Review: The Tank

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

The Tank
Directed by Scott Walker
Corner Stone; Ajax Pictures; GFC Films; Happy Dog Entertainment; Ingenious Media; Well Go USA Entertainment
100 minutes, 2023
https://wellgousa.com/films/tank
www.hiyahtv.com
#TheTank @WellGoUSA

To be honest, I found the title a bit confusing: an armed military vehicle, or something like a septic tank? Well, it is kinda-sorta more like the second. But what it holds is hardly bodily discards. Remember, this is a horror film. What is more, it is a creature feature, always one of my favorite genres.

After a quick prologue, we meet lizard/amphibian expert Jules (Luciane Buchanan) and Ben (Matt Whelan), who have a young daughter, Reia (Zara Nausbaum), and own a struggling pet shop in Oakland, CA. Much to their surprise, they have inherited a property on the coast of Oregon. What is even more startling is that this was filmed in New Zealand. You would never know it by the lack of accents and the place descriptions, though much of the cast is from there. Cool.

Luciane Buchanan

It would not be revealing anything to say the three head up north to check the place out, to see whether they want to sell the house that has been vacant (of humans) since 1946. I mean, otherwise this film would be about 10 minutes, right? It is right on the Pacific (hence, “the coast”) and the view is spectacular (I drove down the coast of Oregon a few years ago, and can attest to its beauty), but it is surrounded on all the other sides by woods, and it is a long drive up a crap road to get to it (once you get past the fallen tree across the road, so you have to walk part of it and expose yourself to what lies beneath).

Once we finally get through all the exposition of the first part of the film, things begin to get a bit bumpy. They find the lid to the titular buried water tank/well beside the house, which leads to a series of caves (which reminded me of the well at Barnaby’s house in 1934’s March of the Wooden Soldiers…too obscure?). There is something making screaming noises and that creaking sound that has been appearing in so many films since Ju-on (The Grudge, 2002) – or was it used first in Ringu (The Ring, 1998)? – reverberating through the whole house. Speaking of which, and I have said this before because it is such a common trope, someone walking through an environment (in this case house) in the dark with a light, should never be longer than two minutes, or the tension dissipates into annoyance.

The body-suit creature looks great (not CGI, as well), designed by Weta Workshop and donned by contortionist-extraordinaire Regina Hegemann. That almost makes the whole thing worth it by itself. Not too flashy and unrealistic, but a specimen of evolution.

This film definitely has some issues, beyond that it would be a much better 80-minute film than one that is 100 minutes. For example, there is too much projection of what is to come a few times, such as Jules explaining about reactions of amphibians to their surroundings, early on in the storyline; there are at least three or four that I caught.

Buchanan, Matt Whelan

But what I found most egregious, was how many fights with the creature went on underwater. Sure, the camera followed them down and was shot from under the surface, but the liquid was so murky, I could not make heads or tails of what was happening other than movement. Did the human succumb? Did the creature get polished off? Could not tell until the conclusion of the incident when one or the other raised their heads above the liquid level.

A smart aspect was to set the brunt of the story in 1968, when there were no cell phones or computers, though considering how isolated was the location, there probably would not have been service anyway. And since no one had lived in the house for over 20 years, there was no working telephone.

 

Buchanan, Zara Nausbaum

Another plus is the cast: Whelan and especially Buchanan fill their shoes well and have some chemistry. Nausbaum does not really have much to do, other than cry, whimper, and scream, but she does that quite well.

I am fine with the low body count (this could almost be considered more of a thriller than a horror), but for those that are taken over to meet Osiris, the blood and gore look superb.

The release is definitely a mixed bag, considering how I felt about watching it. I love a creature feature film, generally, and was not disappointed by the beastie, nor the basic storyline – despite its many “tells” – but it took too long to get its ass in gear.

The director and writer, Scott Walker (not a member of the Walker Brothers, who sang “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”…I bet he is tired of hearing that), has one other feature under his belt previously, The Frozen Ground (2013), starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, which was well received. I am looking forward to Walker’s work going forward, even though he seems to put out a film every decade or so.

