Review: The Breach

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

The Breach
Directed by Rodrigo Gudiño
Hanger 18 Media; Lightbulb Distribution;
Raven Banner Entertainment; Strike Media
93 minutes, 2022 / 2023
www.strike-media
https://lightbulbfilmdistribution.com/

This film is so Canadian, it should come with maple cookies (they are so good, eh). It takes place in the small town of Lone Crow, in Northern Ontario (filmed in lovely Parry Sound, Ontario).

Based on the novel by Nick Cutter and screenplay written by Cutter and Ian Weir, the main protagonist is the Chief of Police, John “Hawk” Hawkins (Allan Hawco, main character in the series “Republic of Doyle,” 2010-2014), who is one week from retirement (of course). Was his last name derived from the original version of the Canadian group, The Band, known as The Hawks?

Allan Hawco, Mary Antonini

Speaking of bands, the executive producer this film was Slash from Guns 'N Roses who also supervised the score. And there is more relative to the music world, but I will get to that later.

In a well-done pre-credit epilogue, much like a television show, it takes place on the same day as the post-credit film starts, rather than years before. This is actually refreshing for a film. In this way we are introduced to officer Connie Parks (underutilized Mary Antonini) and appropriately named coroner Jacob Redgrave (Wesley French). The coroner is there to check out the body of physics professor Cole Parsons (Adam Kenneth Wilson) that is found, but I will not give out the gruesome details, though we get to see it pretty up-close.

Emily Alatalo

This leads Hawk, Jacob, and guide/tracker/ex-girlfriend of Hawk and previously Jake (no tension there, right?) Meg Fullbright (Emily Alatalo) to head north into the bush to Links Creek on the Porcupine River to find out what happened to Parsons. This leads, naturally in these days of technology, to the overhead drone shot of the lone car on roads surrounded by forest or a boat on a narrow river, with a somber music soundtrack.

While the trio are off on their adventures, Parks (as in parks her butt in the station) holds down the fort, garnishing information on Zoom from a conspiracy-minded friend, Alex (Alex Lifeson; yes, the guitarist from Canadian musical juggernauts, Rush).

Wesley French

The house is abandoned and looks great for those of us who like deserted buildings that are on their last legs; they are fun to photograph. But there is something going on in this house: doors seem to close or unlock by themselves. The soundtrack does well to emphasize the eeriness and creepiness of the joint.

It gets even stranger with the appearance of Cole’s PTSD-affected wife, Linda Parsons (Natalie Brown), and another unexpected guest, as relationships unrealistically develop. And there is a spooky shadow on the wall… Parts of the upcoming plot points are easy to guess, though the steps to that are thankfully murky until they are revealed.

There is a bunch of films reflected in The Breach, such as From Beyond (1986), Bite (2016), Night of the Living Dead (1968), and especially The Fly (1986), one scene in particular. And yet, there is so much more. I have often theorized that when enough pre-used ideas are combined right, it creates something new-ish. In this case it also includes numerous genres, such as police procedural, body horror, sci-fi, cabin in the woods, and one that was unexpected. This has its foot in many different ones, keeping it coherent – not an easy task as previous attempts have shown – satisfying tick boxes in all of them successfully.

The relationships between certain characters are common to give it a “human” touch and possibly to make the characters more likeable, of course, but are completely superfluous to the actual story and burn up time and distract. Sort of like Hooper’s affair with Ellen Brody in Peter Benchley’s book, Jaws, which wisely never made it to the screen; it just did not matter to what was going on, narratively. This is my one gripe, so not bad at all.

Natalie Brown

I must say the film visually looks great, from the cinematography by award-winning Eric Oh, to the set designs. The blood and gore are fabulous, and the prosthetics and make-up effects by Daniel Baker and Chris Cooper are not the same old same old.

With the power of talent here, much from the world of television, it is no surprise that the acting is spot on. In the out-of-context department, it seems a lot of the cast has appeared, at some point on Canadian police procedural “Hudson and Rex” (a guilty pleasure of my own).

