The Hive

The Hive

The Hive tells the story of a young man named Adam (Gabriel Basso), who wakes up in a filthy secluded cabin not knowing who he is, how he got where he is, and has to figure out how to save Katie (Kathryn Prescott), the girl he loves. The film plays out like Memento mixing flashbacks and the present as Adam has to put the pieces together from the clues he's left himself to figure out what is going on. We find out early on that a virus has infected him, Katie, and the human race that essentially takes over the mind and plugs it into one giant collective thought machine, creating a zombie/drone like race.

It's a hefty storyline for sure and The Hive offers something to say about the world being constantly plugged in and online with a growing addiction to social media. One pivotal scene in the film even hits it on the nose as a character explains the possibility for humans to share thoughts directly from mind to mind in what he calls, “the ultimate social network”. There's a lot of respect that must be given to a film that attempts to tackle such cultural issues in a creative and symbolic way, and The Hive certainly has that going for it. Another success of the film is it stylistic look and remarkable make up effects. The film is edited with constant quick cuts that make for a relatively fast pace and creates a sense of urgency for the main character to fight against. The quick cuts can also get a bit distracting after a while as it almost feels like there's more to keep track of in the film than is actually being presented. The make up and practical effects here are simply beautifully done. It's very reminiscent of the look Evil Dead (2014) had; very brutal and detailed as the virus infects the people. The lighting also emphasizes the make up with a very bleak and sterile look that makes the random blacks and reds on people's bodies really stand out.

One problem the film runs into is there are scenes that are dialogue heavy to explain what is going on and to connect the film together that seem longer than they are because they are surrounded by such quick cuts in the other scenes. I also felt that there was a bit too much explanation needed to make the lofty premise make sense to the viewer.

Perhaps what really saves The Hive, along with the appearance of the film and effects, are the performances from the entire cast. The film doesn't call for a one man show from Gabriel Basso but it does essentially rest on his shoulders and he does a solid job here. He is able to successfully portray a wide range of emotion and also comes across as likeable and relate-able with an everyman vibe. Kathryn Prescott also does a good job in her role and Gabrielle Walsh does fascinating and chilling work with her eyes and face as the doomed Jess.

While I didn't love The Hive as much as I wanted to, I did find it to be a pretty decent horror flick with amazing effects and solid performances. It also has something to say as a reflection of our social media obsessed and constant thought sharing culture. That's enough for me to see what writer/director David Yarovesky does next.

Last Girl Standing

Last Girl Standing

I was lucky enough to see Last Girl Standing at this years Eerie Horror Film Fest in Erie, PA. The film pitches a unique idea that instantly interested me: what happens to the final girl after the horror movie ends? The idea has been explored before in sequels such as Friday the 13^th, Part 2, where Adrienne King's Alice gets killed, Neve Campbell throughout the never ending twists and turns of the Scream series, and countless others like that. But what would happen in the real world to somebody who survived a killer straight out of a slasher movie?

Last Girl Standing focuses on the life of Camryn (Akasha Villalobos), the only survivor of a brutal massacre during a camping trip with some friends only to still be haunted five years later by the terrible memory and image of the killer. The killer wore an animal head with horns over his own in a sadistic manner and it was truly a disturbing sight! For a killer who is only on screen for about 5 minutes (he gets killed), the filmmakers did a good job in making him memorable.

Camryn has been living a quiet life in an apartment that looks like she hasn't finished moving into and working at a dry cleaners since the incident happened. Actress Akasha Villalobos does a stellar job in portraying the paralyzed stillness and tortured silence that Camryn's life has become. There are scenes that show her brushing her teeth when she will suddenly stop and look at her closed shower curtain as a heavy breathing fills the bathroom, unexpectedly back in the grip of the killer. These are powerful moments that are very effective and show the sudden dread that can take over her life at any moment. She may not have died that night in the woods, but her life stopped and Villalobos superbly encompasses this feeling in her performance.

When a new employee gets hired at the dry cleaners, Nick (Brian Villalobos), the visions Camryn has of the killer start to intensify. This is in conjunction with the 5 year anniversary of the killings and Camryn seems to not trust the new employee. Late one night a break in happens at the dry cleaner when Camryn is there alone and she sees glimpses of the killer and swears he is after her again. When the cops come, they advise her not to be alone and, having no where else to go, Nick offers his place where Camryn meets his roommates.

