Cancer turns the body into a horror house, and certainly mad scientists from Dr. Frankenstein on have proven to be sinister figures whose science causes far more harm than good. Writer/director Calvin Lee Reeder takes these two premises to create a disturbing little film that uses body horror and fear of technology gone horribly wrong to set the viewer into a state of unease. Donna (Dana Namerode) has bone cancer in her hand and is facing amputation up to the elbow. She attempts alternative medicines, but nothing works. Then the mysterious Sam (Johnny Whitworth) shows up, promising a cure. He’s the kind of guy who, when asked, “How do I know you’re not some maniac?” responds “You don’t.” He’s the kind of scientist who walks around his dark lab shirtless, looking like the lead singer for an alternative rock band. He knows everything about Sam and promises her if she comes to his building he will cure her that night.

Donna is clearly neither a horror film fan nor a HorrorBuzz reader, as she would know this is a devil’s bargain in the making. Turns out Sam has built a “quantum dislocator” – it opens up a microscopic black hole in the cancer and sends it “somewhere.” The human body is then left cancer free. Donna is skeptical, but given that the alternative is losing an arm up to the elbow, why not stick that same arm into the device and see what the black hole does. Faster than you can say “Event Horizon,” we get a rapid series of sci-fi shots – lights, machines, doppelganger Donnas and it’s all over, then another montage of MRIs, scans, and hospital visits to show she is now cancer-free.

Rishi (Nik Dodani) has stage five Leukemia and Sam has selected him for his next experiment – to use a larger quantum dislocator, the eponymous “A-Frame,” to remove all cancer from Rishi’s body. At this point, Sam has gone full mad scientist. For a low budget film, the set decoration and science elements are effective and sinister. Faster than you can say “Brundlefly,” things do not go well for Rishi, as in we don’t need a wheelchair, we need a mop and bucket.

Linda (Laketa Caston), the leader of Donna’s cancer support group is enticed to go into the A-Frame next, but she and Donna begin to suspect Sam may not be the genius scientist he claims. The problem with being human lab rats is that lab rats often don’t survive the experiments.

Strong performances, good cinematography, and believable set pieces anchor this film into a tight little sci-fi horror show. While the climax is all a bit predictable, that does not make it less satisfactory. The final shot of the climax is either terrifying or ridiculous, depending on the viewer. Nevertheless, a solid horror film.

8 out of 10