Alex Lifeson (on Zoom)

The director, Rodrigo Gudiño, is the founding editor and publisher of the Canadian horror fiction magazine Rue Morgue, and this may not be his first time behind the lens, but it is his first feature length release. An excellent start.

The Breach is available on Sky Store, Virgin Media, AppleTV, Google Play, and Amazon.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Mind Leech

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Mind Leech
Directed by Chris Cheesesmith and Paul Krysinski
Cheesesmith Productions; Dog Darnel Productions; Mind Leech Productions
60 minutes, 2023
www.mindleech.com/

1998. What a year to be alive. Bill Clinton was presi… oh, wait, this film takes place in Provinstate, filmed juuust East and North of Toronto, Ontario, so Jean Chrétien was Prime Minister, the economies were up, it is Christmas Day, and it was a great time to be living in a small town in a rural area. Until…

In the pre-credits summertime prologue, two guys (director Chris Cheeseman and Hugh Goodden) start things rolling thanks to Chem Corp, who told them to get “rid” of a container of a strange substance, and their own yahoo-for-cash mentality, contaminating a lake.

Steff Ivory Coover and Misccha O'Hoski

When we pick up the story with the New Year a week or so away, something is affecting and killing the local wildlife. We learn this through two police officers, Deputy DJ Thompson (Steff Ivory Conover) and Sherriff Ben Paley, Jr. (Mischa O’Hoski).

The action really starts quite quickly (remember, this film is only an hour in length) when a large and slimy worm-like creature (the titular leech) attaches itself to ice fisherman Craig Hoser (yes, Hoser; co-director Paul Krysinski) head, taking over his mind. There are bound to be references made to Cronenberg’s Shivers/They Came from Within (1975), and Henenlotter’s Brain Damage (1988). And like those two, this is a very dark comedy. For example, the name of the town is a mix of Province and State, covering both countries. There is also a shot in a barn that is bound to remind the viewer of Alien (1979).

The parasite causes Craig to go on a killin’ spree, full of blood and gore, but that should come as no surprise. While this was the feature debut of both directors, much of the key players have worked SFX on some major horror fare over the last few years, such as Spiral (2021) and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021). Here, the SFX are handled by Chris Cooper.

This was filmed in the middle of winter. Man, it looks cold. Then again, as I write this, it is -30F out my door (pre-windchill), so I can comprehend and appreciate. That is dedication. It is a relatively toasty 69F in my house, with hot soup warming on the stove. But I digress…

Of course, this is not a stationary creature – they never are – and has more than one victim, as it moves around (or is moved around by its host). As it forces its human victim to drive from place to place, it is quite erratic, bringing up memories of a less blissful Frank Parnell (Fox Harris) from Repo Man (1984).

I love it when a film knows its own correct length, without trying to pad it out to “feature” duration. This keeps the filler to a minimum, and there is a lot more action per minute. This is especially true with low budget film making.

O'Hoski

Despite the low costs, the creature looks really good; most of the time it is relatively immobile while attached to its victim. Still, the 3-foot long leech look teriff, especially the close-ups of its face, or where it is attached to the human it has commandeered. When the viewer realizes the aim of the creature, it makes total sense.

While there are some actors here with previous listings, for others this is the first acting notch on IMDB, everyone is really impressive, especially Conover, who seems to have played herself in earlier work than in a scripted part.

A truly decent creature feature that should be a wowzer on the Festival trail, and I recommend it if you get the chance to see it. Fun.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Woodland Grey

 Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Woodland Grey
Directed by Adam Reider
Spectropia Pictures; Franky Films; Vibe Check Entertainment; Filmoption International
90 minutes, 2021
www.spectropiapictures.com
www.facebook.com/woodlandgrey

Well, at the start – both in description and at the beginning of the film – I would not necessarily call this a cabin in the woods film, more like a trailer in the woods, a la Into the Wild (2007).

Deep in the wilderness, William (Ryan Blakely, who was a semi-regular in “Orphan Black” among many other Canadian shows) lives alone, kinda-sorta, trapping, reading, and keeping to himself.

And then there is the shed. Did I mention the shed? The shed is a small structure in the back that resembles more of an outhouse than a place for tools. It is chained and locked, and there is someone – or something – alive in there that William takes care of, but of which he is also afraid. He feeds it, and it lets him be.

