A textbook example of a movie that betrays its audience, “Entrance” begins as a mildly interesting slice-of-life look at a struggling Los Angeles cafe worker, then impulsively devolves into a manipulative slasher pic. Co-directed and edited by Dallas Hallam and Patrick Horvath (who co-wrote the script with several other hands, including cast members), the film tries to establish a mood of dread before its grisly third act, but it’s so underwhelming that the twists feel rudely unearned. Fests desperate for a slot-filler may apply.
Suziey (Suziey Block) is a striking-looking barista at a Silver Lake cafe with few friends and a generally absent housemate. Her quotidian existence is staged in a manner that appears to have been influenced by the brothers Dardenne, signifying loneliness in an Angeleno paradise. When her dog goes missing and an intruder manages to take photos of her, Suziey decides to leave town. Calculated to shock, the bloody conclusion seems bent on delivering the message that it’s really lousy living in Los Angeles.
