Standout performances, dark humor, and an unsettlingly familiar premise fuel Gabriela Ledesma’s political horror-thriller.
In The Exit State, Americans are the ones trying to get out. Fleeing an authoritarian regime, a group of citizens heads toward the Mexican border, stopping at a supposed safe house along the way. It is a reversal of a familiar political narrative, and an unsettling foundation for a film that finds room for absurdity even as its world closes in.
Directed by Gabriela Ledesma and co-written with leads Callie Schuttera and Josh George, the horror-thriller explores survival, privilege, and the ways people participate in systems they would rather not examine. Its near-future setting offers little comforting distance from the present.
“I believed our story was a cautionary tale of a worst-case scenario. Just a few months later, the film’s premise already felt uncomfortably current,” Ledesma said in a statement shared on the film’s social media.
That discomfort gives The Exit State its bite. The question of who gets to escape sits alongside a less flattering one: how long were they comfortable staying?
Clayton Farris makes that second question especially entertaining. As wealthy escapee Andrew Montebello, he captures the vanity of someone who seems to regard protecting his own comfort as an act of political bravery. Andrew imagines himself as both philanthropist and rebel, apparently without considering how his privilege complicates either identity. Farris finds the comedy in that contradiction without needing to underline it, bringing a welcome, ridiculous energy to the film’s increasingly uneasy atmosphere.
Jeremy D. Howard is another standout as Rome, the driver transporting Americans to the house. His comic timing makes an immediate impression, but the emotional depth of his performance deserves equal attention. Howard gives Rome a humanity that reaches beyond the laughs, making him a compelling presence within an ensemble whose relationships to power vary sharply. His performance rewards attention without needing its trajectory explained in advance.
Schuttera and George anchor the film as Claire and Vince. Their assured performances make authority feel disarmingly conversational, even reassuring. Both understand how to hold an audience’s attention without making likability the priority. Their chemistry gives the film much of its charge, with tension resting as much in their interactions as in the larger crisis outside.
The film’s ambition becomes even more striking in light of the production itself: The Exit State was filmed in just nine days on a reported $150,000 budget. Following its October 13 world premiere at Screamfest, the film arrived on digital through Chroma on October 23, bringing its unsettling vision to audiences beyond the festival.
Following the premiere, reviewer Landon Reid praised what the filmmakers accomplished with those resources. He singled out Schuttera and Howard for exceptional performances and welcomed the film’s departure from a predictable low-budget slasher formula. His response captured something essential about the project: the production circumstances are impressive, but the performances and unexpected choices give viewers reasons to care beyond the numbers.
Other critics have taken notice of the film’s blend of character, satire, and suspense. Edward Douglas called it “a truly original take on a horror-thriller trope,” highlighting its attention to character alongside the bloody kills. Horror Fuel’s Joseph Perry praised Ledesma’s ability to build suspense and deliver surprises, while The Contending’s Frank J. Avella described it as a “deliciously nasty satirical thriller.”
The response has not been unanimous. Letterboxd reactions range from enthusiasm for the timely premise and entertainment value to reservations about pacing and tonal balance. Reid questioned the exposition-heavy opening, while Fortress of Solitude admired the atmosphere and Farris’s performance but felt some scenes would benefit from less dialogue. The film’s mix of political dread, dark comedy, and horror is an ambitious one, and its shifts will not land equally for every viewer.
Still, the performances give that ambition a human center. Farris makes privilege absurd. Howard brings warmth and emotional weight. Schuttera and George keep the audience watching closely. Together, they give the film more to offer than the shock of its premise.
The Exit State is uncomfortable, sometimes funny, and difficult to dismiss as a distant fantasy. It leaves an unsettling question hanging over its promise of refuge: when safety becomes conditional, what are people willing to accept to keep their place inside?
The Exit State is available on Prime Video and Apple TV through Chroma. Visit the official website for more information.