Jenny Raven, Ryan Blakely

This all changes when a wounded hiker, Emily (Jenny Raven, who recently was Gwen on “Kim’s Convenience”), shows up unconscious in his realm. He takes her to chateau trailer, and tends to her. It’s her word we first hear, 12 minutes into the film (though the word she seems to love the most is the f-bomb). And she seems to have no editor in her brain, she just talks, which drives William a bit nuts, for a while. Imagine not hearing another voice for an extended time, then suddenly there is all this cluttery monologue. It’s a common formula: a man and a woman that starts off as antagonists usually end up as comrades against a common enemy, friends or even lovers somewhere down the line.

Art Hindle

The film intertwines between the present and flashbacks to explain the events leading up to the present, including one involving Emily’s grandfather Moses (a nice cameo by Art Hindle, the male lead in Cronenberg’s 1979 The Brood, apologies to Oliver Reed), who like his namesake, is there to help lead her out of the wilderness. Actually, all their appellations are appropriate. The name Emily means “wily,” as she tries to figure out her situation, and William’s is “warrior,” fighting against, well… William gets his flashback as well, and what led him to a life as a hermit guardian.

Then there is the shed. Remember the shed? While the freedom of whatever the entity is restricted by the shed, it also captures the freedom of its caretaker, while providing its guardian some means to survive. Borrowing a bit from “The Twilight Zone’s” 1960 episode ”The Howling Man,” Emily is convinced that what she has seen in the shed is reality. But like the expression says, “The map is not the territory,” and this is a prime example of that. Emily obviously, in good nature, opens up the shed and believes she’s helping someone, but as I said about the map, it does not correspond with the territory, or things are not always as they appear.

This ever-changing territory becomes maddening for our two explorers, as they start seeing things, such as people and objects from the past. To survive, they need to work together (see? comrades).

It’s a very small film in that the locations are minimal and the cast is quite small, which is just perfect for filming during a pandemic. How much more socially distanced can you get than the middle of a forest? And there’s no one to sweep it.

I do believe this is supposed to be taking place somewhere in Upstate New York, though it is filmed in Canada, as is its production home. It is also the first full-length feature for director Adam Reider, who shows he has the mettle to release a solid film. The fact that the production was hit by horrendous weather during the shooting, as can be seen in the footage, it all works with the rugged environment in which it was constructed.

While I would not put this as a boo-scary film (unless you are agoraphobic or have xylophobia), there is definitely a well-defined level of angst and tension, in a The Thing (1983) what-is-real-and-what-is-not-real kind of way, which is always fun. It’s more a spooky thriller. Whether you predict the ending or not, it is an ever-building pressure that is worth the wait.

Now, let’s all go camping, whatcha say?!

 

Review: Hanger (2-Disc Collector’s Edition)

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Hanger (aka Wired)
Directed by Ryan Nicholson
Plotdigger Films; Unearthed Films; MVD Visual
90 minutes, 2009 / 2021
www.plotdigger.com/movies/hanger-2009/
www.unearthedfilms.com 
www.MVDVisual.com

Vancouver-based director Ryan Nicholson left quite a legacy before he passed on in 2019, including Gutterballs (2008), Collar (2014; reviewed HERE), and this little gem that I have heard of but had never seen. Now it’s out in a two-disk Blu-ray.

Nicholson was known for his extreme version of cinema, with violence, gore, sex and lots and lots of other nastiness. His films are not for the weak of heart, and this one certainly lives up to the legend that has followed it.

Right from the start, we meet very pregnant prostitute Rose (the ever amazing and brave performer, Debbie Rochon; there are definitely aspect of the opening that are a nod to her history with Troma, such as a television in the motel room playing 1986’s Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and Lloyd Kaufman has a cameo as a “tranny,” which is how it is listed in the credits). Rose’s violent pimp, Leroy (Ronald Patrick Thompson, the only black actor in the cast with dialogue, is a vicious pimp; that’s all I’m sayin’) not only wants her to keep making money, but also demands she get rid of her baby through despicable means, despite it being close to popping.