Oh, and stick around for partway through the credits.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: The Lake

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

The Lake
Directed by Lee Thongkham; Aging Xu
Epic Pictures Group; Dread; Hollywood Thailand; Airspeed Pictures; Creative Motion; Thongkham Films; Right Beyond; MVD Visual
104 minutes, 2022 / 2023
www.facebook.com/TheLake2019
https://mvdb2b.com/s/TheLake/EP-202303

I like slasher films. I tolerate body horror. But if you want to really pique my interest, give me a good ghost story or especially a creature feature. This release from Thailand falls into the last category.

Bueng Kan is a town on Baan Nakom Lake near the Mekong River, just a stone’s throw from the Laos border. Living in this lake is the beastie, a scaley thing that has no problem chompin’ on human flesh and seems to be attracted by frogs. Perhaps this is something in the local culture? Also, a huge egg has been found on the shore.

The two-foot-tall egg is brought home, and protected by a young girl from the village, May (Wanmai Chatborirak). She lives with her missing father, sister Lin (Sushar Manaying) and drunkard brother-in-law, Keng (Thanachat Tunyachat)…or is it brother and sister-in-law? I am not sure, but it really is not important.

In a very short time – no waiting until the third act – the creature is on the loose and angry, looking for love…I mean, looking for the egg. It goes into the city and causes lots of damage, yet for a long time the authorities are only finding the aftereffects of its actions. Whaaaat?

Along the way of rampaging, Keng gets…bitten? …clawed? by our grumpy beast, creating a bond between them, so Keng feels the physical manifestations of what is happening to the monster. This is an interesting concept. But it is still early.

Further along, we meet a Police Inspector, James (Teerapat Satjakul), and his daughter, Pam (Supansa Wedkama). They are argumentative with each other, but if this follows along the trope line, the monster will get them together again. I will not say if I am right or wrong, but at 47 minutes in, that is my guess.

The creature looks good, and we get to see it in its full glory early on, with a large percentage use of full-sized SFX body, or occasional a full-body motion CGI. When it is the full-scale version, it uses animatronics quite effectively. In the personal encounters with human, we see quick edits, making it a bit hard to see the entire creature in context, but honestly, this is to be expected from a relatively low budget film, and I am not disappointed by it. I found myself smiling during the creatures’ attacks. Yes, plural.

Was this filmed during monsoon season? There is an awful lot of scenes in hard rain, and I am not sure if it is natural, if the director meant it to symbolize the oppression of the people by the monster and/or vice-versa, or making it harder to distinguish the carnage (again, budget).

While I have seen this in comparison with The Host (2006), which is totally understandable, but it is closer to a scaled-down Godzilla, and in tone and storyline to the British release, Gorgo (1961), with a monster mama searching for her youngns’. The creature is designed by Jordu Schell, who has worked on tons of movies the likes of Dawn of the Dead (2004), Avatar (2009), and The Cabin in the Woods (2011).

Certainly, there are going to be comparisons with Jurassic Park (1993), especially the scene with the T-Rex introduction. Also, the heads of two of the prehistoric looking beasts here look a bit like at a couple of the dinos in that film. Hey, if it works.

My one complaint, as I often opine, is that it is too long, and really needs some editing down at least 15 minutes. That being said, the first of the extras on the Blu-ray are two deleted scenes (1:23 min; 37 sec, respectively), which are honestly meaningless out of context. They also fit better into the a behind the scenes category. Speaking of which, there are a half dozen “Behind the Scenes” – er – scenes, most of which are under a minute, but give a good look at the monster. And to add more time, there is the “Extended Ending” (12 min), which was the source of the “Behind the Scenes” footage. And ironically enough, even though it was much longer than the final ending, this was actually better.

“The Scoop Featurette” (4 min) is a promo for the film, as well as for Thai cinema. It is fun to watch and enjoy the excitement of the announcer. The last are two The Lake trailers (worldwide and Thai) and a half-dozen others by the Dread brand.

