By Chris Rennirt
Space Jockey Reviews favorite Gabriella Pastore is launching rockets again, this time with her latest dark-comedy horror short, FARE GAME, written and directed by Bryan Frank! The bubble-blowing, gum-smacking, blue haired Courtney (Gabriella Pastore), complete with knee socks, retro-sneakers, and g-force personality is just the bait (and predator) for a vampire tale to see, remember…and see again!
As a newly inducted rideshare driver, Courtney is also on assignment for something far more than the usual. Communication from unknown operatives clue us in on that, with intrigue and mystery from the start. What could the assignment be? “The perfect job for a newbie to cut her teeth on,” we hear! Who (or what) is Courtney, really? Is she just a harmless girl, giggling, teasing and annoying her backseat passenger? Is she really just the gum-smacking, bubble-popping cutie she seems, just “screwin'” with” her customers? Is she really just a 22-year-old, driving only because, “it pays the bills”? Or, is she mischievous at least, and deadly at most? And is Courtney any match for her passenger John (Taylor C. Hill) and his “nefarious” plans? Or, is John any match for her? These are just a few of many questions in the first minutes of FARE GAME. From there, mysteries, suspense, and surprises only multiply! Awesome!
Gabriella Pastore on the set of FARE GAME (with Taylor C. Hill in the backseat).
FARE GAME reminds me of a short film in the vein (pun intended) of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), starting out one way and turning, halfway through, into something totally different, most exciting, and humorously horrific! From the beginning, in the car, by design and talent, Pastore steals the show. Once the action starts–and I mean the full-force, kick-ass load of it–Pastore is off-the-charts awesome. With explosive energy and captivating charm, from beginning to end, she makes the movie. Again and again, once you think it’s over, it isn’t; once you think Courtney’s done, she’s not. As it all keeps getting better, so does Pastore! Wickedly exciting, dangerously delicious, and voraciously vampiric are just a few of the quote-worthy praises I have for her boldly-bloody, gorefully-giddy performance, pulsating with personality. At Space Jockey Reviews, Pastore is on the top-ten list of most volatile sirens of film ever (short or feature-length)…easily! As a main character and protagonist, she is immortally indispensable as Courtney, perfectly fitting (and making) the film’s dark-thriller vibe and blood-filled finale! AND Pastore’s copious dark-comedy quips, delivered with such sarcasm and wit, are the true beating heart of the film’s dark-comedy success! Oozing with voice, body language, and tonal tenacity, Pastore kicks ass, literally and verbally! Not surprisingly, Gabriella told me that FARE GAME was one of her favorites to act in. Certainly, we see ample evidence of that! Also not surprisingly, Gabriella won the “Best Actress” award for her role in FARE GAME at the 2024 Hollywood Blood Horror Festival, and the award for “Best Acting Duo,” along with Taylor C. Hill. The film also won “Best Thriller” at the Hollywood Blood Horror Festival and was the “Spotlight Gold Award” winner at the 2024 Atlanta Spotlight Film Festival. Awesome again!
“I shouldn’t play with my food,” says Courtney (Gabriella Pastore), right before she does!
Another great thing about FARE GAME (again, thanks to writer and director Bryan Frank) is how it delivers the goods, with more punch than some feature-length films, in under 15 minutes! With no down time (and no urges to check time), it’s a lean, fat-free slice of well-paced horror, humor, and mystery. Punctuated with surprises, resurrections, undead lore, laughs, and the perfect leading actor, Pastore brings the script to life (or undead life), making it all easy fun as well. If you’re like me (after viewing it once), you’ll want to cut to the film’s 9-minute mark again and again. Courtney’s change from hopeless heroine/victim to playful predator is priceless! Never in short-film history has five minutes been more enjoyable! Even impaled, punched, and beaten, Pastore is no man’s victim–a true powerhouse of vampiric voracity! Courtney is the perfect antihero (if not actual hero), with the best reasons for doing the worst things, laughing all the way! If you’re a vampire, and you must kill people to survive, why not put your needs to good use? And so she does!
Taylor C. Hill, Gabriella Pastore, and director Bryan Frank, behind the scenes in FARE GAME
Also interesting is the film’s title and trifecta of applicable, literal and metaphorical meanings. “Fare” refers to “the money paid for public transportation” (as a noun), “food or diet” (also as a noun), and “how one performs or progresses in a situation” (as a verb). Both Courtney and John are part of the “fare” denotation, as a part of the film’s paid transportation elements, as either the transporter (Courtney) or the transported (John). And, Courtney’s first night out on the job tests her ability to “fare well” or “fare poorly,” with her progress or performance. Finally, John as well as Courtney are the obvious “game” and/or prey, depending on the film’s plot and outcome (which I won’t reveal). Often, movie titles have little or no true meaning on deeper, multi-definitional and/or metaphorical levels. With FARE GAME, the title is certainly diverse and meaningful.
Director Bryan Frank and Gabriella Pastore (with a stake through the heart) on the set
Finally, do stakes through the heart, holy water, and garlic sometimes NOT work, like they don’t in The Lost Boys, as John wonders? Does the nefarious doctor John get what he deserves (and a lot more) in the end? Are vampires really immune to hard punches in the face–repeatedly? “What sadistic ass wipe made Mercurochrome?” as Courtney asks. And could anyone but Gabriella Pastore be a vampire so funny, witty, and biting (with words as much as her mouth)? Whoever, whatever, and one way or another, we see, most excitingly in the end, “Courtney will return!” And what a welcome return it will be! When it happens, you can bet your cosmic crucifix and galactic garlic of one thing, for sure–SJR will be there! For ALL things Gabriella Pastore, Space Jockey Reviews will be there! Reasons for that need no explaining!
“It’s not who they are underneath…” ~ Courtney
“…it’s who I am that defines me.” ~ John
ALSO, look for an upcoming, surely out-of-this-world interview with Gabriella Pastore, right here on Space Jockey Reviews! Just like everything Gabriella does, it’s sure to be awesome. In the meantime, for the best in blue-haired, gum-popping vampire girls in sneakers and striped socks, kicking ass with a vengeance, enjoy FARE GAME below!
Rocket Rating – 10
Chris Rennirt is a movie critic and writer in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as editor in chief at Space Jockey Reviews. He has been a judge at many film festivals, including Macabre Faire Film Festival and Crimson Screen Film Fest, and he attends horror and sci-fi conventions often. Chris’ movie reviews, articles, and interviews appear in Effective Magazine and are published regularly on Space Jockey Reviews.