Debbie Rochon

Her time is close, so the pimp decides to take things into his own closet, the new Texas style of abortion in what is definitely an extremely cringey scene that most, especially women, are bound to turn their heads. If I may digress, I used to work in a movie theater, and whenever any man got kicked in the gonads on-screen, you would hear a collective and deep “Oof” by the men in the audience, followed by giggling in higher, female voices. Nearly every time. This is kind of the reverse of that.

Somehow, the baby survives this assault with many lacerations to the face, teeth like Belial in Basket Case (1982), and a not-fully-developed brain. He is thrown out to be brought up by a homeless man (director Nicholson), and is named Hanger (Nathan Dashwood), a nod to his method of birth. When he hits 18, he’s put on the street and given a job in a junk yard’s recycling yard by a creepy, monotone guy who had a thing for Rose called The John (Dan Ellis, really standing out in the acting department). Actually, this is true in Canada – where this is filmed – that people with disabilities work in recycling centers. However, rather than those who have mental disabilities or Down Syndrome, the people in this film (of course) are not only mentally and physically handicapped, they’re also degenerates.

Dan Ellis

Tall and lanky Hanger is matched up as roommates with beer and porn obsessed co-worker Russell (Wade Gibb, a white guy playing an Asian character, who seems to ad lib a lot to great effect). Soon we see Hanger’s innate lust for violence and a bit of cannibalism come to the front, which makes him a perfect vehicle for revenge against Leroy and others. Hanger is directed by the John towards getting even for his mama.

There is a lot to digest in this film, all of it stuff you may want to puke out at some point, be it tampon tea, GHB sex with colostomy holes, the infamous abortion scene, and…well, let’s just leave it there for now, shall we?

There are also a ton of facial prosthetics that are used (by Michelle Grady) on nearly every male in the story, making everyone look as warped as the storyline, including sores, pimples, an amazing nose on the John that seems right out of Sin City (2005). And like Sin City, the look of the film is quite unique and, well, dirty looking, with some phenomenal lighting, silhouetting, and angles that work with the prosthetics to make them look even more fantastical (by cinematographer and editor Jay Gavin, his first time for both).

This can only be described as extreme cinema, though the word transgressive comes to mind. Blood, gore, violence, coarse language including the use of the N-word, and abnormal sex are the theme, which is right up where Nicholson wanted it to be. This is the kind of film he loves to watch, and as he explained in the commentary, he makes his films for himself, not for the fans, of which there are rightfully many, even though it is a niche market.

Nathan Dashwood, Wade Gibb

The gore is plentiful, which is no surprise, the makeup is as extreme as the violence, and the women are quite beautiful, with standouts being a junkyard admin assistant named Nicole (Candice Le, aka Candice Lewad) who likes to show a lot of cleavage and pleasure herself in explicit ways, a full-lipped prostitute named Trashy (Stephanie Walker), and of course there is Ms. Rochon, in an extended cameo. Women are pretty secondary to the story, which focuses more on Hanger, The John, Leroy and odd Russell.

Being a 2-disc special Blu-ray release, let’s take a look at the hours upon hours of extras. First up is a Triple-X version of the film. Call me crazy, but I watched it and the regular, and I did not see a difference. It’s pretty hardcore anyway. There is also a full-length commentary by the director, Ryan Nicholson, completed for the DVD release in 2010, which he manages to remain interesting throughout. Most of the extras were filmed during this period.

Next up is “Behind the Stoma: The Making and Taking of Hanger” (20 min.). In case you don’t know, a stoma is “an artificial opening made into a hollow organ” (thank you Wikipedia). This is a really well shot collection of interviews with the director and some of the cast, mixed with behind-the-scenes clips. Generally, it was quite engaging, with everything being long enough to get a grip on it, but short enough not to overstay its welcome. Other films’ Makings Of featurettes could use this as a model. This is followed by another “Making Of” featurette (26 min). It’s a rehearsal with Nicholson working through the introduction to Leroy scene with the cast, including Rochon. While fun to watch, I don’t think I would turn it on again, though I was happy to have seen it once.

