The Evil Within

The Evil Within

The Evil Within tells the story of Dennis, a lonely, mentally handicapped man who lives with his brother, John. When John brings home an old antique mirror, Dennis immediately doesn't like it but reluctantly begins to befriend his reflected image, a demonic figure that tells Dennis to single handedly kill one by one the people he loves most. 

The movie throws itself onto the viewer with confidence from the opening scene; a surreal sequence aided by voice over that lets it be known you have to pay attention. The Evil Within is largely told from the perspective of the main character, Dennis. In fact, most of the time we are experiencing what's going on inside his mind in what is ultimately a character study. The end result is an absorbing and dark, cerebral fantasy. 

The Evil Within is an unique and sad story that drips with a nervous tension. You get the feeling something could happen at any moment, but you don't know what. It's creepy, unsettling, sad and strangely beautiful. There are several sequences that boast frightening, nightmarish imagery along with great camera work that captures reflections and distortions in mirrors. The film seems obsessed with the co existence of good and evil and has the running theme of a mirror can hold two separate images but we can see only one at a time with our eyes. 

Frederick Koehler is fantastic portraying both sides living inside of Dennis. The journey of the evil within slowly invading and corrupting the innocent part of Dennis is both heartbreaking and fascinating to watch and Koehler just absolutely nails it in his performance. His switching between characters with quick vocal and physical transformations are very impressive and he manages to portray both characters evenly throughout the film. I was very impressed by Frederick Koehler. 

Sean Patrick Flanery is also good as John, the overworked and stressed older brother forced to care for Dennis. There's an interesting parallel between the two brothers as John is losing his identity caring for Dennis, Dennis is finding his within the mirror, for better or for worse. 

Michael Berryman is perfect as the evil incarnate within the mirror. Thanks to The Hills Have Eyes, Berryman is horror's familiar Boogeyman and seeing him here was like remembering a scary dream as a kid and feeling the fear all over again. His staring, unblinking eyes are scary, hypnotic and unsettling. The story behind the making of The Evil Within is an interesting one. Writer and director Andrew Getty labored on his passion project for an astounding 13 years, with stop and go filming from 2002-2008 and spent years editing it attempting an impossible perfection. Getty passed away in 2015 with a still unfinished cut. The film was finished to the best of its ability and released this year on digital platforms. And this troubled production does cause some considerable misfires in the film. I clearly noticed different hair lengths on Flanery between some scenes but it is the end that suffers the most. There's very awkwardly edited and written scenes towards the end in a hail Mary attempt to tie things up. With a bizarre new character being introduced in the final act and conclusions being drawn and then re-drawn all in the same scene, it's an unfortunate and very messy little bit of the film. Overall, The Evil Within is a mostly carefully paced and hauntingly focused character study with slasher and supernatural undertones that leads to a twisted and bizarre freak show of an ending that was both unexpected and entertaining. Definitely give this film a watch, there's a ton to like here with a great story and a lot of unforgettable imagery that will please horror fans. 

To read an in depth account of the troubled production of The Evil Within and the troubles of writer and director Andrew Getty, check out the article at Blumhouse here.

CarousHELL

CarousHELL

CarousHELL tells the story of Duke, a disgruntled carousel unicorn that has had enough of the theme park life when he is insulted and wronged by a young rider. Naturally, Duke vows revenge on the doomed kid and goes on a bloody killing spree to release his frustration. What follows is a ridiculous and absurd good time. 

The characters are all entertainingly portrayed by the actors in a comically over the top way. They're more like caricatures than characters and the purpose they served was the best of both worlds: they had me laughing and rooting for their deaths at the same time. The two standouts are Se Marie as the endlessly full of herself Laurie and the My Tiny Uni loving Preston played by Chris Proud. Writer and director Steve Rudzinski also has a funny role as Joe, a very pizza focused pizza delivery guy. There's plenty of blood on screen and more than just blood, the kills are very creative and entertaining. One thing I love about the indie horror genre is the time and effort put into creative kills and practical effects. Maybe they do it to stand out, maybe it's for a love of the genre, or maybe a combination of the two. Either way the effects put forth by the film crew on CarousHELL are impressive and a ton of fun to watch. I also loved how Duke the unicorn remained an inanimate object as he moved. He would just glide and hop and kill as the stiff, plaster, wooden carousel unicorn that he was. It was funny seeing Duke move and navigate in this manner and hearing his voice come from his frozen face. It's a lot like the turkey in Thankskilling. 

Something I've noticed from the indie horror genre of today is the ability of filmmakers to perfectly merge the horror of the 1980's and the horror of the 1990's. The practical effects, outrageous story lines and cheesy dialogue of the 80's blends nicely with the polished, Abercrombie and Fitch like ensemble casts of the nineties. They mix nicely to create a nostalgic filled and self deprecating good time. 

