Naked Fear
Encyclopedia
Naked Fear is a 2007 thriller film film directed by Thom Eberhardt
. The plot revolves around a dancer (played by Danielle De Luca) who is lured to a strange town and thrown into a deadly game after being kidnapped by a serial killer. Stripped naked, she is forced to run for her life through the vast uninhabited regions of New Mexico
while being pursued by a maniacal hunter.
. She's lured to a New Mexico
boomtown
with promises by a club owner to pay her well for performing on stage
at his club. The man's agent pays for her airfare, puts her up in a hotel
in a room shared with a heroin addict, confiscates her driver's license, charges her back for his expenses at exorbitant rates of compound interest
, and threatens her references should she flee. Unable to meet her financial commitments, she falls deeper into debt
until she is forced into prostitution
. Soliciting her first "client" Colin Mandel (J.D. Garfield), she climbs into his jeep
, but at the last minute changes her mind. Enraged, Mandel punches her and beats her into unconsciousness.
Like most boomtown
s, the population is highly transient
and it's not unusual for people to go missing. However, a recently-hired deputy of the local sheriff is becoming concerned about the disappearance of Diana (and other women from the club), and begins to ask questions about the club owner. The club owner denies any involvement, saying he has enough trouble just getting girls to perform at his club.
Diana wakes up in a field; bruised, bloody, naked, and confused. She spots an airplane near some trees and walks towards it. As she gets closer, she sees Mandel stowing his gear, so she hides behind a tree trunk. He's wearing hunting clothes and armed with a menacing crossbow. Hearing her approach, he tells her that he is giving her a 15 minute head start. She stares at him in disbelief, but he tells her that he's not kidding, and fires a bolt
at her as a warning. She turns and runs, barefoot and naked, into the wilderness.
The Deputy begins to question the club owner's business, but is warned off by an older officer (Joe Mantegna
). He realizes that he is on his own in solving the mystery. He breaks into Mandel's home, whom he suspects of being responsible for the disappearance, and begins to look for clues. He is stopped by another deputy who had been alerted to a possible break-in by a watchful neighbor.
Diana runs through the brush until she reaches a river. She looks towards the river and goes in, running along the bank where the water will hide her steps. Emerging near some brush, she hides behind a tree to rest. Suddenly, she hears the rattle of a sidewinder
near her hand. Slowly, she gets up to run from the snake, but then sees Mandel on the other side of the river so she crouches back down. The snake moves closer to her and coils back to strike
. Suddenly, a crossbow bolt kills the snake, shot by Mandel. Mandel taunts her and Diana takes off running again.
Mandel tries to follow her, but Diana manages to lose him when she crosses the river and hides in the undergrowth. After Mandel moves on, she emerges from her hiding spot and runs across the sharp rocks until she comes to a steep cliff face. Staring at the impassable wall in front of her, she realizes that she's trapped in a box canyon
.
She finds a low spot on the wall and climbs up the sharp edges to the top. Once there, she spots an abandoned camp site littered with rusty tin cans, a cardboard beer carton, and an old t-shirt. She puts the t-shirt on, then realizes that her feet are being injured by the terrain. She takes the shirt off and tears strips from it to bandage her wounds.
Mandel, now armed with a bolt-action
rifle
, appears in the treeline and begins to poke around the abandoned camp site. He tracks Diana's footprints and, when she realizes that he is heading right for her, she gets up and starts running. She climbs up a nearby steep cliff. He sees her and begins to climb up the wall. As he reaches the top, she appears holding a large rock high over her head. She throws the rock down on Mandel's head, causing him to fall to the bottom of the valley.
She comes upon a campsite built by a father and his two sons who are out hiking. Diana, now in a state of shock, collapses and is unable to speak. The father wraps her in a coat and places in the tent where she immediately falls asleep. The father sees her wounds and realizes that something terrible must've happened to her. The three of them pray for her before the father leaves to seek help.
Meanwhile, Mandel has regained consciousness and begins tracking Diana again, following her to the camp where he sees the father and the two boys talking. As the father walks out of the camp, Mandel follows him. Mandel kills the father and the two sons upon returning to the campsite. Diana takes Mandel's gun only to find out it is empty, a ploy crafted by Mandel. Thinking he has the upper-hand, he advances on her. Unknown to Mandel, Diana has hidden a knife in her sleeve, given to her by one of the boys beforehand. She stabs him in the leg, bites off his ear when he doubles over in pain, and runs off again.