One of the subtle aspects of this release is a religious element which is only touched on, regarding a monk. However, it is more prevalent in the extended ending, and fits better into the storyline motif.

I am not sure if they intend to make a sequel or perhaps even a franchise, but I am guessing it depends on how well it does on the VoD and digital market.

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: Bermuda Island

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

Bermuda Island
Directed by Adam Werth
Mahal Empire; FilmCore; Hosscat Production; Alien Donut Films;
Wicked Monkey Pictures; Stag Mountain Films
86 minutes, 2023
www.MahalEmpire.com

As subgenres go, I do not remember many that deal with the Bermuda Triangle, which is a shame. This one is sort of a cross between that and “Lost.” Perhaps the addition of a creature or more can be folded into that.

Starting off with a violent FBI drug raid on an upper-level drug dealer, Diego (Noel Gugliemi) in South Florida (I am guessing Miami), The film proper, after the violent prologue, picks up at the Miami International Airport, where we meet select passengers and crew heading for Puerto Rico, with said drug dealer in tow. They include a flight attendant played by Tom Sizemore, whose undone jacket and loose tie would actually never pass muster. But it is good to see him in what is essentially an extended cameo; Mahal Empire films are definitely helping to keeping him employed of late (e.g., 2022’s Night of the Tommyknockers). It is also amusing that two brothers on the flight are sir-named Sizemore. Noteworthy at this point is Carolyn (Mahal regular Sarah French, in such films as 2022’s Death Count), on her way to a vacation with her GFs. 

John Wells, Sarah French, Victor V. Gelsomino

There are other enjoyable stereotypes, such as a “Karen,” Peggy (Sheri Davis, also in Tommyknockers), and the comic relief of Midnight the Goth (Greg Tally, also in Tommyknockers; see a trend?), who was my favorite character.

It will come as no surprise that the plane goes down, though it is through a fun supernatural means (did I mention the Bermuda Triangle?), reminiscent of Airport 75 (1974). The survivors (future body count, and Mahal Empire films tend to have many) are stranded on Gillig… I mean the titular island in the North Atlantic Sea, rather than the island of Bermuda itself. Just an FYI, this was filmed in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Greg Tally

Needless to say, those that lived through the plane crash are not the only ones on the island, as this is a creature feature, after all. Sure, there is one alpha male human, Bruce (John Wells) from a previous boat crash to take charge of survival tactics, helped by a member of the plane’s group, Damon (Victor V. Gelsomino, also in Tommyknockers); wouldn’t the plane’s Captain usually be technically in charge? Whatever, he is secondary character. However, it is the nighttime humanoid simian/reptile-like night feeders in loin cloths that are the ones to be feared the most. Their attacks are brutal, bloody, and give a good reason to show lots of gore.

There is also a somewhat subtle level of “Lord of the Flies” happening, with the plane remainders broken up into two groups, the main “heroes,” and one led by power-hungry – and armed – FBI agent Victor Sweden (Wesley Cannon). There is also a muscular macho masculinist bully who is narcissistic and rapacious (e.g., thinks he is god’s gift to women). He is what Bugs Bunny might refer to as a “bar-bell boy.” There are people you certainly hope to meet the monsters, as they are ones themselves internally, but others you hate to see go, and that is harder. What is nice is the killings seem random and just about anyone is up for supper for the monstoids (yeah, I made up the word, so what?). The attacks are also well spread throughout the film, but there are enough people left for the final confrontation at the end to ramp up the action.

Michael Madsen

The writing (screenplay by Robert Thompson from an idea by Michael and Sonny Mahal) has lots of twists and turns and a few good double-crosses. This is a film also about ego (e.g., the Karen and the Macho Man), and, of course, survival in an untenable position.

The creature effects, which remind me of a less-alien looking “Predator,” right down to the dreadlocks, look consistent and are well done. The blood and gore, which is in abundance, especially intestinal, are beautifully presented, without being too “clinical” (i.e., torture porn realistic), which makes this even more fun. While I am grateful for the nudity, it is also gratuitous and involves a romance that seems too quick and unrealistic. But I do understand why it is there, and have no complaints about it, as it is part of the action rather than just being there (e.g., a romance rather than a bath in a lagoon), even though it is there solely for the demographic who most likely will be viewing this release.

