Review: Tethered

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

Tethered
Directed by Daniel Robinette
4 Leagues Media; Gravitas Ventures
88 minutes, 2022
www.4leaguesmedia.com/films/tethered/
www.gravitasventures.com

It almost seems like there is a subgenre overlapping horror and science fiction of late where two people, usually but not always men, are in the middle of the woods/nowhere, that are quite contentious but end up working together against whatever the antagonist is, be it human or supernatural. On just this blog, for example, I have recently reviewed A Knight’s Tour (2020)l and Woodland Grey (2021) , and then there is are large chunk of Sweet Tooth (2021).

Expanded from a 2017 short with the same title and lead actor, for this bleak tale, we are introduced to blind teenager Solomon (Jared Laufree). He lives on an acreage in North Carolina, surrounded by the woods, many miles from anyone else. Essentially, the forest is his to do what is needed for survival. At the start we see the training by his obviously ill mom (hyper-intelligent Alexandra Paul, of “Baywatch” and 1983’s Christine fame, among others), who gives him the skills on how to survive, including fishing and setting traps for game, like squirrels and rabbits. To enter the woods, he wears the titular rope tied at one end to the dilapidated house, and the other around his waist, to help him find his way back.

The “tether” has a dual role. It both gives Solomon the freedom to roam enough to survive and have a certain level of independence yet “protecting” him from the outside world, theoretically; but then again, it also limits how far he can travel, isolating him at the same time.

As in previous films like The Children of the Corn (1984) and the cult film Jug Face (2013), where there is a cryptid creature lurking in the woods kind of deal, Solomon must “feed” the forest via sharing his food, by tossing half of it into the woods. He doesn’t know why at first, but he is following his mother’s three commandments, of which this is one. But what happens when food is scarce?

After living alone for a number of years, Solomon is lonely, relying on the tape recording to hear another’s voice, i.e., his mother. His attire is in shambles with holes, and he is, well, dirty as all get out. But it is his solitude – the only thing he’s known for such a long time – that weighs the heaviest. Until…

Somewhere deep into the second act, a stranger appears: Hank (Kareen Furgeson). This is when the story really starts to pick up some steam, as these two desperate strangers need to rely on each other, especially with whatever is starting to make its presence known by howling in the forest. Of course, their relationship begins contentiously (as is wont in this trope) until their easy-to-assume bonding occurs. I really don’t think I’m giving anything not obvious away.

There are two types of slow burns employed by cinema, in a gross generalization: there is the kind where nothing happens for a long time and then everything is in the third act, or at minimum after 20 minutes of introducing the characters (i.e., the conversation in the car on the way to the slaughter trope that is overused in other releases), and then there is this kind, where even during the exposition scenes, the tension is still there, and slowly builds to the crescendo.

There are a few moments where some exposition is exposed, such as a birthday sequence, which would fit nicely in the deleted section, and a bit of tightening of the narrative, but overall, it’s a pretty solid piece. The cinematography by Aaron Sorgius is a key character in the story moving forward, even those scenes at night where it is a bit dark viewing; remember, Solomon is blind so he doesn’t need light at night, so most of the lighting is done indirectly by fireplace.

Just a minor, quick quibble: Solomon, as an adult, plays one of those old portable cassette recorders. Errr, where does he get the batteries? It is certainly not plugged in (you can see that there is no attachment), and besides, his cabin doesn’t even have electricity. It’s kind of like in other films – especially found footage, which this release is not – where people have cell phones or cameras that they use often, and yet work for days (I have to recharge mine every night).

 As is common in this subgenre, there is very little humor and feels bleak to the point of giving the impression of being almost post-apocalyptic. The environment we are presented is empty except for a small cast (which helps the budget enormously; no complaint, just observing) and whatever mysterious supernatural cryptid is out there, just in the shadows of the dark, scary woods. That’s why so many horror films take place in forests, because of the shade of the canopy making cool shadows and hard-to-see spots, and who’s to say what is lurking behind that red maple?

 I have to admit, the ending took me by surprise. I was expecting a different direction, but found the conclusion both rewarding and a bit confusing about the “how.” This is the director’s first feature film, and he shows quite the skill set that he gained from a number of shorts he helmed. I hope he gets to spread his wings in full-lengthers in the future and show more of what he is capable of doing.

This film is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and digitally on Comcast/Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T, Cox, Dish, Verizon, Frontier, SuddenLink, Mediacom, Armsstrong and TelusClick.