Diana finds a road and stumbles into the middle, only to be hit by two kids driving a van. After a brief skirmish, and Mandel shooting out one of the van's tires, she manages to run him down and escape to civilization, leaving a dead Mandel behind. She is then taken to a hospital, but the experience has left her much like a ravenous animal, and wary of human kindness. The deputy brings her flowers, only to find she'd chewed through her restraints and escaped. Nearly a year later, posing as a prostitute, she lures a man and kills him. A news report attributes the resulting dozens of killings of sex offenders to a Vigilante
dubbed "The Southwest Slayer."
Thom Eberhardt
Thom Eberhardt is an American film director, producer and writer. Eberhardt has won two awards and two nominations. He is most noted for his work on Captain Ron, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, and the cult classic Night of the Comet....
. The plot revolves around a dancer (played by Danielle De Luca) who is lured to a strange town and thrown into a deadly game after being kidnapped by a serial killer. Stripped naked, she is forced to run for her life through the vast uninhabited regions of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
while being pursued by a maniacal hunter.
Story
Diana (Danielle De Luca) is a young dancer in a nightclubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
. She's lured to a New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
with promises by a club owner to pay her well for performing on stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
at his club. The man's agent pays for her airfare, puts her up in a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in a room shared with a heroin addict, confiscates her driver's license, charges her back for his expenses at exorbitant rates of compound interest
Compound interest
Compound interest arises when interest is added to the principal, so that from that moment on, the interest that has been added also itself earns interest. This addition of interest to the principal is called compounding...
, and threatens her references should she flee. Unable to meet her financial commitments, she falls deeper into debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
until she is forced into prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. Soliciting her first "client" Colin Mandel (J.D. Garfield), she climbs into his jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
, but at the last minute changes her mind. Enraged, Mandel punches her and beats her into unconsciousness.
Like most boomtown
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
s, the population is highly transient
Transient laborer
Transient laborers are people who offer their services for outdoor, usually home improvement work, for a fee. The term is chiefly American.Jobs include painting, driveway paving, snow removal, and other outdoor tasks. They may travel door-to-door to find work, usually in warm weather, and have a...
and it's not unusual for people to go missing. However, a recently-hired deputy of the local sheriff is becoming concerned about the disappearance of Diana (and other women from the club), and begins to ask questions about the club owner. The club owner denies any involvement, saying he has enough trouble just getting girls to perform at his club.
Diana wakes up in a field; bruised, bloody, naked, and confused. She spots an airplane near some trees and walks towards it. As she gets closer, she sees Mandel stowing his gear, so she hides behind a tree trunk. He's wearing hunting clothes and armed with a menacing crossbow. Hearing her approach, he tells her that he is giving her a 15 minute head start. She stares at him in disbelief, but he tells her that he's not kidding, and fires a bolt
Quarrel
A quarrel or bolt is the term for the ammunition used in a crossbow. The name "quarrel" is derived from the French carré, "square", referring to the fact that they typically have square heads. Although their length varies, they are typically shorter than traditional arrows.Bolts and arrows have...
at her as a warning. She turns and runs, barefoot and naked, into the wilderness.
The Deputy begins to question the club owner's business, but is warned off by an older officer (Joe Mantegna
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
). He realizes that he is on his own in solving the mystery. He breaks into Mandel's home, whom he suspects of being responsible for the disappearance, and begins to look for clues. He is stopped by another deputy who had been alerted to a possible break-in by a watchful neighbor.
Diana runs through the brush until she reaches a river. She looks towards the river and goes in, running along the bank where the water will hide her steps. Emerging near some brush, she hides behind a tree to rest. Suddenly, she hears the rattle of a sidewinder
Crotalus cerastes
Crotalus cerastes is a venomous pitviper species found in the desert regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.-Description:...
near her hand. Slowly, she gets up to run from the snake, but then sees Mandel on the other side of the river so she crouches back down. The snake moves closer to her and coils back to strike
Snakebite
A snakebite is an injury caused by a bite from a snake, often resulting in puncture wounds inflicted by the animal's fangs and sometimes resulting in envenomation. Although the majority of snake species are non-venomous and typically kill their prey with constriction rather than venom, venomous...