Mahal Empire films will occasionally give us human monsters, such as in Death Count, but more often than not it is some form of humanoid beastie, such as in Tommyknockers or Bridge of the Doomed (2022); There also are always strong and intelligent women as well as men, and really nasty of both, as well. I am quickly becoming a fan of their brand.

My big question is: where is Robert LaSardo?

IMDB listing HERE

Review: The Kindred

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

The Kindred
Directed by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow
Kindred Limited Partnership; F/M Entertainment; Synapse Films; MVD Entertainment
93 minutes, 1987 / 2021
www.synapsefilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com/
I know I saw this when it first came out, but honestly, I do not remember it at all. Happily, I will now get a chance to revisit it with fresh new eyes (among other sensory organs).

The film certainly begins with a BANG! Bodies fly, and EMTs are abused. And that leads to introducing our hero, researcher Dr. John Hollins (David Allen Brooks, giving off a Ryan O’Neal or William Katt vibes, or maybe it is just the hair). Seems his mom, another researcher of questionable studies of a gene called hemocyanin (according to Wikipedia, hemocyanin “are proteins that transport oxygen throughout the bodies of some invertebrate animals”; it is usually found in marine life), Dr. Amanda Hollins (a cameo by Kim Hunter, more famous for 1968’s The Planet of the Apes and especially non-horror but brutal A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951; d. 2002), is out of a coma and tells her son to destroy her research, and that he has an unknown brother named Anthony in a shade from Basket Case (1982), who also must be destroyed, which the viewer quickly learns why, but exposition must follow first.

David Allen Brooks

Amanda has a rival in bad toupee-wearing also researcher of human and non-human hybridization, ala Island of Lost Souls (1932)/The Island of Dr. Moreau (1995), Dr. Phillip Lloyd (Rod Steiger, better know to horror fans as the priest in 1979’s The Amityville Horror, but especially in the, again, brutal non-horror On the Waterfront in 1954; d. 2002). He is trying to steal Dr. Amanda’s research before John can do anything with/to it.

John goes to his mom’s house with his girlfriend, Sharon (Talia Balsam), in which Amanda turned his childhood bedroom into a laboratory. Just for the heck of it, he asks a bunch of his friends to join along (the fodder to be killed off?), and is also join by a mysterious British researcher of the bizarre that he meets at a funeral, Melissa (Amanda Pays), who seems to have her own agenda. In this way it becomes sort of a cabin in the woods type scenario. Meanwhile, there is something tentacled under the floorboards (trigger warning: pet endangerment)

Talia Balsam

The various Anthonys look a bit like a cross between It’s Alive (1974) and the alien in the poster from Xtro (1982), but with tentacles, as well as arms. Could this be a reference to Cthulhu?. But it’s the adult Anthony that is lurking around the property. Despite all the scientific lingo here and there, the base of this is obviously that it is a creature feature.

Without surprise, things pick up exponentially in the third act, and adult Anthony makes its presence not only known, but takes command, fighting the puny human folk. Who will win this life-and-death battle? I will say, there was way less of a body count than I was expecting.

Amanda Pays

That being said, this was quite the joy ride, with some excellent all practical and in-camera SFX (i.e., no CGI), with creature effects built by Michael McCracken; yes, the infamous watermelon scene is a great example of that (I won’t give it away). Throughout there is solid acting all the way around. Major cast choices for a B-film. Even Steiger, who has chewed his amount of scenery in his career (I once interviewed him a while back before even Amityville, and bombastic is the word I would use to describe him even off the set), mostly comes off as, well, “acting” rather than shouting, even though there is some of that, as well. It is also worth noting that one of the five writers of this film was Joseph Stefano (d. 2006), who wrote the screenplay of the classic Hitchcock game changer, Psycho (1960).

