Shutter

Fledgling 24-year-old actor Betty Roux, the narrator of Larsen’s suspenseful but largely unbelievable debut, can’t believe her astonishingly good fortune: being cast by indie director of the moment Anthony Marino to star opposite heartthrob Mads Byrne in Anthony’s new movie, which is inspired by the 1962 revenge film Cape Fear. But no sooner does the emotionally vulnerable Betty and the rest of the five-person cast and crew arrive on location—a small island off the coast of Maine owned by Anthony’s family and throughout which he’s hidden cameras for reality-TV-style coverage—and meet creepy caretaker Sammy O’Neill than she begins having serious concerns about exactly what she signed up for. Especially once she discovers she’s a dead ringer for Sammy’s first girlfriend, who he says broke his heart. As Anthony intended, increasingly fraught confrontations ensue, most as predictable as the storm that cuts off power at the worst possible moment. Assured pacing and the knockout punch of a surprise ending help compensate for unconvincing characters and plot clichés. Larsen’s storytelling potential suggests she’ll do better next time. Agent: Jamie Carr, Book Group. (June)