IMBD Listing HERE 

 

 

 

Screener:
https://vimeo.com/613954181
Password: TETHEREDV1FINAL

Review: 100 Acres of Hell

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

100 Acres of Hell
Directed by Hank Leigh Hump
Screenshot Entertainment; KOA Nation; Jersey Lights Productions; 
Lionsgate; Indican Pictures
84 minutes, 2019
www.facebook.com/100AcresOfHell/
https://100acresofhell.com/
www.indicanpictures.com/new-releases/100-acres-of-hell 

To be honest with yaz, I have never been on a “Bro’s Weekend,” where my macho friends gather to camp out with guns. Yeah, I’ve done the tent thing while out on multi-day road trips or have gone on photo-taking sojourns into the wilderness of farm country with a bunch of guys, but it didn’t entail drinkin’ and huntin’ and carousin’. It has been tame, just the way I like reality (as opposed to cinema versions). But it’s a bit different for the protagonists in this film. And where do they put up their tents? Trespassing at Foggy Creek Nature Preserve aka 100 Acres of Wildlife Fun, of course.

But before that, there is the obligatory prologue, which features a nice cameo by Eileen Dietz (she played Pazuzu in the original 1973 The Exorcist), taking place in the 100 Woods at a time when Nixon was president (remember when Kinky Friedman’s detective novels referred to going to the bathroom as “Taking a Nixon”? Actually, one of the characters in this release mentions he “has to take a weasel.” But I digress…). I won’t go into details, but two important things to note from this: pay attention to the prologue dialogue, and that it is extremely bloody. Early on, this is showing some promise.

Gene Snitsky

For the story, the hero of our tale is Buck (wrestler Gene Snitsky), who when we meet him, is in recovery from a devastating accident that took his family and broke his back. While he is healing, we get informed on his mental condition by the number of pills he takes, washed down with a straight-from-the-bottle swig of Jack D. When I fractured my vertebrae last year, hydromorphone was a blessing, so I understand, somewhat).

With the push of his friend record producer Trent (Jeff Swanton), the two join banker Morgan (Ernest O’Donnell, who was in a bunch of early Kevin Smith films, including Clerks in 1994), and sex obsessed car dealership owner Bo (Jim Roof), who is trying too hard to fit in. Of course, like all macho studs, they belittle each other and reminisce back to High School. Past resentments are bound to come up during this Bro’s Weekend, as they are wont to do in not just genre releases, but all macho bros-above-hoes mentality films.

After the traditional warning not to go to their planned location from the local gas station owner (Robert Waldron), our quartet of differing personality types head to where they were told not to go. A bit cliché, but the trope is there for a reason beyond the red herring. The road trip to the Preserve makes up the entirety of the first act. The arrival starts act 2.

From the prologue, we know they are not going to be alone, so I don’t feel like I’m giving anything away. We – I mean our guys – are warned numerous times along the way, but who listens to old men and a “creepy girl” with yellow teeth (Olivia Parulis)?

It will not take genre fans long to figure out this is a mash-up of the genres of camping in the woods while being hunted, and the inbred cannibal family trope, commonly used since at least The Hills Have Eyes (1977). You may think, four guys? That’s not much of a body count. Au contrare, as they are visited by a few of the local girls they run into along the way, Kitty (cute Katie Walsh) and Sissy (Catherine Corcoran, who died the most infamous death in 2016’s Terrifier), and a couple of their male friends. And then there are the bikers…

Samu Anoa'i

They are being hunted one by one (or in pairs on occasion) by the masked pater of the clan, Jeb Tucker (Samu Anoa’i – aka Sam Anoai – who is a title winning part of the professional wrestling Samoan Swat Team under the noms de ring the Great Samu and The Tahitian Prince; this is his first non-wrestling acting role), who uses a bow and arrow in a The Most Dangerous Game type of scenario, hence the film’s working title, Manhunt. There is no surprise at all that at some point, the two wresters, Anoa’i and Snitsky will come face to face sometime in Act 3.

Filmed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the woods look very Northeastern, and being near Autumn, a bit foreboding and forbidding. It’s the perfect setting for hunting and being hunted. The old cars and trailer looks like the kinds of places I like to photograph with my friends, so I know how scary those kinds of deep woods can be, even if not that far from civilization, and the director uses the space wisely.

While this is not a comedy, there are some funny moments, but it does not get in the way of the arrows or deaths. The gore is minimal, but looks really good, especially in one instance in the middle of the film, though I have to say the whole prologue looks great in this – err – vein. The make-up, especially for Jeb, looks fun and satisfying.

There are certainly moments in here where you just want to tell a character or two to just shut the hell up (especially Bo), but the fact that he is so annoying speaks to the quality of Roof’s work. Speaking of roles, everyone does pretty well, but Walsh comes out the most natural.

Eileen Dietz

My only real complaint is that the box cover makes it appear as if this is similar to The Strangers or The Purge franchise, but it is not. Written well by Ed McKeever, Snitsky and Producer Jason Koerner, the end of the film is a bit predictable while at the same time it made me go, “really?” I’m sure it will satisfy, and between my “why?,” I also smiled. This is the kind of release that is pleasant to watch, and if you like these murderer-in-the-woods types, you won’t be sorry.

The film is available on a number of Video on Demand outlets, and I have to admit I’m really looking forward to this group’s next release, a werewolf film titled The Beast Comes at Midnight, which is currently in production.