A crucial element when reviewing or, in engaging discourse of the topic of “Psychological Horror” or “Psychological Thriller” is that the label has always, always about the psychology of the audience, not the psychology of the characters. Audiences want to be taken on a roller-coaster of feelings and uneasiness, as they search for clues to entangle the mystery presented to them. It is a lesson sadly, I learned too late in life thinking critical of make-up the character is key overrides audience expectation.  “Freelance” written by MIke Gerbino and Directed by John Balasz know this and its familiar tone of condemnation woven in the subgenre.  If you are a fan of this subgenre it would be worth your time to see. Especially since the protagonist we follow is a freelance film editor played very well by Nicole Pastor. Although this film is an indie australian film, to which horror fans are well aware, are killing it with some of their  horror, such as “You’ll Never Find Me”  “Sissy” “Talk To Me” (which I regarded as the best horror film of 2023) and “Bloody Hell. But this film’s flavor seems more American than those, probably because writer Mike Gerbino is from New York. Freelance has a fresh concept in an old body. A story of a young, weary, shielded freelance film editor struggling to make ends meet. I get that. I’m close friends with indie editors. It is a streaky business that can be hot or cold. You can feel like a beggar at times constantly asking people for money you are owed or for more work. That is where we met Katie, at the depths of a cold streak, making her friends buy her food and drinks with her convincing charm, and enchanting looks.  All seems lost and she possibly gives up on the profession until an anonymous offer of editing snuff films comes  with a hefty payoff. And we are off to spiraling down the hole of psychological torment and uneasiness. Overall, the script is new and vivid, but a bit showy. What doesn’t work at all for me is that the camera and the production are so unimaginative and that needed to be showy. Psychological Horror sort of demands a creative camera with  unique angles and framing, think of Creep, or Diabolique, we don’t have that here.  Still, there are a lot of good things going for it. Nicole Pastor is just audacious as Katie, it does have a satisfying ending, as well as,  great representation of the life of an indie film editor. Freelance is best when it is fully unnerved and attached to Katie’s journey, but the subplots are rail thin and for note:  If your boyfriend considers himself a cinephile but stops the movie you are watching to make out with you, then he’s really not a cinephile! For me, Freelance would have been more suited to a j cut kinda movie then a simply a soft dissolve.