Vile (film)

Vile is a 2011 American horror film directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring Eric Jay Beck, April Matson, Akeem Smith, Greg Cipes, Maya Hazen, Heidi Mueller, and McKenzie Westmore. It follows ten kidnapped captives who have 22 hours to mount an escape from a locked room, and must endure excruciating pain in order to win their freedom. It premiered at the Film4 FrightFest on August 26, 2011 before its wide release in the United States on June 24, 2012.

Plot summary
The story kicks off with a man enduring gruesome torture, setting a dark tone. Later, four friends, including Nick and his pregnant wife, unknowingly get involved in a twisted game after helping a stranded woman at a gas station. They wake up tied in a house, learning they're part of a sinister experiment. The game demands extracting a brain chemical through pain within 22 hours.

As tensions rise, internal conflicts emerge, leading to intense physical torture and unexpected alliances. Nick, driven by vengeance, unravels the dark secrets behind the sadistic game. The climax reveals the orchestrator's identity, and Nick seeks justice for the atrocities. The ordeal's aftermath leaves scars, both physical and emotional, as Nick emerges as the sole survivor.

Cast

 * April Matson as Tayler
 * Akeem Smith as Tony
 * Greg Cipes as Sam
 * Eric Jay Beck as Nick
 * Elisha Skorman as Kai
 * Heidi Mueller as Lisa
 * Maya Hazen as Tara
 * McKenzie Westmore as Diane
 * Ian Bohen as Julian
 * Kieron Elliot as Thomas
 * Mark Hengst as Chuck
 * Maynard James Keenan as Special Agent Ford (scenes removed from the final cut)

Themes
Vile explores human endurance, morality, and the consequences of unchecked power, delivering a thought-provoking commentary beneath the horror. The film's twists and turns keep viewers on the edge, making it a gripping exploration of the human psyche in extreme situations.

Production
Taylor Sheridan, who went on to write Sicario and Hell or High Water and write and direct Wind River, is credited as director on the film. However, he does not consider the film his directorial debut, stating in a 2017 Rotten Tomatoes interview:

"I would say this [Wind River] is my feature debut. A friend of mine raised — I don't know what he raised — 20 grand or something, and cast his buddies, and wrote this bad horror movie, that I told him not to direct. He was going to direct it and produce it, and he started and freaked out, and called and said, 'Can you help me?' I said, 'Yeah, I'll try.'

I kind of kept the ship pointed straight, and they went off and edited, and did what they did. I think it's generous to call me the director. I think he was try [sic] to say thank you, in some way. It was an excellent opportunity to point a camera and learn some lessons that actually benefited me on Wind River."