Hello and welcome to the winter holiday edition of Underrated Horror Movie of the Month! Whether this is your first time or your fifth, I’m glad you’re here! This month, in honor of the winter holidays, I have decided to talk about a movie that takes place at Christmas — P2! If you are new here, I talk about a horror movie I feel is underrated and under-loved once or twice a month.
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About P2
The story of P2 follows Angela (Rachel Nichols), a workaholic who is the last one to leave the office on Christmas Eve. When she gets to her car, parking level two (P2), she finds that it will not start. After trying a few times to get the car started, Angela seeks out the help of Thomas (Wes Bentley), the security guard.
When she tries to head outside for a cab, Angela discovers that all the exits are blocked. When she goes back to Thomas, everything takes a turn for the worse.
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Thomas has plans for Angela to spend the holiday with him, willingly or not. As the evening continues, Thomas and his guard dog Rocky put Angela through torture, terror and pain. When she finds her cell phone and thinks she found a way to get help, she realizes there’s no signal in the parking garage. Can Angela get free before Thomas takes things even further? Will she get to see her family again?
P2 is written by Franck Khalfoun, Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur. Khalfoun also directed. The film is rated R and has a run time of 98 minutes. It was released in November of 2007.
On the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, P2 only has a score of 35 percent. The Audience Score is 36 percent.
My Thoughts
Some may argue that P2 is not technically a Christmas movie, but I say who needs that negativity? It takes place on Christmas Eve, so, therefore, it is. Anyway, as to my thoughts on the movie in general, I like it.
The plot is not super deep; an unstable, obsessed guy holds a girl hostage and hurts her when she won’t comply. However, the way I see it, the plot doesn’t need to be in-depth to make this enjoyable to watch. P2 is more about the “will she get away or will he kill her” feeling. Also, the gore factor.
Keep in mind the entire story takes place in a single evening, over only a handful of hours. Most movies span days which allows for more story building. The only setting is the parking garage and a little bit of the office above it.
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There is plenty of blood in P2, but, unlike many movies, it doesn’t focus solely on the blood. Instead, it’s used for shock value. Whether he inflicts pain on Angela or someone else, Thomas and Rocky cause significant damage throughout the film. There are times she manages to hurt him. It is also worth pointing out some unique bloody moments in the flick.
As for the acting, it’s one of the movie’s best parts. I mean, Rachel Nichols and Wes Bentley? Come on! When I say Bentley does a fantastic job at portraying a deranged killer, I mean he does a splendid job! He comes across as completely unstable but convinced he’s the only sane one.
There is a scene where he engages with one of Angela’s male coworkers and holy shirt balls! It is a bit intense and maybe not for the person who is just starting with horror.
Overall, I think P2 is entertaining and enjoyable to watch. So much so that it’s on my watch list every December, without fail.
Trigger Warning
There are several references to sexual assault in this movie. Particularly workplace SA. There are also a few scenes that show Thomas touching Angela while she is unconscious. Before Angela even interacts with Thomas, the references start right off the bat. They are vague, for the most part, but they are there. If this is a big trigger for you, I don’t recommend watching P2.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, the holiday Underrated Horror Movie of the Month is P2! Check out the trailer below, and let me know what you think in the comments! Also, don’t forget to tell me which movie you think I should feature next!
Bonus holiday recommendation: Elves on Netflix! Great horror series based on a Nordic myth.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/worst-santa-horror-movies/
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