The extras start off with a commentary track with directors Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter, moderated by horror journalist Steve Barton. While it is occasionally hard to tell who is talking (other than gravelly voiced Carpenter), honestly, it does not matter. It is the contents, and this is a really good commentary with lots of information and stories, with emotion, rather than just a flat read. Worth listening to for fun information.

Rod Steiger

Next is “Inhuman Experiments – The Making of The Kindred” (52 mins.), an all-new featurette produced by Synapse Films for the Blu-ray. While it is typically generally chronological as many “Making Of” docs, from the genesis (let there be film) of the idea (e.g., changing the character of “Matt” to “Melissa”), but some of this is quite interesting, such as interviews with two of the leads (seeing what they look like now, as well as their stories, for example). My favorite parts were the stories about working with the actors, especially Steiger and Hunter. There is also a broad overview such as the SFX , the sets (which are quite phenomenal, done on the same soundstage as 1939’s Gone With the Wind), the music by David Newman (including being interviewed), and of course its place in culture. Originally, my idea was to skip around, but ended up watching the whole thing, despite the length. That says a lot.

And speaking of SFX, there is a special compilation of creature effects artist McCracken Jr.’s never-before-seen archival, on-set footage (18 min). The first half of this, I watched at 2x speed, but the second, when it became black and white grainy footage, when there was actual informative information, I turned it back to normal speed. It’s not brilliant thanks to the visual quality, but can be interesting for at least one viewing

There is also a still gallery and original storyboards, TV spots, the original theatrical trailer, the original video promotional trailer, and optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

While this has absolutely nothing to do with this film, in a-degree of separation, Marlon Brando has starred in the break-through releases with both Kim Hunter (Streetcar) and Rod Steiger (Waterfront), and he also was one of the leads in the similar thematic Island of Dr. Moreau.

Despite some visually dark scenes, the film quality itself is superb, which is not surprising considering it is a new 4K remaster of the unrated version, and the sound is quite sharp, with different versions of the tracks available in both 5.1 stereo surround sound and the original 2.0 mono theatrical mix.

With a mix of imagery and ideas amalgamated from other films, this one manages to have lots of pop power, and for those who like the ‘80s monster films, this is right up that alley.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Night of the Tommyknockers

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Night of the Tommyknockers (aka Tommyknockers)
Directed by Michael Su
Mahal Empire; Mezek Films; FilmCore; Wildlife Command Center; Alien Donut Films; Gravitas Ventures
87 minutes, 2022
www.facebook.com/nightofthetommyknockers/ 
www.facebook.com/groups/514328295444570

Usually, the Western is its own genre. It is rare that it mixes with others, especially horror. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen. For example, there are some gruesome scenes in Bone Tomahawk (2015) and The Scarlet Worm (2011), or even mixing sci-fi in films like Cowboys & Aliens (2011) and if a bit of a stretch, but Valley of the Gwangi (1969).

Well, rare or not, this new release combines horror taking place in the western genre. So naturally, there are shoot-outs, bank robbers, miners, farming folk, and the like. And then there are the Tommyknockers. Urbandictonary.com defines them as “Miners who have been trapped in cave-ins and pound on the rocks for rescue. It is believed that the ghosts of these miners go on knocking in the mine shafts long after the victims have died.”

That makes sense, as the story begins with some miners finding gold in a shaft after using dynamite, and release a host of said ‘Knockers” on the town. The voracious creatures will eat anything that moves, from horses to humans. They kind of look like the creatures in The Descent (2005), only crouched over like the Universal Pictures’ wolfman of the 1940s, and covered in white fur. Once they are on the loose, the local town is invaded by them at nights.

Bill Victor Arucan, Richard Grieco, Wesley Cannon, Angela Clark

Walking into the mess looking for a bank to rob is the Dirk Gang, led by, well, anti-hero Dirk (Richard Grieco) doing his best poncho wearin’ Clint Eastwood impression, and including Lucky (Robert LaSardo), Maoma (Bill Victor Arucan, who has been in a lot of James Balsamo films of late), Clay (Wesley Cannon), and Betty (Angela Cole). They arrive at nightfall, where all the townfolk that remain are gathered together in the saloon (of course), with Marshal Steed (a gravel-voiced Tom Sizemore); yes, this is a strong cast.

