Fang first came on my radar when I was fortunate enough to interview writer/director Richard Burgin for a podcast. Based on the promo images I saw and Burgin's description of the film, I was expecting a grindhouse creature romp.
What I got instead was a highly intelligent shocker about what it's like living with and dealing with a loved one's mental health decline. As someone who recently lost his mother and dealt with her mental decline at the end, this film hit very close to home for me.
Billy Cochran (Dylan LaRay) is a 23 year old working at a warehouse to support himself and his mother (the always lovely Lynn Lowry) who is suffering from stage 5 Parkinson's and mentally declining sharply.
After being bitten by a rat, Billy starts to itch. Then the tufts of hair start to appear. The problem is, they also disappear. Is this real? Is Billy really turning into a rat? Or is it all in his head? His mental decline seems to mirror his mother's as his mother's new caregiver, Myra (Jess Paul) tries her best to take care of them both.
This is absolutely a cut above your average indie horror flick. This isn't a horror flick. This is a horror film. Mark my words....keep your eye on Richard Burgin, because he's going places and he's going to take us along for some wild rides.