In Theaters: ESCAPE ROOM, THE VANISHING, STATE LIKE SLEEP and RUST CREEK

The first weekend of the new year brings a bunch of smaller releases, and most of them suspenseful thrillers. The first, and only wide release, is "Escape Room", a psychological thriller in the vein of "Saw", but PG-13, so with less gore. Among the limited releases we find the mystery thrillers "The Vanishing" (also known as "Keepers") starring Gerard Butler, "State Like Sleep" starring Katherine Waterston and Michael Shannon, and the indie thriller "Rust Creek" starring Hermione Corfield in her first leading role.

Synopses, details, critical/audience reception, trailers, and more after the jump.

ESCAPE ROOM

Official Synopsis

Escape Room is a psychological thriller about six strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to find the clues or die.

Film Details

• Director: Adam Robitel
  
  
• Starring: Deborah Ann Woll, Taylor Russell, Tyler Labine, Jay Ellis, Jessica Sutton
  
  
• Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
  
  
• Running Time: 100 min.
  
  
• Rating: PG-13 for terror/perilous action, violence, some suggestive material and language
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 53% (33 fresh, 29 rotten, score: 5.1/10)
  
• Metacritic: 49 out of 100 (4 positive, 11 mixed, 3 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (3.7/5 rating from 357 users)
  
• Metacritic: 5.3/10 (2 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative).
• IMDb: 6.3/10 (794 votes)
  

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THE VANISHING

Official Synopsis

Gerard Butler (Hunter Killer) and Peter Mullan ("Ozark") star in this tense, action-packed thriller based on true events. After three lighthouse keepers arrive for work on a remote Scottish isle, they make a fateful discovery: a wrecked rowboat-with a chest full of gold. As a mysterious boat heads toward the island, the three men make a choice that will change their lives forever, ensnaring them in a web of greed, paranoia, and murder.

Film Details

• Director: Kristoffer Nyholm
  
  
• Starring: Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Gary Lewis, Emma King
  
  
• Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
  
  
• Running Time: 101 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for violence and language
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 83% (5 fresh, 1 rotten, score: 7.5/10)
  
• Metacritic: 63 out of 100 (5 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
  
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 6.1/10 (437 votes)
  

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STATE LIKE SLEEP

Official Synopsis

One year after her husband's (Michiel Huisman) untimely death, a young widow (Katherine Waterston) receives an unsettling phone call that forces her to revisit the past.

Film Details

• Director: Meredith Danluck
  
  
• Starring: Katherine Waterston, Michiel Huisman, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Mary Kay Place
  
  
• Genre: Drama
  
  
• Running Time: 104 min.
  
  
• Rating: Not Rated
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 44% (7 fresh, 9 rotten, score: 5.5/10)
  
• Metacritic: 48 out of 100 (3 positive, 9 mixed, 1 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
  
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 4.1/10 (202 votes)
  

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RUST CREEK

Official Synopsis

An ordinary woman must summon extraordinary courage to survive a nightmare odyssey in this harrowing survival thriller. Sawyer (Hermione Corfield) is an ambitious, overachieving college senior with a seemingly bright future. While on her way to a job interview, a wrong turn leaves her stranded deep in the frozen Kentucky woods. Suddenly, the young woman with everything to live for finds herself facing her own mortality as she's punished by the elements and pursued by a band of ruthless outlaws. With nowhere left to run, she is forced into an uneasy alliance with Lowell (Jay Paulson), an enigmatic loner with shadowy intentions. Though she's not sure she can trust him, Sawyer must take a chance if she hopes to escape Rust Creek alive.

Film Details

• Director: Jen McGowan
  
  
• Starring: Hermione Corfield, Denise Dal Vera, Jeremy Glazer, Laura Guzman
  
  
• Genre: Drama, Thriller
  
  
• Running Time: 108 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for violence, language and some drug material
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 86% (12 fresh, 2 rotten, score: 7.0/10)
  
• Metacritic: 58 out of 100 (4 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (4.1/5 rating from 66 users)
  
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 5.2/10 (213 votes)
  

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Entertainment Factor