Countless faceless villains have stalked equally countless scantily clad teenagers; elements have been added and subtracted from each situation, but not in recent memory has this subgenre been more originally addressed than in PINK EYE, the latest collaboration by the AUNT ROSE/SKINNED ALIVE team of director James Tucker and writer/producer/actor Joshua Nelson.

In a hospital on a hill, something bizarre is happening. Patients, most of whom are already unstable, have begun going even more insane with each passing day. Could it be from all the illegal drug testing going on within the sanitarium's walls? Sporting superhuman strength and symptoms of schizophrenia, they are kept under lock and key until one of them, Edgar (Joshua James), breaks free. Horribly deformed following a childhood battle with pinkeye, Edgar is as smart as he is ugly, his sultry deep voice constantly quoting Edgar Allan Poe. After setting the rest of the confined lunatics free as well, Edgar embarks upon a journey to find his true love.

This is where a second, seemingly separate storyline meets up with the first. You see, Delilah (Melissa Bacelar, also a co-producer) has just moved into the country a few miles away from the facility with her sister (Raine Brown) and two young nieces. When one of the girls goes missing, Delilah treks into the surrounding woods in search of her, and finds Edgar instead. Convinced that she is his lost Lenore, he holds her hostage, but little does he know that her boyfriend Brandon (Nelson) is hot on their trail, and will stop at anything to get Delilah back.

The most impressive aspect of PINK EYE, beyond James' portrayal of Edgar, is Jeremy Selenfriend's makeup FX. Within the movie's first few minutes, a girl literally rips her own eyes out, a moment so graphic that the viewer is left staring at the screen with open-mouthed horror. The gore is some of the best this reviewer has seen in a long time, regardless of budget—and considering how inexpensive this film was, the illusions are even more remarkable. And with the DVD's sharp transfer and impeccable sound, you see and hear every gruesome detail.

PINK EYE is by no means a perfect film—and Nelson is the first person to admit this, as he does on the disc's commentary track. Every single thing that went wrong on the film is pointed out, with Nelson divulging many aspects of his original vision that didn't make it into the final cut. It's refreshing to hear someone who was involved with a film speak so honestly about it, and he also answers some of the unanswered questions viewers might be left with—like, why Delilah runs around in short shorts and a tank top in the dead of winter (answer: Bacelar looks good in skimpy outfits). While Nelson's talk provides an interesting behind-the-scenes chronicle, it would have been nice to also see an actual making-of segment included as well.

Instead, the commentary is the only feature having to do with the film itself; also included are episodes three and four of THE SCREAM SHOW, a deliciously camp web series starring Bacelar (more of which can be found on YouTube). Offering interviews with a handful of recognizable (and sometimes not so recognizable) horror stars as well as clips from old films, it's a fun inclusion. However, having viewed the first two installments, the decision to include the later pair is confounding, as they have nothing to do with PINK EYE—unlike the premiere episode.

PINK EYE represents a case in which the dedication to a film by all involved is palpable, and one of the rare instances where that's enough to make it stand out. Some of the acting is nothing to write home about, and neither is the basic story, but there is something genuine about the viewing experience that makes it a perfect example of indie horror at its most committed, especially in a fright filmmaking scene where a big budget often means very little.

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