P2

"Way to ruin Christmas!"

That's one of the catch-phrases in this eccentric little horror flick from Haute Tension and The Hills Have Eyes guys, Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur (co-written with the film's director, first-timer Franck Khalfoun). P2, named for the parking garage level on which our heroine is stranded, is gory, scary, creepy, gripping, and sometimes ridiculous (in the sublime sense).

When corporate drone Angela Bridges (Alias' Angela Nichols) decides to work late on Christmas Eve, it turns out that someone has more than just punching her time clock in mind. Angela is a brainy blonde and busty beauty, and as such she has many admirers. Company-man coworker Bob Harper (Saw IV's Simon Reynolds) can't keep his hands off her, and even the lowly parking garage attendant, the Elvis-loving Thomas (Ghost Rider's Wes Bentley), carries a torch for her. But all Angela can think about is work, work, and more work. So, it's nothing short of a Christmas miracle when she decides to go to her family's annual gathering after — you guessed it — work.

Past the time everyone else in the office building has gone home to begin enjoying their holiday break, Angela gives her sister a call and says she is on her way. She packs up some paperwork, a gaggle of gifts, and her winter coat and off she goes to get her car… only, her auto won't start. Before long, the car isn't the only dead thing in the covered cavern — alone in the dark, shadowy, deserted concrete parking garage, Angela becomes easy prey for an obsessed stalker. I won't spoil it here, but the bad guy is revealed pretty early on and the rest of the movie is a cat-and-mouse game.

I must confess: When I first heard the premise of P2 — "A businesswoman is pursued by a psychopath after being locked in a parking garage on Christmas Eve" — I wanted to throw it in reverse and find another movie. But I reminded myself that I have thoroughly enjoyed Aja's previous films and I am well aware that he's got a genuine writing talent for pitting two characters against one another, so I decided to put it in park and stay. I'm glad I did.

P2 was obviously written with the questions "What if…?" and "What would I do…?" in mind, which greatly helps the limiting premise in keeping the movie burgeoning with suspense and shocks. There's also a welcome touch of black humor, and buckets of blood and guts.

What more can any horror fan ask for in their Christmas stalking?

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson

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