Ronald Patrick Thompson

“Taking of Hanger, Enough Dope to Hang Yourself With: On the Stet with Lloyd Kaufman” (12 min.). If Kaufman is there on set, one should always do a featurette with this film legend and ad lib maven. Most of the footage here was shot by Kaufman himself, and then the camera is handed off to Ryan’s (adult) son for Lloyd’s “Melvina the Tranny” scenes. It’s a funny, unusual behind the scenes, but what else would you expect from Kaufman? His friendship with Rochon, whose career turned a corner in his films, is evident and smile-worthy.

The “Blooper Reel” (2 min.), “Deleted Scenes” (6 min.), which is also a blooper reel, and Additional Scenes” (20 min.), which is more of a behind the scenes kind of deal, could all have been combined into one 28-minute piece. Nothing very special. Again, glad I saw it, but would probably not watch again

“Black on White Bred” (3 min.) is the film within the film of the porno (hard “R”) that stars Hanger’s mom Rose and Leroy, including the money shot. Don’t really know what more to say about this, except Rochon is definitely one to give for her art.

Gibb

The second disc is “The Raw Tapes, Volume 1” through “Volume 5”. These are the raw footage and can be seen as almost a Master’s Class in indie filmmaking. Each one of these five are on average 3 hours long, Honestly, no, I did not sit through all of them, but I did some zooming around. I have a life, as there are over 18 hours of extras in total. Maybe one day I will come back to these.

There is a photo gallery, and the usual sound and chapter choices on the first disk. Even with the “everything but the kitchen sink” mentality, the only thing missing was English subtitles for those of us with a bit of a hearing thing (too much seeing the Ramones, Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers, etc., in small clubs and loud volume).

Sometimes I wonder where Nicholson, who also did make-up for some very major releases, would have gone in his directorial career if he had not succumbed to brain cancer before the age of 40. Gratefully, he is being appreciated after the fact.

 

Review: Funhouse

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Funhouse
Directed by Jason William Lee
Ti Bonny Productions; Sandcastle Pictures; Invention Films;
Magnet Releasing/Magnolia Pictures
106 minutes, 2019 / 2021
http://www.magnetreleasing.com/funhouse/

Here is a bit of irony for ya: as much as I despise reality programming, especially shows like “Survivor” and “Fear Factor,” I so do tend to enjoy when films use it as fodder for a storyline. Media fascinates me, in a Marshal McLuhan/Neil Postman/Jacques Ellul sort of way. Mixing reality television with social media? Even more better.

Social critic Neil Postman famously posited that media such as television (and hence computers) is served best when it is mere entertainment and minimal on education. Entertainment as distraction is nothing new, as even the Roman Empire knew about “bread and circuses.” This Swedish/British Columbia, Canada-filmed release definitely leans in that direction. While the overarching premise is not novel in the horror genre, people fighting for their lives for the entertainment of others – recently in films about, say, Escape Rooms – the addition of Reality Programing gives it a nice twist.

Valter Skarsgård

A rich and sadistic man (think Jeffrey Epstein-type [alleged]) that tends to tilt his head to the side, Nero (Jerome Velinsky), who as no moral compass and is willing to pay people large sums to do dastardly things, puts together an online reality show titled “Furcus’ House of Fun” (aka “Funhouse”). He gathers a group of eight attractive mix-gendered (but no LGBQ) C-Level has-beens from around the world for what they think is a “Big Brother” or “Survivor” kind of show for a prize of USD$5 million, but it ends up the latter program is more literal than figurative.

The central character is Kasper (Valter Skarsgård), a Swedish man whose claim to fame is that he was married to a pop star who, like the others – a nice touch is that most of the actors are actually from the countries they represent – arrives in a house in an undisclosed location with no memory of how they got there (after they had signed the contract). They all have different colored shirts to make it easy to identify by the world-wide web audience. The rest include the likes of an Influencer, Mixed Martial Arts fighter, a model, and a one-hit wonder singer, for example.

