Beyond the Gates

Beyond the Gates

When two brothers reunite to clean out their father's video store several months after he goes missing, they discover a VCR board game called 'Beyond the Gates'. When the brothers decide to play it they discover a sinister host who may hold the key to their father's disappearance with potentially deadly consequences.
Beyond the Gates starts with a wonderful and loving opening sequence that shows the inner workings of VHS player technology while a time appropriate synth pop score plays over the credits. This detailed opening sets the tone for what's to come: a nostalgic tribute to a bygone era that plays as smooth as a brand new VHS tape. After the tracking adjusts, of course.
When John, (one of the brothers played by Chase Williamson), says of the video store in the beginning, “I don't remember this place feeling so big,” I found the line to be absolutely wonderful. People usually say the opposite as they grow older, that places from their childhood seem smaller. The line made me reflect on the magic that was the Video Store and how it felt being surrounded by seemingly endless movie titles. Standing among all those shelves and rows of video tapes must feel pretty daunting as compared to the digital browsing of titles we do today on our Smart TVs.
Graham Skipper and Chase Williamson as the two brothers are fantastic in this. The characters they play are very opposite of each other but there is enough in the writing and portrayals to see that they also have a lot in common. Skipper and Williamson have a great chemistry together and it was easy for me to believe that they had a history as brothers and had that family bond between them.
Barbara Crampton is simply stunning as the sinister host of the board game. I loved the scenes where she was waiting for the players of the game to follow her instructions; it's an eerie feeling of her watching them as opposed to the other way around and an early sign that something isn't quite right with this board game, Beyond the Gates. Crampton's unblinking gaze and measured, chilly vocals create a phenomenal character and she hands down steals the show. Her performance and ability coupled with Stephen Scarlata and director Jackson Stewart's script is yet more proof that the horror genre provides women with strong roles and interesting characters. I also need to mention that Brea Grant and Jesse Merlin also give great performances.
A surprising theme I noticed was the lost feeling that runs throughout Beyond the Gates, a sense of time passed. The lost era of VHS stores, the seemingly lost feeling in the lives of the brothers, the vanishing of the father, a case of sleepwalking, vintage/antique shops, and the snowy static of a TV screen with no analog signal. Even the deep and dark and steely eyes of Barbara Crampton made me feel lost as the viewer and brought me into the world of the film.
This sense of loss holds the entire film together and is a brilliant technique that raises the stakes and puts constant awareness and intrigue on the VCR game that shares the title of the film. As the characters play the game and the story unfolds, a parallel narrative is told and it is the idea that all is not lost and that you just have to listen to the clues and know where to look. With a brilliant script and spot on direction, Beyond the Gates is damn near perfect.
Roll the dice and play Beyond the Gates, it's a fun thriller filled with horror and adventure and it's one of my favorite films of the year.  

Party Night

Party Night 

After deciding to ditch their after prom party, six high school friends find themselves prey to a sadistic killer when they have their own party at a secluded lake house in the woods.
Party Night doesn't set out to reinvent the slasher film or break new ground in a sub genre that has played by the rules it created for itself over 35 years ago. It instead is a loving tribute to all those teenage kill fests with a homicidal maniac on the loose that featured eye catching VHS art that we all couldn't stop glancing at during those trips to the video store as kids (or adults) back in the day. Writer and director Troy Escamilla demonstrates in Party Night that he is clearly well acquainted with these films.
First and foremost I have to give major recognition to the cast. All 6 of the high school friends have that all American boys and girls feel participating in an all American tradition: the high school prom. I loved watching this group onscreen, the chemistry between them was spot on and they all demonstrated impressive acting ability. Laurel Toupal as Amy and Drew Shotwell as Nelson are stand outs and have a real natural ability. But the real star is Laurel Toupal. Her performance is a remarkable mix of Jamie Lee Curtis and Amy Steel. She's simply incredible in this and is an absolute star in the making. Keep an eye on her.
There's a scene early on that shows the 3 girls walking down the street after school and it has a fantastic Halloween vibe to it. This scene is an example of how the rest of the film plays out as the group of 6 doomed high schoolers head to the lake house after prom. It's an entertaining and fun time that successfully captures the feel of those old “cheesy” slasher flicks, as one of the characters playfully refers to them.
There's lots of spilled blood and wonderfully done makeup effects by Heather Benson. Her effects and talent are on full display in Party Night and she does a fantastic job as all the kills look high quality and impressive. The picture looks timeless and slightly soft and faded to resemble the heyday of the slasher genre and the music is a wonderful fit for the youthful energy and carnage that mixes onscreen.
The one disappointment I had with the film was the look of the killer. I found the light jacket he wore to be a bit anticlimactic. The white and blue two tone of it seemed to be an odd choice and didn't quite mesh well with his actions. Perhaps it's a picky observation, but it's one that distracted me enough to mention it.
Kudos to first time writer and director Troy Escamilla for crafting a fun and bloody homage to the slasher flicks of the 1980's and assembling a great technical cast and group of actors. Party Night is good old fashioned horror fun and introduces fans to a number of new potential stars and filmmaker. Grab some beers at midnight and check out Party Night, it's a good time and a lot of fun. Just like those old cheesy VHS slasher flicks from the 80's.

