Zac Baldwin’s horror film is an assault on the senses on every conceivable definition, and that’s inevitably a compliment. Baldwin compiles a film so original managing to undermine every found footage pit hole by conceiving a premise that’s quite surreal when you take it all in. There’s the premise of young Hanah, an autistic young girl with a history of child abuse whose eyes make up the perspective with what the press kit explains is a slasher film set in real time; she has the potential of ESP which allows us to see her through the camera and switch back to her eyes as she sees the world of mean adults and horrific serial killers (the sexy J.T. Williams, and Wesley Stiller). She’s followed around by Toby, a hyperactive young woman who picks up the slack for Hanah, acting as her voice and experiencing a group of anger management patients who arrive at a house in the woods for a weekend seminar and discover they’re being hunted down by their psychotic counselors. Victoria Engelmayer is absolutely overwhelming upon her introduction as the childish and ADD afflicted young Toby but inevitably grows on you thanks to her stunning performance as the sympathetic young cohort whose sole mission becomes protecting the young Hanah when the shit hits the fan.

When the unveiling occurs it’s a pretty surprising series of events with Hanah acting as a beacon for heroine Tyler who is given the task of getting the two girls out of the warpath of the murderers. The power Hanah possesses to get in to other individuals minds eyes allows us a unique device that keeps us watching every murder victim falling under the knife of the murderers without ever abandoning the first person perspective Baldwin enlists. Director Baldwin finds surprising ways around his concept and never makes it all feel like he’s undermining his own ideas. The hacking and slashing that ensues are very disturbing thanks to Baldwin’s implementing of off-screen screams and thuds with our two female protagonists listening as they’re all hunted down and brutally murdered without remorse by the knife wielding sadists. Baldwin’s directorial style is dynamic and I actually cared about these characters. More so, I wanted to see them make it out alive, which is rare for slasher films. Baldwin has a great movie on his hands with some genuinely strong performances, and I hope we see more of the director in the future.

I was very worried this concept would be a completely flat endeavor, but “Hanah’s Gift” is thankfully an innovative and wonderful twist on the first person perspective sub-genre, and the slasher sub-genre with great collective performances. As a slasher geek it was almost impossible not to enjoy it as much as I did.

• For more information on "Hanah's Gift," and possible theatrical screenings, visit the official website.