At first, it is all fun and games as the contestants (someone uses the word “dysfunctional”) get to know each other, make out, sing karaoke, go into the hot tub, drink a lot of alcohol, and be served by people dressed in odd Panda masks (the animal is the logo of the program). There is even the old “confession booth” they all must enter and try to win the favor of the audience, who votes out whomever they choose every three days, though it gets progressively quicker. And this is where events get dicey. Of course, they are being filmed 24/7.

The first act of about 20 minutes, helps the film’s viewers to both get to understand the premise framework of the show, and also sets up some background to the characters. When you have eight of them, it is easy to just see them as fodder for the violence to come, but this way we can get to know and either like or dislike them. There are some friendships made and some rivalries (a memorable quote: “People like me…bitch.”). This will make it more emotional as shit hits the fan into the second act when the blood begins to flow in challenges that take on an elaborate, almost Saw franchise fashion. It also kind of reminds me of Cube (1997).

Again, as a student of media, I find it equally fascinating when the story focuses on the audience, the “Perez Hilton” kind of snarky webcasts making puns about deaths (e.g., “How can you take selfies without arms?”), and the CNN type of newscasts and interviews. As each kill naturally gets more gruesome, in some ways, like Dog Bites Man! (1992), it puts the film viewer as a participant in the action similar to the web show’s audience. Are we sitting there enjoying the painful killing of this octet, one by one? Most likely, yes. You know there are going to be those who sit in front of their large HD screens and pump fists screaming “yes!” while the other hand holds the beer (or popcorn).

Yes, I realize that this is not reality, but does it inoculate us to real violence? That is a question that has seriously been asked in modern cinema since at least the 1980s (remember the “Video Nasties” situation in England, and the PMRC in the States?). I have no opinion one way or another, as I enjoy these kinds of films, but I also like to look at the sociological aspects, as well.

The Head Panda gives a twisted but accurate description of what society considers entertainment, amusingly using the Kardashians as an example of decline. But, as I said above, it predates that. Just look how many copies of the Faces of Death VHS sold (or was rented), and is even discussed now on many genre chat boards. On those very chat boards, people often request suggestions for the bloodiest, goriest, and most disturbing releases. Yes, I agree that there is a difference between reality and cinema magic, but shows like those I mentioned above, like “Fear Factor,” “Survivor,” and even those like “The Bachelor,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The Housewives of (Wherever),” and that nasty recent Ellen DeGeneres’ “Ellen’s Games of Games, has helped make violence and social interactions into entertainment. While meta-commentary in the film is explicit, it is also not preachy and stays off the soapbox, unlike my annotation.

And speaking of cinematic magic, the SFX is damn fine here if that is your thing, as it is mine. Lots of violence, torture (not in a focused, body horror kind of way), and missing or separated body parts. The acting in the film, for the most part, is quite good, with the standouts being Cat (Amanda House, aka musician Mandy Mouse) and especially scene stealer Nevin (Dayleigh Nelson, playing a Brit, but is from British Columbia).

My complaints are minimal and twofold: first, it was a tad long though the pacing of the kills is nicely distributed once they start; second, I found the sex scene later on a bit unbelievable considering both the circumstances and the conversation that preceded it. But both of these were not enough to take away from the story, which had more than a couple of interesting twists and turns to keep up the attention and enjoyment level. As for the social observations, well in this case, it actually adds to the story rather than bogging it down. This is a competent and fun thrill ride by sophomore feature filmmaker Lee.

 

Review: Feed the Gods

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Feed the Gods
Directed by Braden Croft
Random Bench; BMC Pictures; Compound B; MVD Marquee Collection
84 minutes, 2014 / 2021
www.facebook.com/FeedTheGodsFilm
www.randombench.com/films/
www.MVDVisual.com

Films that use the idea to feed local “gods” is not a new concept; just off the top of my head there is Jug Face (2013; reviewed HERE) and two others I won’t name because it is the plot twist of the end. One could even include the original King Kong (1933) as Faye Wray is chained to be sacrificed to the big ape. Actually, this Canadian film is closer to Kong than the others.