The Monster

The Monster

The Monster tells the story about a mother and her young daughter who must confront a terrifying monster when they break down on a deserted road.
That's the basic set up for The Monster and it's incredible what an impactful and layered story comes out of that simple premise. The Monster is scary on multiple levels both human and unexplainable in nature. The story hinges on fear of things unknown and known and combines life and death in an emotionally startling way that puts the human condition front and center. All of this with a monster on the lose on a dark and stormy night.
The two lead actresses, Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine, are nothing short of phenomenal. The relationship between the two is critical to the overall impact of the film and I was blown away by the talent that these two actresses displayed. The result is touching and powerful and the performance of Ella Ballentine as the daughter is a small miracle that deserves recognition. Her performance is as eye opening and star making as Danielle Harris in Halloween 4. Zoe Kazan turns in an absolutely heartbreaking character who both angers us and earns our sympathy as the desperate mother battling alcoholism. The horror genre consistently provides women with strong roles and opportunities to show their skills and it's time the Academy and other award entities pay attention.
In addition to the top notch acting, The Monster offers a wonderful script and solid direction to present it with. Woven into the scenes of their struggle to survive the monster are flashbacks showing the troubled relationship between the mother and daughter. Most of the scenes are troubling, some are touching, and all demonstrate the fractured love between the two. You can see that the mother deeply loves her daughter and the daughter is desperate to feel that love from her mother.
The alcoholism of the mother is the other monster in this film and it's just as deadly as the beast that is hunting them on that dark and desolate road. The film tells us that monsters are real and they come in many different forms; some come after you in the woods or the dark and others reside within us all and it's up to us to fight them and protect the ones we love. This is beautifully shown as the instinct to fight for survival may be the first time in the mother's life where she cherishes being alive and this realization is passed on to her daughter and there is hope that she can fulfill her own potential in life as well as her mother's lost promise. It really is a beautiful horror story.
The Monster is a smart, layered, and emotionally engaging story that should be seen by not only horror fans but fans of film in general. The film has just as much heart as it does scares and contains two of the best performances I've seen all year. The Monster is of those films that proves the horror genre should be taken seriously and deserves more recognition for what it can accomplish.    

House of Purgatory

House of Purgatory

House of Purgatory is from first time writer/director Tyler Christensen and revolves around four teenagers who go looking for a fabled haunted house on Halloween night. Once found, they slowly realize that the house knows each of their deepest secrets. One-by-one the house uses these secrets against the terrified teens that find themselves in a battle to save not only their lives, but also their very souls.
House of Purgatory is another fun and very entertaining film to add to your Halloween season rotation. It has a distinct and spot on 1990's feel as rock/pop music plays over early scenes of high school football games and hallway interactions between the characters. It's a movie that sets up the cocky/know it all yet oblivious and care-free existence of life in high school. This first act of setting up the characters this way makes the events to come that much more effective. Because House of Purgatory is set up like a cruel Halloween trick: bite into the sweetness of this apple and you're going to hit a razor blade.
Once the four teens leave a Halloween party to track down this haunted house with urban legend status, the tone of the film shifts gears into a masterful blend of 1950's haunted house spookfests fused with an 80's vibe and 90's look. It's frightful fun as they discover the haunted attraction and begin to walk through it.
But Halloween fun turns into a living nightmare as deep secrets of the characters work their way into the displays they encounter and it's clear that this is not a regular haunted house. Some scenes become blurred and washed out, confusing reality with nightmares to the point where the two realms become indecipherable. House of Purgatory becomes a scary story beyond simple ghosts and goblins as the story line progresses.
It was refreshing that the characters felt normal and act normal. Anne Leighton as Melanie should be a star, she's wonderful on screen and she was nominated for Best Actress in a feature at the Fear Fete Horror Film Festival for good reason. Aaron Galvin as Nate also puts in a solid performance. The strong acting all around really benefited the film as the characters became more and more distraught and scared as scenarios became more hellish.
Fears, guilt, and secrets terrorize the characters as a really smart script connects scenarios from each character in intelligent ways. It's a psychological thriller, a drama, and a horror story all in one. House of Purgatory makes two things clear: haunted attraction films are the new haunted house movies and people are their own haunted houses filled with ghosts they've created.
Check out House of Purgatory if you're looking for a new Halloween movie to watch, it's tailor made for this time of year and it hits the nail on the head. With solid acting, good looking Halloween set pieces, and a clever script that seamlessly shifts in tone from fun to scary, the film is a great midnight watch in the dark. And if you have surround sound all the better, it'll sound great!

