Three real estate developers dream about the potential piles of cash they’ll be swimming in after converting an old abandoned hotel in director Christopher Picone and screenwriter Darren Wallach’s horror thriller, The Confined.
Landry (Thomas J. O’Brien), Donnie (Joshua Diolosa), and Kelly (Sabrina Zara) walk through a one-time luxury hotel — more like a “compound” — dreaming about the money to be made converting this abandoned building into high-end condominiums. Unfortunately, Donnie glosses over that the building was once home to former SS Officer George Gale and his followers, who were Neo-Nazis. In 1975, Gale and his gang were set to be executed by the town locals, but Gale killed himself through a satanic ritual before they could finish the job. This caused him and his followers to abruptly vanish until now. For our millennial developers, a simple tour becomes a haunted hunt, and they are the prey.
For indie filmmakers, Picone and Wallach’s The Confined is an example of telling a tale with the resources within your grasp, like this really cool abandoned luxury hotel. The next step is to write and film your picture around it. With the script in hand, the filmmakers found the building’s creepiest locations to shoot. Boom, we have a short motion picture!

“Unfortunately, Donnie glosses over that the building was once home to former SS Officer George Gale and his followers, who were Neo-Nazis.”
Now having no money, the resourceful director creates suspense with creepy noises, scary music, and an old movie projector. The film runs a quick five minutes, ending at its startling conclusion.
Sadly, what hurts The Confined in the end is its lack of resources to push the limits of horror. The plot should have taken place at sundown during the magic hour, but night shooting requires good lighting. Also, many of the scares are off-camera when you want to bring that action up close to the screen before turning away. Lastly, the story and the fate of our heroes need to be brought much closer to the lore of George Gale just to nail down that connection. Yes, that would require money as well.
The Confined is an example of indie filmmakers making the most of their resources and a great start for a much bigger story. It doesn’t get much better than a creepy abandoned building. Picone and Wallach show there is potential in their location. Now it’s time to turn the screws and make a real horror.
For screening information, visit The Confined official Facebook Page.