Written and directed by Hobart Miller and Michael Panico, Maxx, a college student, working the night shift at a vacant, rundown motel before the late night arrival of two brothers. Maxx quickly finds herself in danger as she uncovers what lies hidden in the brothers’ room. Starring: Sophia Echendu, Mickey O’Sullivan and Jack Ball.

Isolation, strangers and emotional issues are always a strong foundation for any thriller and Room Six comes right out the gate with all three. There’s a great tension flowing throughout that’s really consistent from Hobart Miller and Michael Panico. A motel, especially an old-school, not very populated one, is a setting choice that you can’t go wrong with, so there’s a lot of boxes being ticked immediately. Miller and Panico’s direction leans into the intimacy of the story, it doesn’t feel claustrophobic, but it’s very contained, pushing that tension. The cinematography adds in a nice bit of sharpness, although the colouring can feel a touch too bright, not quite meshing with the darker nature to the story.

There’s a good concept at work here, it’s familiar but doesn’t feel repetitive. It taps into the feel of danger but never goes overboard to keep things at a convincing level. It brings through a lot of pushing each other’s buttons, something that it could have used even further. There’s a lot of captivating elements, but it feels like the focus of the writing isn’t always in the right place. The opening gives away more time to scenes that wasn’t really needed and while the pacing works well, the progression isn’t adding enough. There’s a fair number of unanswered questions and not enough is revealed along the way, it ends up feeling simpler than expected, though it’s hinting at bigger issues.

Sophia Echendu was a great choice for the lead, she manages to strike a great balance between Maxx’s vulnerability and sarcastic, cynical nature. She has a prickly charm, she’s clever and resilient, so she’s pitted well against Red (Mickey O’Sullivan) and Danny (Jack Ball). O’Sullivan’s Red gives us a classic villain character, you can feel his anger and how he tries to manipulate the situation. Whereas Ball’s Danny has a quietly unhinged quality, one that sadly Room Six doesn’t explore as much as it could have. O’Sullivan does struggle slightly at the height of Red’s emotions, he’s pushing a little too hard but they’re still a strong trio.

Room Six shows a lot of promise as the debut feature from Hobart Miller and Michael Panico, it’s shot well and has a good intensity. There’s a great premise at work, the story might not quite reach its full potential but there’s still plenty of well-chosen ingredients. Sophia Echendu gives a captivating performance and leads the film with ease. The story does feel underdeveloped, but it had a great idea and a good amount of style.

Verdict: ✯✯✯ | 6/10

Available now on VOD & DVD in the US