CarousHELL is the kind of movie you can throw on late at night after a long day and just enjoy how ridiculous it is. It's entertaining, funny as hell, and even has a unicorn/girl sex scene for the Beauty and the Beast loving crowd. And when the end credits start to roll do yourself a favor and stick around for a couple extra minutes. CarousHELL manages to top it's ridiculous self and end on a high note. Hop on and give CarousHELL a ride, I know I'll be giving it another go around soon.

The Void

The Void

The Void is about a police officer who shortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures who surround the outside of the building.

To say strange and violent occurrences is an understatement as The Void sets up scenarios that are nothing short of horrific nightmares. The set up feels like Assault on Precinct 13 and then shifts gears into The Thing crossed with 2015's Baskin and the film plays out beautifully. One of the things I loved about it was I never was quite sure where the story was headed or where it would end up. And the ride from beginning to end had me smiling from ear to ear.

The outside scenes in the movie are very dark and very quiet. I could barely make out what was going on save for the very small amount of light that shined on whatever needed to be seen to understand. This barely there lighting let's the viewer know that this story is a dark one and like there is little light, there is also little hope. It's also a wonderful play on the title as the quiet darkness creates the sense of a void, like something is missing. And that's pretty much how the movie works: it gives you just enough to comprehend but never over plays it's hand.

While inside the hospital the film takes on a yellowed and timeless look, as if the story could be happening now or 25 years ago. Once our group realizes they are surrounded and trapped in the hospital by a large group of white robed and masked strangers, the fun begins as they realize the true evil is waiting for them in the bowels of the building. What follows is an all out creature feature gore fest, a scary and unflinching hell on Earth. The acting is strong all around, especially Kenneth Welsh as Dr. Powell who delivers his lines in a measured and steadfast speech that indicates a man who possesses a great and dark knowledge. It's a truly scary portrayal through use of voice.

The effects and creature design were some of the best I've seen recently and the vision demonstrated by writers and directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski is truly impressive.

To say too much of the evil inside the hospital would be a disservice to potential viewers so I've remained as vague as possible about the details of the plot. The Void is not an easy film. It doesn't spoon feed you the answers you may want and instead leaves you thinking and contemplating what happened. Most importantly it leaves you wanting to watch it again. The Void looks beautiful, is truly scary, has awesome creature designs and I whole heartedly recommend it.

Truth or Dare

Truth or Dare 

Truth or Dare is about six friends known as the Truth or Daredevils who achieve internet stardom by posting “Truth or Dare” YouTube videos with violent twists. But when their number one fan hijacks a show and decides to play by his own rules, the fun and games come to an end as secrets are revealed and a lot of blood is spilled. A LOT of blood.
The film largely takes place in a single room and I quickly noticed the wonderful mix of dark and bright color palettes on the walls. I found this to be a nice emphasis of the coexistence of good and evil happening inside the room with the presumably innocent 6 friends taken hostage by a deranged fan named Derik, energetically played by Ryan Kiser. The contrasting colors also echo the same sentiment that exists in the minds of men: the blurring of secrets and truths that we all carry within us. The hiding of secrets is demonstrated in full on cringe inducing, hard to watch, gory fashion as Truth or Dare unfolds and the 6 friends are opened up (in more ways than one) for everyone to see.
The performances are solid all around as the actors have to portray endless expressions of disbelief and excruciating pain. Ryan Kiser puts on a show that sometimes teeters on the brink of being over the top but he has just enough vulnerability on display to reel him in and he is overall very effective in the role. Heather Dorff is the standout amongst the YouTube group as she withers in pain and expertly displays pure raw emotion in her eyes to match the expressions on her face.
The film makes a strong statement about what's accepted as reality on the internet. Director Jessica Cameron puts the themes of Truth or Dare on full, gory display as she dismantles common beliefs and ideas and turns them inside out. The unknown lives that are discovered amongst the group of friends who thought they knew each other combined with Derik's thinking the carnage is all part of the game says that perception is not reality but, instead, reality is perception. The film says reality is decided by the individual and how they choose to see it. And when reality has several different interpretations, you're left with a fucked up mess that exists outside the realm of known reality. And this is where the more over the top sequences in the film are forgiven, because they lay outside of a known reality; a place created by the fragility of the human mind, it's instinct to protect itself, and it's dangerous ability to escalate chaos.
That may seem a little deep for a gory film about a bunch of YouTubers, but the script is very smart and Cameron's direction shows that an unthinkable situation requires unthinkable acts to happen within it. Even Kiser's Derik character exclaims, “I didn't think that would work!” or acts surprised by a few of the gory things that happen because of his doing. It's not the reality any of them are used to. When all the truths have been told and all the lies exposed, the mind goes to an unknown and dark place, escalating the chaos as it tries to protect itself. And that's Truth or Dare: an experiment in escalating chaos.

Bravo, Jessica Cameron.

