Imagine if you will - you’re a part of a DIY punk rock band. You’re traveling the United States, just trying to make ends meet. The crowds are hostile, the money is awful, but you’re trying to make your dream happen.

And then, at a sketchy show, thousands of miles away from home, you witness a murder. And it only gets worse from there.

That’s the nightmare scenario we’re placed in with writer/director Jeremy Saulnier’s latest film, Green Room, a hard nosed and brutal thriller - which may also be one of 2016’s best.

Green Room puts us in the shoes of Washington DC-based punk rock band The Ain’t Rights, as they are trying to make their way through an ill-fated Pacific Northwest tour.

They siphon gas from cars to keep their van on the road. They do interviews with college radio stations. They don’t keep a social media presence, because it’s not punk enough. They play crummy shows in crummy Mexican restaurants, when their DIY venues fall through.

But then an offer comes through. $350 cash. The catch? It’s a neo-Nazi skinhead club in the middle of the Oregon woods. Weirdly enough, that’s not a stretch - it’s just one of the truer details found within the film. Punk rock has always had a history with the world of skinheads (see Henry Rollins’ Black Flag memoir Get In the Van for some particularly harsh stories), but never before has the relationship been so violent and brutal as it is portrayed here.

After they play their set - including a rage-inducing Dead Kennedys cover - The Ain’t Rights are being rushed out of the venue. One of their members, Sam, forgot her phone. Another member of the band, Pat, runs back into the green room to get it. Within there, a girl has been stabbed - and chaos ensues.

I can’t describe more of the plot than that - but what Jeremy Saulnier has planned for audiences is an exciting, thrilling, and at times excruciating tale. Many other films have done the “just survive through this night" trope before, but the somewhat underserved setting of a punk rock club gives the movie a modern artistic edge. It certainly helps that I’ve played my share of rock venues in my other life, as I can attest to the accuracy of the arrangement of the club…although I’ve never had a run in with skinheads, thankfully.

The movie is relentless for its 95 minute runtime. Once the terror begins, the film does not let up, with some absolutely shocking moments of violence. But yet, at no point does the movie feel like it is careless or exploitative. The gore is a natural end result of the situations found - it’s not a film of Hostel-esq gore porn.

Perhaps this is helped by the fantastic performances. Our lead is Star Trek’s Anton Yelchin, as The Ain’t Rights quiet, and somewhat sappy artistic head. Arrested Development fans will be excited to see Alia Shawkat in an appropriate role, and I was shocked to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’s Mark Webber resurface. Pre-existing fans of Jeremy Saulnier will be happy to see Blue Ruin“s lead, Macon Blair, return as the front of house lead for the music venue, Gabriel, but the true gravitas comes from Patrick Stewart, as the villainous Darcy, head of the local skinheads. He does subtle, but devious work on screen, and absolutely rules the film.

Green Room is not a film for the squeamish, but for those who can stomach the gore, it’s an exciting and intense thriller, that I will be raving about for ages to come. Highest possible recommendation.