It’s the third of December and day three of our Awful Advent 25 Days of Christmas Horror feature. Isn’t parking at Christmas a bitch? I remember spending an hour just waiting to get out of a relatively small retail park one year. Well, holy bad segue Batman today we are looking at a horror that takes place in a parking garage. I know what you are thinking, it is going to be nearly 2 hours of honking and awkward forced conversations. Well you would be wrong. It is actually nearly 2 hours of awkward interactions. Excessive amounts of soaking wet cleavage and Rachel Nichols screaming. Yep, we are taking a look at Franck Khalfoun’s P2 from 2007.
This is the second consecutive Christmas movie to take place on Christmas Eve. It follows young businesswoman Angela who is leaving late from work and heading to a party. Her car doesn’t start so she enlists the help of the parking garage attendant. Unbeknownst to her, he is actually a complete psycho who is about to make Christmas Eve a nightmare. We have the works here. Snow, Christmas decorations, Christmas songs. This is a great option for a horror to throw on in the lead up to Xmas. Is it good, though? Let’s take a look.
Cat and Mouse Christmas Horror
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. 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 sexually assaulted her in the elevator after a party. He wants to apologise and 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 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 can follow her movement on the network of cameras.
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. 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, however. 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 up there with the most graphic I have ever seen. 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. It is brutal and very graphic. The practical effects look very realistic and gore hounds are going to have a great time. The movie doesn’t try to force the issue with regards to the gore, however. With the exception of one notable moment of body horror, it feels like it fits the plot.
This theme extends to the ending. I won’t spoil, obviously, but 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.
Oh So Much Cleavage
Nichols is fantastic in this movie. She gets right into the action and doesn’t back down at all. Despite this, I actually felt quite sorry for Nichols, at times. I can only imagine the look on her face when she was given her dress by the costume department. You may have noticed from screenshots and the cover that this is outfit is fairly revealing. The fact that Nichols was asked to crawl, run and fight while 70% of her boobs were hanging out seems unfair. Nichols is clearly a fairly busty gal as well.
I know this is a part of horror. I just can’t help but feel bad for her. There are a number of scenes where she gets absolutely soaked as well. She looks freezing and I am fairly sure her shivering, at times, was legit. I get that horror movies feature scenes purely for titillation. It’s hard not to imagine that this must have been a horribly uncomfortable shoot for her, though. The nipple tape budget must have been astronomical as well. Contrasted with Nichols is Wes Bentley as Thomas. He, interestingly, only took this role on for drug money. Completely sober, 12 years later, I wonder what he thinks about this movie now? Either way, he is a capable and wild antagonist.
Seen It All Before
P2 just doesn’t do anything different. 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. Strap in tight because you are going to be staring at concrete for nearly 2 hours. Throw in a few plot holes and some logistical issues and it makes for a fairly flawed thriller movie.
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. P2 also feels like it is re-treading the same path over and over, in parts. The pacing could do with a lot of work and trimming at least 10 minutes would have been a very good idea.
Should You Watch P2?
For all of my criticism, P2 is still worth a watch. These movies are what they are. A psychotic person chases someone around a building. There is nothing too complicated and, when you look at it like that, P2 is fine. Angela is a bit more of a capable protagonist. She never really does anything stupid. Thomas, while being quite annoying at times and not threatening at all, is quite funny. The location is unique, there is plenty of gore, and the acting is fine. If you are looking for something to throw on. If you don’t want to think too much. You could honestly do a lot worse. I have watched P2 a good few times and always enjoy it. It is flawed but entirely watchable.
