If you read the synopsis for Daylight, you might think it's a horror film of sorts; "Married couple Irene and Daniel (played by Alexandra Meierhans and Aidan Redmond) get more than they bargained for after picking up psychotic hitchhiker Renny (Michael Godere) on the way to the countryside." Clearly, the set up suggests that this will turn into your garden variety torture porn movie.

The thing is, co-writer/director David Barker and screenwriters Michael Godere and Alexandra Meierhans (who also star in the film) steer clear of the nihilistic extremism that films like The Strangers seem to thrive on. Instead, Daylight is a dramatic re-invention of the contemporary horror film, and it slyly trades in the typical slice and dice slasher type for a couple of guys who are so seemingly human and calm in their horrific actions, that they come across as far more scary than the crazies in The Strangers.

The killers here are portrayed effectively by Ivan Martin and Michael Godere. Oddly, there's a Steinbeck-ian vibe to the way these committed actors play these terrifying men. In deed, Martin is the George to Godere's Lenny.

As off kilter and menacing as Martin is, its Godere's almost childlike sense of innocence that terrifies the most. There's a scene early in this film in which Renny quietly reveals that he's going to slit Daniel's throat. What makes the sequence so chilling is Godere's warm, almost nonchalant delivery. It seriously made the hairs on my neck stand on end. Redmond is subtle as the helpless Daniel while Meierhans shines as pregnant Irene. Its clear that this couple have unresolved issues in their marriage, but these particular issues are put on the back-burner as Daniel and Irene fight for their lives.

As Irene struggles to survive in a most desperate situation, she slowly develops an unusual bond with the film's villainous antagonists. Irene is almost angel like in the eyes of these misguided souls, and the bond they eventually share is almost spiritual in nature.

There's a surprising amount of subtlety in this movie. It certainly offers up a fair share of tension and carnage, but its really the haunting, spiritual bond that develops between Irene and these killers that take the film into a realm we don't often see in pictures like this.

If I have any complaint about Daylight, it would have to be the seventy five minute running time. I was compelled by the relationships in this movie and I wanted a little bit more. As it stands though, Daylight is definitely worth checking out. While this is a genre film, it has a lot more on its mind than merely subjecting us to the brutal murdering of good people. Hopefully, Daylight will get a distribution deal. It certainly deserves one.

Grade: B