. Suddenly, a crossbow bolt kills the snake, shot by Mandel. Mandel taunts her and Diana takes off running again.
Mandel tries to follow her, but Diana manages to lose him when she crosses the river and hides in the undergrowth. After Mandel moves on, she emerges from her hiding spot and runs across the sharp rocks until she comes to a steep cliff face. Staring at the impassable wall in front of her, she realizes that she's trapped in a box canyon
Box canyon
Box Canyon is a Box canyon in Ouray County, Colorado, United States. It was originally founded as a mining camp and helped the city of Ouray establish itself as a permanent community. Box Canyon is home to Box Canyon Falls, a 285-foot waterfall, with quartzite walls that extend almost one hundred...
.
She finds a low spot on the wall and climbs up the sharp edges to the top. Once there, she spots an abandoned camp site littered with rusty tin cans, a cardboard beer carton, and an old t-shirt. She puts the t-shirt on, then realizes that her feet are being injured by the terrain. She takes the shirt off and tears strips from it to bandage her wounds.
Mandel, now armed with a bolt-action
Bolt-action
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon...
rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, appears in the treeline and begins to poke around the abandoned camp site. He tracks Diana's footprints and, when she realizes that he is heading right for her, she gets up and starts running. She climbs up a nearby steep cliff. He sees her and begins to climb up the wall. As he reaches the top, she appears holding a large rock high over her head. She throws the rock down on Mandel's head, causing him to fall to the bottom of the valley.
She comes upon a campsite built by a father and his two sons who are out hiking. Diana, now in a state of shock, collapses and is unable to speak. The father wraps her in a coat and places in the tent where she immediately falls asleep. The father sees her wounds and realizes that something terrible must've happened to her. The three of them pray for her before the father leaves to seek help.
Meanwhile, Mandel has regained consciousness and begins tracking Diana again, following her to the camp where he sees the father and the two boys talking. As the father walks out of the camp, Mandel follows him. Mandel kills the father and the two sons upon returning to the campsite. Diana takes Mandel's gun only to find out it is empty, a ploy crafted by Mandel. Thinking he has the upper-hand, he advances on her. Unknown to Mandel, Diana has hidden a knife in her sleeve, given to her by one of the boys beforehand. She stabs him in the leg, bites off his ear when he doubles over in pain, and runs off again.
Diana finds a road and stumbles into the middle, only to be hit by two kids driving a van. After a brief skirmish, and Mandel shooting out one of the van's tires, she manages to run him down and escape to civilization, leaving a dead Mandel behind. She is then taken to a hospital, but the experience has left her much like a ravenous animal, and wary of human kindness. The deputy brings her flowers, only to find she'd chewed through her restraints and escaped. Nearly a year later, posing as a prostitute, she lures a man and kills him. A news report attributes the resulting dozens of killings of sex offenders to a Vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
dubbed "The Southwest Slayer."
Inception
- Inspired by the criminal cases of Robert HansenRobert HansenRobert Christian Hansen is an American serial killer. Between 1980 and 1983, Hansen murdered between 17 and 21 women near Anchorage, Alaska.- Early life :Hansen was born in Estherville, Iowa to Christian and Edna Hansen...
, who killed 21 women in AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in much the same way as depicted in the film, and Australian Ivan Robert Marko Milat, who murdered 7 tourists in New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
after stalking them through a national park. - Similar to the serial short story The Most Dangerous GameThe Most Dangerous Game"The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell. It was published in Collier's Weekly on January 19, 1924....
by Richard ConnellRichard ConnellRichard Edward Connell Jr. was an American author and journalist, probably best remembered for his short story "The Most Dangerous Game". Connell was one of the most popular American short story writers of his time and his stories appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and Collier's Weekly...
. - Similar to the film The Naked PreyThe Naked PreyThe Naked Prey is a 1966 adventure film starring Cornel Wilde, who also directed and produced. It was released by Paramount Pictures. Set in the South African veld, the film is a wilderness survival story loosely based on the experiences of explorer John Colter, who was pursued by Blackfoot...
with Cornel WildeCornel WildeCornel Wilde was an American actor and film director.-Early life:Kornél Lajos Weisz was born in 1912 in Prievidza, Hungary , although his year and place of birth are usually and inaccurately given as 1915 in New York City...
.