The prologue, of which I will not give too many details, is effective in a number of ways. First, it sets up the story of the two main characters, brothers William and Kris. Second, it is creepy and tense as hell at the border of the town of Tendale (population 60, filmed near Vancouver, British Columbia), and third, it can be seen as a social commentary about the heartlessness of the coyotes who work the southern border of the United States thanks to antiquated and cruel immigration laws. But I’m a proud liberal, so please excuse the politicizing. Anyhoo, if the rest of the film is of this caliber, it’s going to be interesting.

Emily Tennant, Tyler Johnston, Shaun Roberts

In the modern-day body of the main story, we meet the brothers as grown-ups: William (Shaun Roberts, who played Albert Wesker in the later Resident Evil franchise and was a semi-regular in the last season of the Canadian “Heartland” show) is a brutish, fly-by-night guy who wears sleeveless tees to show off his hulk and smokes pot, while Kris (Tyler Johnston, Samadriel on “Supernatural) is super uptight and looks like he just stepped out of High School Musical (2006). After finding some family artifacts, the sibs decide to head on back to Tendale (though the stress level is up to Elevendale…sorry) with Kris’s girlfriend in tow, Brit (Emily Tennant, who was the voice of 2017’s “Polly Pocket”). The bros are at odds (you know they will bond by the end, as all road movie companions do, no matter what the genre), with Brit in the middle as mediator. A bit formulaic, but one that tends to work.

On the way to search for their parents, William says prophetically, “Let the hunt begin.” Of course, at some point who is the hunter and who will be the – er – huntee? It’s telegraphed pretty early on (and hell, even on the front of the box), that there is a Bigfoot/Sasquatch problem and the town is living in fear.

Britt Irvin

For a place as isolated as Tendale, it seems to be hopping in the brothers’ perspective. They stay at a B&B run by Emma (Britt Irvin, Stargirl on “Smallville” and the voice of Sunny Flare on “My Little Pony”), which has a couple of extra guests from down undah beside our heroes. It’s not hard to figure out why they are there. Anyway, the film likes to telegraph itself, so while the tension remains (especially between Will and Kris), it remains not hard to figure out what is going to happen next in many cases, and who are the good and bad people.

While the film lulls for a while as we are fed necessary expository information, but somewhere about the half way point, it begins to pick up steam once our three stalwart explorers start to camp out to search for Bigfoot, since they aren’t having much luck with the parents.

Aleks Paunovic

With some really nice yet somehow sympathetic bad guys like the massive Pete (Aleks Paunovic; Julius in the recent “Van Helsing” series), and a couple of good double crosses in various directions, the story goes from predictable to… not. Sure, all the telegraphed things come to fruition, but surprises arise in around that, and there are even a few decent jump scares.

There isn’t a whole lot of blood, not to mention gore, but the story gives us a pretty decent body count, whether it is by the gods or in a Straw Dogs (1971) kind of scenario. The acting is well done, though I really wanted to smack the two brothers on a number of occasions due to some ridiculous and constant bickering for the first two acts, but that is more on the characters than the players.

The extras start with a full-length commentary by director/writer Braden Craft and associate producer and SFX/props builder Travis Shewchuk. Honestly, the commentary for this is kind of a wash-out. After about 20 minutes, I started to skip around a bit. There are large blank gaps, and when they do discuss the film, it is on mostly a superficial level, though the third act is the most interesting. If you listen to it, fine, but you really will not miss much if you do not. There is also a Behind the Scenes featurette (13 min). Again, it is with Craft and Shewchuk, but this is a bit more pertinent. One of the things they discuss that I found thought-provoking is that the original concept was as a found footage, and I am grateful they did it in narrative form instead; there is nothing I find more annoying than running through the woods at night by the light of a hand-held camera.

There is also the theatrical trailer, two other MVD coming attractions for relatively mainstream fare (with the likes of Zoë Bell and Jeff Goldblum), captioning, and a reversable cover.

The film helps show off the beauty of British Columbia. I have been there a few times, and it really is stunning (and recommended). Meanwhile, stick around for at least part way through the credits for more story information, and if there is a sequel, I will happily watch it.

