P2 (2007) Review – A Tense and Gory Parking Garage Nightmare

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Today we are reviewing P2 (2007).

Cat and mouse festive thriller

P2 is produced and written by Haute Tension director Alexandre Aja. In the vein of the aforementioned, P2 is a traditional cat and mouse style horror movie. Starting like any other horror movie featuring a psychotic stalker, we have to get to know our protagonist. With this in mind, we are introduced to Angela.

“Angela is a hard-working young woman that has been spending a bit too much time in the office. P2 sets up its story points early and that pays off later on.”

Angela is a hard-working young woman that has been spending a bit too much time in the office. Her family seem to think she is fairly unreliable. They are entirely expecting her to skip the party they have arranged. Apparently Angela has had a recent unfortunate encounter with a lecherous co-worker. The dude assaulted her in the elevator after a party and now wants to apologise, which Angela accepts. Both of these things will become pivotal to the plot later on in the movie. P2 sets up its story points early and that pays off later on.

Security guard Thomas is, at first glance, a seemingly normal guy. Sharing his office with his rottweiler Rocky, Thomas has decorated the place and looks ready for Christmas. The thing is, he has nobody to share it with. Thomas is all alone and he always has been. Being the security guard for the building, he has access to the entire network of cameras and all of the key cards. What could be more perfect for someone that wants to kidnap a woman? Oh, and there is no cell signal in the parking garage so that helps too.

A unique horror setting

Set in a multi-level parking lot, it’s actually quite hard to imagine just how this could work. Parking garages should be a fairly simple place to escape from, right? They usually only have barriers which a person on foot could walk around. Surely a person could jump in an elevator and head to the main building. Well, what if the person who is trying to stop you from escaping is also the security guard. He has the keys and has locked the building down completely. There is nobody else there and no phone signal. The result is a location that acts like something of a multi-level fun park for a psycho.

Initially kicking off in Thomas’ security office, the action quickly moves to the parking garage itself. Thomas follows her through elevators, under cars, into rental offices, and more. Angela can’t escape so Thomas does not have to rush. He knows he will find her and he can follow her movement on the network of cameras.

“Parking lots, especially underground ones, can be quite scary. They are dark, sound travels tremendously and they have plenty of shadows and corners to hide in.”

I think this location does a nice job of tapping into a fear that many have. Parking lots, especially underground ones, can be quite scary. They are dark, sound travels tremendously and they have plenty of shadows and corners to hide in. I imagine many women can relate to this fear. In the case of P2, the parking garage offers places to hide but also no escape. Angela traverses the levels efficiently and finds places to slink away to. This ups the cat and mouse feeling of the movie. Thomas really has to search for Angela and takes his time doing it.

A different kind of protagonist

Angela is a driven and motivated woman. Obviously highly successful in work, she is not about to take this lying down. She is not your typical damsel in distress. In fact, the fight starts almost from the get-go. Despite being chained up, Angela comes out swinging. Thomas likely didn’t plan for this. The result is a pursuit that continues for nearly the entire duration of the movie. There are twists and turns but Angela is always fighting back.

Thomas, on the other hand, is something of a Norman Bates character. Coming across as somewhat awkward, he rapidly changes in personality. Believing he is fully justified in what he is doing, Thomas is obsessed with Angela and thinks she should appreciate what he is doing for her. Angela attempts to reason with him. When that doesn’t work, she makes threats.

Eventually she is forced to fight back and that’s when the movie sort of loses its tension. As far as horror movie villains go, Thomas is fairly middle of the road. He is prone to moments of hyper aggression which can switch the mood up a bit. Angela actually feels fairly well matched up against him though, because Thomas doesn’t feel that threatening. This is part of the problem with P2. It just feels very middle of the road and lacks in tension.

Lots of gore and a shocking end

P2 has a few scenes that are legitimately pretty graphic. There aren’t many of them but one in particular is pretty horrific. Obviously I won’t spoil it but let’s just say the camera doesn’t cut away from the scene. The practical effects look very realistic and gore hounds are going to have a great time.

“The practical effects look very realistic and gore hounds are going to have a great time. It has that feeling of ‘was that necessary?’ about it.”

This theme extends to the ending. I genuinely think a few people may be shocked. It has that feeling of “was that necessary?” about it. Working as something of an extension of Angela’s capable nature as a protagonist, it’s a surprise outcome and is somewhat refreshing for its violence.

With that being said, P2 just doesn’t do enough different to truly stand out. Yes, Angela is a more capable protagonist and isn’t prone to the usual tropes of horror damsels. Outside of that, however, it is a predictable and fairly mediocre stalker horror. The location, while being fairly unique, is actually quite boring.

Despite Angela having access to the elevator system we never spend any time in the building. The potential for Thomas stalking her around offices and the like was palpable. Unfortunately, it is never realised and we barely leave the parking garage.

That leads nicely into my second point: this movie runs far too long. At nearly 1 hour and 40 minutes it is a bit of a demanding watch. Movies like this do a lot better fully wrapped up by the 75-80 minute mark. The extra 20 minutes or so feel redundant and don’t do much for the plot. It gets quite repetitive.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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