Running Time: 78 Minutes
Starring: Patricia Allison, Jeany Spark, Rupert Young, Matt Cottle, Janet Kumah, Hannah Parker
The scene opens at nighttime, where a woman is in clear distress as she breathes heavily, before it shows that she is held at knifepoint by an armed assailant. This is how co-writer/director David Luke Rees opens By The Throat, depicting an act of aggression with a very real potential to grow worse. It turns out that this is a horrifying memory recalled by Lizzy Roberts (Patricia Allison), who may reassure her mother that she is coping well, but is actually struggling with her trauma from that attack.
In an attempt to get away, Lizzy agrees to a house-sitting job at a remote country home. Her duties will include maintaining the house and looking after Amy (Jeany Spark), a grieving mother, while her husband is away on business. As the wife remains in her room, Lizzy finds the job is not as straightforward as she hoped for, while matters grow worse as the housekeeper starts having nightmares and seeing hallucinations hinting towards something nefarious.
As the protagonist grows acquainted with this remote house, cleaning it and maintaining the place, a feeling grows that something is wrong. There is a room which Lizzy must never enter, figures are spotted lurking outside, and a strange stick figurine is found under the bed. These elements may hint towards the direction this story will take, yet it is all part of a slow-burn tale that tries building atmosphere. Admittedly, one's patience may be tested as the slow burn takes avenues which feel familiar, yet the character drama roots this tale. As the narrative sees Lizzy acting kind, and Amy playing on others sympathies to get her own way, the pair are effective reflections of the routes their trauma has taken them down, and the struggles that they must live with following such distressing events.
What unfolds appears to be a tale about the lengths people take while lost in grief, struggling to move past what cannot be changed by reacting destructively, as evidenced by how the final act piles on the suffering. What could have been an effective, yet familiar, message regarding grief is instead thrown aside for an unnecessary twist which feels out of place. It also has a bizarre approach to Lizzie's trauma, believing that the only way to overcome accidentally killing somebody in self-defense is through a bit more killing. It all makes for an unfortunate end to By The Throat which affects the final work.
By The Throat made its World Premiere at FrightFest Glasgow 2025
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