The film takes it's time as Camryn establishes relationships with these people and seemingly makes friends with most in the group. Although her visions of the killer resume as well as the belief that he is after her, she appears to have a support system with these new friends in place to help her. While the group question her believability and sanity, it is clear that something is following Camryn, they just aren't sure what. The pacing of the film is slow and really takes it's time to build up to it's final act. Don't get me wrong here, the slow burn approach is very effective and serves a purpose as it strongly establishes the necessary relationships that come in to play later in the film. After being immersed in the world and characters of the film, the viewer's patience is more than rewarded with a brilliantly set up ending full of chaotic slasher goodness! It's pacing reminded me of another brilliant independent horror gem from the past year called Pieces of Talent.

Last Girl Standing is a character study of the idea of 'The Final Girl' and what realistic effect such a label from a horrible situation could potentially have on a person. It's a smart horror film with great production value and strong performances from the whole cast. Last Girl Standing is on the festival circuit as of this writing and if you get the chance to see it do not pass it up, it will be the movie you are talking about when you leave.

Tales of Halloween

Tales of Halloween

Tales of Halloween is an anthology of 10 films that all take place in a small American town where the townsfolk are terrorized by ghosts, ghouls, aliens, and killers on Halloween night. Inevitable comparisons to Creepshow and the more recent Trick 'r Treat are justified and expected, but Tales of Halloween does more than enough to stand on its own in the anthology sub-genre.

Tales of Halloween is a love letter to Halloween itself and all the myths, superstitions, and lore that surround the fun and spooky holiday. There are 10 stories in the film that could only be expected to happen on Halloween and yet seem unexpected to the towns people they happen to. It takes itself seriously but leaves plenty of room for humor, mixing the scares and the laughs extremely well. There are plenty of practical effects on display that give the film that fun, lived in, old school horror feel. The makeup and lighting are also utilized to benefit the film and add to the creepy feel and atmosphere. One segment in particular had one character as a red witch who was shown in very effective red and black makeup with strobe light like movements and lighting that worked wonderfully and was truly terrifying.

There is some great talent walking around the streets of this doomed town throughout the 10 films in Tales of Halloween. We see Lin Shaye, Pat Healey, Tiffany Shepis, Barry Bostwick, Kristina Klebe, a blink-and-you'll-miss-her Felissa Rose, and a handful of others populating the stories. The one appearance that got me the most excited and felt like hearing a comforting blast from the past was Adrienne Barbeau as a disc jockey who worked as a narrator of sorts throughout the film to help tie the stories together. As soon as her voice came through the speakers to open the film in that smooth, inviting tone from “The Fog”, I had a big smile on my face and I was hooked! The actors didn't have a lot of time to flesh out characters or create many memorable moments due to the length of each short film, but I was impressed once again by Alex Essoe in her short time on screen, the first time being her commanding performance in Starry Eyes. She's incredibly talented and I eagerly await her future films and performances.

What makes Tales of Halloween work so well as a whole is a noticeable effort in the writing to provide original and fresh feeling stories. 'Sweet Tooth' offers a fantastic new Halloween legend, 'The Night Billy Raised Hell' provides the ultimate revenge trick on an unsuspecting young trick or treater, and 'Bad Seed' ends with a sinking feeling of lost hope. I could not begin to guess where a story was headed or how it would end once it began. The quick pace of the film was helped by the fact that every segment seemed to be about the same length. And while some stories weren't quite on par with others, there was no filler here and the film is solid throughout its run time. The stories were written with a Halloween loving audience in mind and the result is an anthology of films that are full of tricks but leave the viewer with one giant treat.

Tales of Halloween is available on video on demand and any fan of Halloween or horror should definitely give this film a watch, it's an all around great time!

The Final Girls

The Final Girls

The Final Girls is the latest film in what seems to be a nostalgic era in horror as the style of the 1970's, and more so the 1980's, are influencing a lot of new releases. The Final Girls offers a brilliant twist on the new throwback theme when a young woman named Max (Taissa Farmiga) is grieving the loss of her former 1980's scream queen mother Amanda (Malin Akerman) and gets mysteriously pulled inside the world of her mothers most famous slasher, Camp Bloodbath! Together with her friends and reunited with her mother from the movie, the group must fight the films maniac killer!

