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: Wolf Garden

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

Wolf Garden
Directed by Wayne David
Lightning Strike Pictures; Gravitas Ventures; Strike Media
89 minutes, 2023
www.strike-media.com

For some reason which I care not about nor to be explained, the production of the werewolf genre seems to be more focused out of the UK than in the US. And this release is no exception. This is true even though the arguably biggest werewolf film, An American Werewolf in London (1981), is actually a North American release, though filmed across the lake.

For this film, which is both arty and gritty, William (Wayne David, who also wrote and directed) is a man living in an isolated location in Hertfordshire in a relatively big house (referred to in the film as “The Cottage”) on large grounds. He is sad and despondent. William thinks back, thanks to many montages of flashbacks, to his beloved wife, Chantelle (Sian Altman).

Wayne David

The woods and the mood are dark (but not too visually dim) that reflect his inner emotions, as he goes out to a padlocked shed (called “The Garage” though it is too small to hold a car; perhaps it is a British term?) on the property where he feeds cut up raw meat to something inside that is growling.

An extremely slow burn, with little dialog, mostly between William and Chantelle in the flashbacks, William’s loneliness is palpable. And who is the stranger (Grant Masters) who keeps appearing?

Sian Altman

Twenty minutes in, and it has been all mood and mostly William, pouting his depressed way throughout the house and woods intercut with happier memories. Still, It is interesting that it is often hard to tell what his reality is, and what is in his mind. Isolation can screw with thoughts, and it does not appear that he has a television or even a book to pass the time, just to mull the situation, whatever it is, and stew in it.

There is a bit of gore, but this is not a film for fans of that subgenre. This is definitely more psychological, and there is more emoting than there is rampaging. Most of the wolfism is seen POV and in the sound of the growling and howling, though it is not hard to figure out just who is the wolf in question, if there actually is a lycanthrope, or if it is in William’s possible madness.

There are only three characters seen on screen (other than in the background or heard on the phone), keeping the story tight and almost claustrophobic, even with William often being in the woods, many times in the dark. Those three prove themselves to be able to hold up the film, and this is certainly a tour de force by David, who is in nearly every scene, usually by himself.

Grant Masters

It is also a very beautiful looking piece, with luscious cinematography and well-timed editing. With the exception of a single scene near the beginning, all of it takes place in The Cottage, the woods, and at the shed.

The small cast gives me the impression that this was filmed during COVID. Or perhaps it is budget constrains. Or both?

I really enjoyed the film, with its near gothic moodiness and lighting, though I was sometimes confused about the storyline. Even though everything coalesces during the third act, there are so many flashbacks to various periods that I occasionally felt like Billy Pilgrim, unstuck in time.

IMDB listing HERE