This film is a bit different than the other Michael Su films I have seen as of late. Here, half way in, there is a few killings, but very little gore. There is much more exposition than I have seen, thereby additional dialogue. I am waiting for the savagery to begin in earnest.

By the third act, things pick up immensely. The previous Su films I have watched (and totally enjoyed; you can search my keywords by the director’s name) took a different formula, where the carnage was pretty consistent throughout the film, messing with the typical Act 1 through 3, as I have mentioned in a previous review, but here, it is more of a traditional style (though there are some decent attacks without much gore), culminating in an intestine chomping, neck biting, limb munching third act. Was it worth the wait? Sure!

Tom Sizemore (far right)

Grieco does fine as the strong, quiet type, and Sizemore seems stiff (both physically and vocally), though his acting is fine. Maybe him and Michael Madsen can move to the Screen Actors Retirement Home? It is time. LaSardo is almost the comic relief of the film, and does a smash up job (sometimes literally) as his character lives up to his name. The cast is well assembled, again with two strong women at the front. I really love that about Su, he always has don’t-take-no-shit women, here led by Cole and Jessica Morris, as a townie photographer.

There are some other noteworthy cameos from the B-film world that I was happy to see, such as Sheri Davis, podcaster Shawn C. Phillips, and especially Elissa Dowling, among others. And am I crazy, or did Arucan play two roles, including one of the miners?

There are some nice explosions here as in all Su’s films, and there is a slight sepia tone, which seems to be the “in” thing to do with gothic or western releases these days. The SFX seems to be practical and looks good. The one thing I noticed that I thought was weird is that while the last two acts take place during a single night, occasionally it looked like sunlight coming through the windows. Ahh, low budget filmmaking, though its look mostly manages to push past its budgetary envelope.

Be sure to watch the credits for additional fun.

IMDB listing HERE

Horror Shorts Reviews: April 2022

Horror Shorts Reviews for April 2022

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Filmmakers, please note: usually, I do not review films (unless requested) that appear on sites like Alter and Screamfest, because they have a known platform, which is great, while I would rather focus on films with no sponsored online affiliations. These films are not in ranked order, but rather alphabetically listed by first letter.

 

The Dead Record
Directed by Nate Thompson
Novaland Films; Spooky Films; Nate Thompson Videos
16:34 minutes, 2022
In Toledo, OH, a record and film store proprietor, appropriately named Louden (the director), has just closed up and is restocking, when there is a knock on the door and a mysterious stranger (Kenny Urban) with a wicked smile drops off a package that contains an LP, with a warning. The vinyl is a rarity (only 50 pressed) and of course, it comes with a curse. The film flows quite well as it swirls around the aisle of the store, following Louden and his friend Sammy (Dakota Musarelli) as they talk. As a collector myself, the conversation between the two feels very accurate, though the way Louden physically handles the record, especially being a rarity, is shocking to me (no true collector would handle a rare record by the vinyl, but only by the edges), but I digress… I have to admit I had to watch it twice, because I kept getting distracted by trying to see what were the albums in the cases, but that’s okay since the story was interesting enough to watch both times. And the character of evil here (Madeline Malice) is effective in the story. The ending was a bit obvious, as are most horror shorts, but it leans more to the psychological as much as for the shock values, which makes it a fun listen and watch. The soundtrack is definitely dark metal, opening the film up with a blast, which was another nice touch. I actually jumped at that. This is the second of Nate’s short films I have seen, and I am duly impressed. I am looking forward to seeing his feature release of Cult Affairs.
Full film HERE 

 

Ignore It
Directed by Sam Evanson
McMuffin Creative
6:33 minutes, 2021
A family’s home has a recurring and unwanted guest: a ghostly woman who will kill unless she is ignored. The family does its best over the dinner table to be as normal as possible while the spirit is among them. The parents and the two children try their best but, you know… This is a pretty good thriller based on more than one jump scare, and the effects are well done. A strong point is the background music which is consistent (and, of course, dissonant), keeping the mood going. There is obviously little background to the story other than this is not its first appearance. I don’t know how they know to ignore it, but that’s part of the missing exposition that really isn’t needed anyway, since this is, after all, a short. Very effective with an excellent cast.
Full film HERE

