. It’s clear that these people know something about who is hunting them, what is going on and why, but will they be able to get them to come clean?
“Just because your father is ill, that doesn’t mean we should jump the gun to get married.”
The Fearway is an enjoyable watch and a good idea for a story. Although it doesn’t bring much new to the table it is pretty well thought out and has a couple of nice little twists to set it apart. 
When you do get to see the hunter he is actually quite scary (maybe a little bit silly too) and the concept of being hunted by persons unknown under an unchanging desert sun will always be unsettling.
It’s well directed with good use of it’s remote locations. The acting lets it down a little in places, some of it is very stilted, but it gets away with it and overall this one is well worth a watch.
“What help is it you think that I can give you? I’m not being sarcastic, I’m actually asking you sir, what is it I can do to lower that heart rate of yours just a bit, so you can relax?”
The Fearway is available to stream on UK Digital Platforms from 13th February 2023.
| Director | Robert Gajic |
| Genre | Horror, sci-fi, thriller |
| Starring | Shannon Dalonzo, Justin Gordon, Simon Phillips, Jessica Gray |