The Id

The Id

The Id tells the story of Meredith (Amanda Wyss), a lonely woman caring for her domineering father (Patrick Peduto) who is pushed to the brink when a figure from her past re-enters her life.
The Id is an impressive psychological horror drama that is propelled by the performances of Patrick Peduto and Amanda Wyss. The film is a study in the descent of the mind into a repressed madness that can no longer be ignored. The Id is not an easy film to watch. It features many moments that are uncomfortable and explores themes that are difficult to see. A fractured father/daughter relationship with severe verbal abuse and simmering hatred about to come to a boil is shown without holding back, and I give kudos to the filmmakers and the cast for their willingness to be so open with a distressing subject.
Very touching and thoughtful music matches the touching and thoughtful performance from Amanda Wyss. She radiates pure and constrained emotion in this film that doesn't just let the viewer know of her pain but let's them feel it as well. This film belongs to Wyss, and the journey of her character Meredith becomes the journey of the viewer along with her, even as she begins to crumble to the situation and lose touch with reality. Her performance combined with the observant and lingering direction of Thommy Hutson made The Id and engrossing and powerful film.
Meredith is set apart almost immediately when a delivery girl named Tricia (Jamye Grant) comes to the door in the beginning of the movie and the stark contrast is immediately apparent. Tricia is very animated and happy, has her hair done with make up on and stylish clothes with accessories while Meredith is standing still in the doorway simply dressed and isn't allowed to wear makeup in the house. Another scene shows Meredith watching her favorite show on TV and we see how desperate she is to avoid her life while the show is on. Her hyperbolic response to the sitcom makes it clear this show is one of the few things she has to look forward to.
The only flaw the film has is the script runs a bit thin in parts towards the last third of it's run time as there is a change in Meredith that causes events to escalate. After the appearance of an old high school love, I felt the actions the character takes weren't completely earned and seemed rushed in execution and didn't quite convey the tension that I was expecting to feel. There is certainly a steady growth of madness taking place, but to get from Meredith in the beginning to Meredith at the end, I felt a noticeable disconnect of that journey somewhere in the middle. The saving grace is Wyss' performance and the unpredictability of Meredith and watching to see just how far her mind has slipped as she becomes more and more detached and semi hallucinatory.
The Id goes for broke in showing abuse, repression, regrets, and madness up close and for the most part the film succeeds. It's a difficult and bleak yet fascinating watch with strong performances from the entire cast. The film reminded me of Sun Choke starring Barbara Crampton that came out earlier this year, the two are similar in tone. If there was any justice in the world of movies, Amanda Wyss would be in discussion for an Academy Award for this. And that is reality. 

A Knock at the Door

This is a snapshot review of a short film called A Knock at the Door. If you get the chance to see it at a convention or film festival make sure to check it out, it's a good one!

Patient Seven

Patient Seven

Patient Seven is a rather clever anthology film that focuses on Dr. Marcus (Michael Ironside), a renowned psychiatrist who is researching mentally ill and dangerous patients in a mental hospital. Throughout the interviews, the 6 patients begin to tell of the horrors they committed as Dr, Marcus learns there is one patient who ties them all together.

The set up of the film is ripe for the picking as far as horror anthologies go. We get 6 different stories from severely mentally disturbed patients being told to a doctor who just may be as crazy as they are. That's why Michael Ironside was a great choice to play Dr. Marcus, the guy just looks crazier than any of the patients he interviews and he plays the role perfectly.
The mental hospital has a sterile and dirty look at the same time. This is conveyed by the bluish florescent lighting that drapes over every scene giving the film an untouched yet grimy appearance. It's a fitting tone given the purpose and intent of hospitals as it also hints at the unconventional and dangerous methods used by Dr. Marcus. It's an uncomfortable and cold look that keeps the viewer at a distance and in a state of distrust toward anything that is happening on screen. It creates the perfect language for the film as events begin to unfold and the story plays out.
The stories being told here are creative and unpredictable. The best part is all of the patient's stories are all so different from each other. Some are funny, some are scary, some have action, and all are entertaining and populated with strong performances and great makeup an effects. Grace Van Dien plays Patient 5 and although she doesn't have a lot of screen time she really stood out to me. Her eyes and facial expressions were haunting and sharp and I'm curious to see what she can do in a larger role. Corpses, ghosts, zombies, demons and Vampires fill this surprisingly even anthology film that is all killer and no filler. Another surprising aspect of Patient Seven is how well the film gels together. Each segment is helmed by a different director but the movie never feels out of sync with itself and maintains a consistent tone throughout. Some segments being far better than others is often a fault of even the best horror anthologies I've seen; Patient Seven doesn't suffer that fate and for that I give it very high praise.
Horror anthologies like this seem to be getting more and more popular and when they are as enjoyable as Patient Seven it really benefits from the binge watching mentality that has come about the past few years. Movies like this are like watching several Tales From the Crypt or Are You Afraid of the Dark? episodes in a row. If that doesn't sound enjoyable to a horror fan than I don't know what does! Check out Patient Seven for several different and solid horror stories with an overarching connection, it's perfect for Halloween time!