“To Issue Violently”
A review of a film called “GUSH”
By Nathan Thomas Milliner
The word “gush” sparks instant thoughts that can range from enthusiasm, sexuality or violence. It suggests a pouring out of something which can be joyful, pleasurable or horrific.
When you see a title like that for a horror film, your mind might go towards the latter but when said film is coming from the talented trio of Ellie Church, Brian K. Williams and Scott Schirmer then you are probably in for all three and more.
It’s been 7 years since these three filmmakers delivered the accurately titled “The Bad Man” and as a fan of their collaborations which included “Plank Face”, “Space Babes From Outer Space” and my personal favorite, “Harvest Lake”, I was happy to hear the announcement that the band was getting back together. Also joining them were regular collaborators Jason Crowe and Alyss Winkler.
If I’ve learned anything from their cinematic universe it’s stay the hell out of the woods! Nothing there but a bad men, bad women and plants that want to…well, just go watch Harvest Lake if you haven’t. But Ellie Church just can’t stop herself from entering more forests. 
In “Gush”, Ellie stars as Sally Harkley—a horror novelist who is battling trauma after a car accident caused her to lose her unborn child. This tragedy has led her to the bottle, writer’s block and a damaged relationship with her husband, Kevin (Crowe). Unable to be intimate due to the guilt she feels, Kevin and her agent, Owen (William Glenn Christopher) have decided that she needs to get away and be inspired so that she might be able to finish her “Death” trilogy of novels.
Owen (who is a voice over the phone for most of the runtime, sounds an awful lot like famed horror author Clive Barker to me. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not but it was fitting) has set her up in an old house away from the city where many other struggling authors under his guidance have spent time when they were in need of that kind of atmosphere. 
The dirty, broken down and fairly empty house near the woods holds all that she needs—a bed, a typewriter and a muse (Winkler). At first, the seductive, mute fairy of the woods appears as a stalker to Sally but soon her seduction takes her over and the new book starts to flow—or gush—out of her. But will it come with a price?
Scott, Brian and Ellie are no strangers to erotic horror. In fact it’s a brand they seem to hold dearly. But rarely does it feel like exploitation. The sexuality in their films is always necessary to the story being told. Always honest, free and with purpose. Well…maybe not so much in Space Babes.
The choice to substitute the inspirational muse of an artist as a lover is a sharp commentary on the nature of creativity. It is often said that an artist’s work is their mistress. A love triangle is always present between the artist, their mate and their art. When inspiration strikes us, it flows ferociously and unconsciously and it’s incredibly seductive and impossible to stop, deny or walk away from. Creativity is the love of an artist’s life. And thankfully this team of filmmakers have gotten to gush this new vision out from within giving us a new fantasy horror film that shows growth and life experience from its authors.
I’ll always be interested in whatever this team pours over us.