Parasites

Parasites

Parasites is about a group of 3 friends who take a wrong turn in a seedy section of Los Angeles and encounter an angry and violent gang of homeless vagrants. It becomes a bloody and gritty fight for survival as one of the friends escapes and attempts to outrun the roving gang and their leader.
Parasites starts out strong and strikes a familiar chord as it feels like a cross between Wrong Turn and Escape From New York, minus the hillbillies and futuristic world and swapping the backwoods for the concrete jungle. The filmmakers did an excellent job of making the worst parts of a modern city look like a lawless nightmare and backing it with a Carpenter-esque score that gave it an extra flare of credibility with this horror fan.
The violent, rag tag group of filthy street dwellers with chains and shovels and rusty knives for weapons are dressed in shoddy clothing and have a group-think mentality like a group of blood thirsty zombies. They have their lifestyle and their inner group rankings and seek out the escaped trespasser with a crazed dedication. It's a well realized vision for the group that injects extra grit and fear into the story.
Robert Miano as Wilco, the leader of the gang, plays his role with the perfect mix of subtle craziness and unhinged anger. The character could have easily been cartoonish and laughable but Miano owns the role with an assured mad glint in his eye and complete believibility.
Sean Samuels is also very strong in his role as Marshall Colter, the lone friend on the run from the homeless gang. Some interesting and unique characters pop up throughout the film, most notably is Silvia Spross as Mona, a prostitute living on the streets.
The film is visually impressive and we'll acted with an intriguing yet simple set up. The biggest issue with Parasites is that it didn't have enough going on to make it exciting or to hold my attention thoroughly throughout the film. There's a lot of running and chasing and wandering as music plays that serves as the bulk of the action, but it's just not very compelling. It feels like a short film puffed up and filled out to feature length. And I'm not saying Parasites is a bad film, there just isn't a lot of meat on the bone here.
And I just have to say, screenwriters have got to come up with something better than, "I have no signal" when addressing why a character can't just call for help with their cell phone. In the middle of the mountains or woods? Ok, I'll buy that. But when you're a few miles away from downtown Los Angeles it just doesn't fly.
Parasites is gritty and dirty and mean. It created a nightmare landscape that is hidden in the darkest parts of our big cities and the film shows a lot of promise for writer and director Chad Ferrin. I just wish it had more to it to justify its run time because although Parasites had some killer, it was mostly filler. 

The Blackburn Asylum

The Blackburn Asylum

The Blackburn Asylum (simply titled Blackburn in Canada) is about a group of five college friends who get caught between a rock and a hard place while on a camping trip when a rock slide and a fire close the road at separate places with the group caught in between.
The opening scene of The Blackburn Asylum immediately raises some red flags when a family enters an old, abandoned mine with a new born baby. Why did they enter the mine? To see where the father would be working and he was going to get some work done while they were there. Why anyone would bring a baby into such a dusty and dangerous environment was beyond my comprehension and had me almost turning off the film. It's a blatant plot device that obviously serves a purpose later in the film, but it's a tough pill to swallow.
As far as the cast goes, Emilie Ullerup is perfect as the self centered Chelsea and I was pleasantly surprised to find the banter among the friends in the beginning to be pretty realistic and natural sounding. And I'll always appreciate a good Single White Female reference. It's downhill from there as far as the characters are concerned.
"We're not hunters, we're college students." This pretty much sums up the bratty, privileged group in a nutshell as this line is delivered in a better than thou tone. It's almost embarrassing to watch them wander around the backwoods and abandoned mine engaging in soap opera like antics and constantly whining about their phones dying. These are not the happy go lucky super horny teens from the tried and true slasher formula a la Friday the 13th. No, this bunch is a group of spoiled know nothings who think they know everything because they're "college students". So seeing them suffer and die was actually a relief, and if that was the intention then mission accomplished. But damn was it difficult to sit through and watch these unlikable American Eagle draped brats. Having absolutely no one to root for certainly left The Blackburn Asylum void of any tension whatsoever.
Also, as a rule of thumb, if anyone in a group ever says, "we should split up," while in an abandoned mine, they should probably be forced to go out on their own while the rest of the group stays together.
The film does have it's redeeming qualities. For example, the set design is pretty damn good and expertly sets a dirty and dread filled tone with foggy landscapes, shadow filled mines, and cluttered, run down gas stations off a dark and desolate road. The crazed killers lurking in the shadows of the mine are effectively creepy, and when it's called for the filmmakers do not shy away from the red stuff.
Some of the circumstances that arise as the story unfolds are a bit hard to buy into, but The Blackburn Asylum definitely improves as it progresses. The last third of the film is nothing short of a living nightmare with some horrific happenings and much needed raised stakes for one of the characters. It's just a shame the first hour of the film is so forgettable.
The Blackburn Asylum is an overall bland but harmless film that is slightly redeemed by a fun, haunted house/hayride like atmosphere and some decent acting from Sarah Lind. If you like dirty inbred killers wreaking havoc on pretty people than The Blackburn Asylum is worth a watch. Just don't have hopes for anything more than a mediocre film at best. 

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.