From the very opening scene through the closing credits this film is everything I was hoping it would be: fun, fast paced, funny, touching, inventive, and just a damn good time! The way it mixes the modern group of friends with the carefree, 1980's camp counselors from Camp Bloodbath is both hysterical and satisfying. The conversations and interactions between the groups works on two levels: one being the modern teens and the teens from 30 years ago, and the other is the movie watchers and the actors in the movie. Watching the two groups work together to stop the killer is fascinating as they both offer know how of the world of the film in different ways and play with horror tropes that leads to a brilliant chemistry amongst the entire cast. The actors work so well together here in their meta situation that you actually feel like a part of the group, you're invested in these people and the events that take place.

The heart and soul of the film lays in the relationship between Max and her mother Amand (her character name is Nancy in the Camp Bloodbath movie). Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman work remarkably well together and share several captivating moments. Akerman will steal your heart in the first 5 minutes and Farmiga's promising career is turning into a stellar body of work. Other standout performances in the film are Adam DeVine as a sex obsessed jock type and Angela Trimbur who is freaking hilarious. I'll never listen to Cherry Pie by Warrant the same way again!

The Final Girls also offers some real deaths within Camp Bloodbath and utilizes the most clever use of flashback I've ever seen as they explain the back-story of the killer. The final act of the film has some beautifully shot scenes and sequences on display. One such sequence is a chase scene that had me watching with a big mesmerized smile on my face. The 1980's inspired score infused with modern sound is the cherry on top of this awesome movie.

The Final Girls is an example of everything coming together on a film and catching lightning in a bottle, it's that good. You don't have to be a fan of horror or slasher films to enjoy The Final Girls, you just have to be a fan of great movies. Of course, being a fan of horror just makes it that much sweeter. This is an absolute must watch.

Lost After Dark

Lost After Dark

Lost After Dark joins a growing sub-sect in the horror genre as a throwback to the slasher films of the 1980's. With the tag-line. “And you thought the 80's were over,” Lost After Dark takes place in 1984 and tells the story of a group of high school teens headed to a cabin for the weekend. A familiar story for sure, but the movie is a good time full of nostalgia and plenty of good ole fashion slashing!

We meet our group of teens in the usual manner as they prepare for a school dance. Of course, they plan on skipping the dance and heading to the cabin without there parents knowing. As the plans unfold we see the group of teens being teens and relationships being established as they talk about sex, make raunchy jokes, and steal a school bus to head to the cabin.

The early goings in the film have very little to no music playing behind the scenes. They are all simply filled with dialogue with the occasional temporary burst of an 80's pop song playing to liven things up and put the 80's era on full display. These scenes are not boring however, the actions of the characters are definitely pushing things forward as they talk. The only time music plays is after the bus runs out of gas on a dark, deserted, road surrounded by woods and we get hints of the group being watched by the killer as they figure out what to do, and it's a deep dreadful score. This reminded me of those slashers from the 80's when music didn't play over every scene in the beginning like they seem to in today's horror films.

With no particular stand out performance, the cast does a solid job and has a decent chemistry together. The group is a believable group of friends and there are no characters who are douchebags; it's a pretty like-able group. So when the bodies start to pile up, we actually kind of care about these folks.

When the group spots an old abandoned, (or so they think), house to spend the night in, there time left alive starts ticking down as they are stalked by a cannibalistic hillbilly killer named Joad. The time spent exploring the house seems to drag on just a tad too long and it slows down the pacing of the film here as not too much happens except the usual pranks and scares the group plays on each other. Throw in a little character development and some shots of the group being watched by the killer and the house exploring sequence is saved from being a real mood killer.

Once the first kill happens the pace picks right back up and it's full on slasher time! The kills provide plenty of blood and gore with a couple of them even making me cringing a bit. One kill in particular involving a broken window and an eyeball was relentless in it's build up and created an “oh shit!” moment. As for the killer, Joad, the film doesn't go out of it's way to hide his appearance too much and it was refreshing not to see a deformed face or half man, half monster appearance, he was just a regular looking human, albeit a very tall, evil, and bearded human, but a human nonetheless.

To add to the 1980's feel of the film, the movie displays a dark yet slightly faded and greyed over picture complete with random film scratches and rough around the edges edits between some scenes. It's a nice touch that is thankfully not overdone. There was one questionable choice showing when film slips off it's reel and melts by projector heat around the 1 hour mark that I did not care for at all. I get the vintage possibility and retro feel they were going for but it was very distracting. Thankfully it was a brief moment and I quickly got over it.

Overall, Lost After Dark should be a satisfying watch for any fan of the classic slashers from the 80's or fans of old school horror in general. It delivers on the feel, the kills, and the fun factor and that's all a horror fan can really ask for.