 

Review: Making Monsters

 Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Making Monsters
Directed by Justin Harding and Rob Brunner
Samuel Goldwyn Films; BUCK Productions; Bokeh Collective;
Ginger Cat Studios; Vortex Media
85 minutes, 2019
https://www.facebook.com/makingmonstersfilm

If you want to get me upset, play a prank on me. I am not a fan, to the point where I get anxious around April 1. Heck, I won’t even watch most of them on the Internet. The majority of pranks I find to be cruel, and I have no respect for the fools who do it and them post it online (e.g., a clown chasing people with chainsaws). Note, that if someone does that to me, they are going to get a severe response. But nothing compared to what is happening here: care careful whom you victimize, even in Canada (where this film is shot).

The point of this is that the story centers around a couple: first there’s Christian (Tim Loden) who runs his prank site, and then there is the focus of his vicious pranking, the star of his YouTube channel, his fiancé Allison (Alana Elmer). What she sees in this dick is beyond me. Anyway, enough editorializing. He is a popular content provider who does just that very thing: publish his original tricks online. Merry prankster, indeed, making money off people that he terrorizes. And you just know he’s going to reach an audience that wants to take it a step too far, as is wont in these films.

Tim Loden, Alana Elmer

The problem is, Allison is stressed out and done, and needs some – in the words of that great philosopher Elmer Fudd – “West and Wewaxation at wast.” To achieve this, she asks him to cut it the fuck out, and so they decide to take some time and visit friends out in the country. In genre films, is it ever good to go out to a house – actually, a deconsecrated church – in the middle of nowheresville (a fancier cabin-eth in the woods)? This one is owned by Chris’s long-lost school friend Jesse (King Chiu) and his fiancé, the very odd and off David (Jonathan Craig), who is an uber fan of the prank videos. In the words of that other great thinker, Astro, “Ruh-row.”

Chris is eager explain why he enjoys terrorizing people, and why people lap it up, taking a couple of minutes to explain it, when all he really needed to say is “Schadenfreude.” Meanwhile, I kept wanting to say to Allison, “Really, you want to marry this guy and have his kid? Surely you can do better.”

Jonathan Craig

After a night of waiting for Jesse to show up, this leads to some sex and drugs and well, something unworldly. Up to now, it’s been in our realm, but post-hallucinogenic, the audience is not sure what we are seeing is supernatural or part of a mind-bender, leading to some nice and creepy shit, and some decent jump scares. Is it real, something supernatural, drug-induced, or a prank? After the horrific and short prologue at the beginning that uses a drone quite effectively, and then the second Act ramping up on the creepy-factor, it is hard to say. Of course, most things will be answered in the third Act.

The question is what happens when a prankster meets the dark Web real deal? A taste of his own medicine? You see some of this coming early on in the second Act, but certain elements keep the tensions taut, I am happy to say. This is definitely a watch between the fingers kind of film, and not just because of the violence, but the expectation of it. That’s what makes this enjoyable.

This could have been really corny, but the acting, especially by the two leads, and the way it was shot and stylishly put together by the directors (who have worked extensively in television, such as “Top Chef Canada” and “Canada’s Worst Drivers”), make this a pretty solid scarefest. Also, the church is a great set piece, beautifully designed and laid out. I would love to live there, if it weren’t so secluded.

By the end, the tension really ramps up and becomes quite a frenetic film as our killer, in a mask that I suppose is meant to reflect Chris’s look with long hair and a somewhat beard, makes his way through the small cast with quite gruesome and beautifully done SFX. And the choice of music is worth noting as it both reflects the situation and also juxtaposes it, such as the use of the old folk song (one I have always liked) called “In the Pines” (not listed in the credits, so I don’t know who did this interpretation), mixed with some modern orchestral instrumentals.

As I have indicated earlier, there is a supernatural element to the film in the form of a ghost (Jarrett Siddall), which was fine for some jump scares, but honestly, there really did not need to be anything like that needed, as the spookie really does not advance the story at all (though it looks cool), and the human part of it is certainly terrifying enough.

That being said, this is one of the better slasher films I have seen in a while, being innovative while not going too far off the mark for some effective genre tropes, in fact reminding me of another Canadian release, In the House of Flies (2012).  Yeah, I enjoyed this one a lot.