Let Them Eat
Directed by LaShaunte Wade
Dark Creeds Productions
15:16 minutes, 2021
When Megghan (lanky Lauren Molina) and her husband Kyle (Roman Jacob Bolyen) has Kyle’s co-worker and mistress, Julie (Lindsay Miller) over for dinner, there’s a lot at – er – steak. Megghan is on the verge of opening a new restaurant and Kyle is a successful lawyer, with high aspirations for their lives to get richer and tasty. Things quickly get twisted and weird, but the film takes its time to unfold, relatively speaking for a short with three people, mostly sitting around eating and drinking. There are subtle events and conversations that tell the viewer that there is something off, but it is certainly not what one might be expecting, and that’s the fun of this piece. It paces itself well, and doesn’t try to rush anything. The visuals are pretty stark and the VFX are quite stunning, and does not rely on jump scares to be effectively horrifying. An actor, dancer, model, and chef, this is the director’s first film, and it shows an immense sense of talent and purpose. I look forward to her future work.
Full film HERE 

 

Mother Father Monster
Directed by Sean Breathnatch
Ego Productions Ireland
9:06 minutes, 2019
https://www.facebook.com/MotherFatherMonster
A gothic tale about an energy drink? Well, the first part of that question is accurate. Mr. Wolsey (Mark Lawrence) is hired at an Irish stately home (the Charleville Forest Castle) to be a butler and tutor in the 19th Century. Upon his arrival, the deeply dimpled and stern Lady Charleville (Irene Kelleher) warns him, in Pandora Box/Bluebeard fashion, that he must never enter a particular upstairs room. The film is highly atmospheric, as gothic films should be, and the castle – even in a state of neglect – is reminiscent of the setting of The Haunting (1963), full of turned wood staircases and musty rooms. It’s mood and texture are quite stunning, and the editing is sharp. While some of the story may seem obvious to anyone with a history of genre films, there were still a few pleasant surprises that quite make this worth the viewing.
Full film HERE 

 

Poster: TBD

The Thing Next Door
Directed by Marcus Kelly
9:22 minutes, 2020
A twenty-something (Bethany Russell) lives on her own in a nice house. The people next door have mysteriously disappeared. And what’s that glowing red light and slime trail that starts to show up in her house? In this dialogue-less short, we don’t get to learn too much about the protagonist, who is the only character in the film (other than a brief shot of a policeman played by the director), shows lots of emotion, conveying how she feels well through her facial expressions.  The film is shot quite beautifully (but what’s with the insects and toothbrushing so common in house-bound horror shorts?), especially one transition between a drain and a full moon. From the sounds of whatever the thing next door is, I was imagining it looks like a Cthulhu kind of deal, as this almost comes across as a radio story for the eyes, with the b-roll standing in for narration. Lots of use of both the filmmaker’s and the viewer’s imagination. I quite liked this meat and potatoes release. Unfortunately, I could find no poster, no photos of the film to include in the review. If I get one, I will add it in later.
Full film HERE 

 

Within
Directed by Rory Wood
16:42 minutes, 2021
A troubled couple, David (David Lewis) and Tegan (Lisa Chandler), are walking through the woods around their house outside Vancouver when their young teenage son, Ben (Ridley Havok McLeod), finds a spider-like creature about a foot long near a den. This has a marked effect on David, as he starts staring into space and drinking heavily at home. He seems to be either obsessed or possessed by whatever is in that den, which we see in bits and pieces. As with other cryptid forest creatures such as in Jug Face (2013), it must be fed, as David goes all Jack Torrance. This is an excellent creature feature with beautifully handled photography by Kyle Gherman (especially around the dinner table). The film is long enough for the viewer to get a sense of the relationships between the characters, and make them relatively real, rather than just present. Totally enjoyable.
Full film HERE 

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.