Review: What the Waters Left Behind

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020

Images from the Internet

What the Waters Left Behind (aka Los Olivados)

Directed by Luciano Onetti and Nicolàs Onetti

Cine Argentino; Instituto Nacional de Cine Y Arts Audiovisuales;
Onetti Brothers Productions; Black Mandala Films;
Rusty Robot; Unearthed Films; MVD Entertainment

100 minutes, 2017 / 2020

https://www.masterpiecesthemovie.com/

www.unearthedfilms.net

www.mvdentertainment.com

In remote Argentina, there was a popular tourist town called Villa Epecuén, just off Laguna Especuén, which has a high salt content like the Dead Sea; it was thus touted as a health resort. In 1985, a dam busted and the town was flooded out. When the waters receded a bit in the mid-2000, what was left were ruins that were white, coated with salt. It was uninhabitable (though a singular elderly person actually still lives in the very real place).

Epecuén is the focal point of the imagined story, as a film crew of seven decides to go gech it out and make a documentary of the place. If anyone follows stories like this, from the fantastical Creepozoids (1987) to the more recent The Chernobyl Diaries (2012), you know there is no good that is going to come from this exercise, such as for our gaggle of genre gauchos.

In part of the prologue, we actually get to see some nice aerial drone images of, well, what the waters let behind of the original town, followed by a brief but bloody confrontation. Did I mention this film is distributed by Stephen “American Guinea Pig” Biro’s imprint, Unearthed Films, so you know there is going to be a bloodbath involved; if that’s your thing, keep reading.

This could quite easily have been just one more Found Footage style release, considering our troupe is making a documentary, but thankfully the Onetti brothers decided to make a narrative film, with a few through-camera-style shots here and there.

Agustin Pardella, Victoria Maurette, Paula Brasca, Luciano Onetti,
Victorio D 'Alessandro, Paula Sartor, and Damián Dreizik  

We get to learn a little about the group on the road trip to the site in an old-style VW Van, such as Nacho (Victorio D 'Alessandro), the boom buy and driver being a frat boy type, the director Vasco (Damián Dreizik), who amusingly is wearing a Francesca tee-shirt, giving a nod to the Onetti Brothers' previous 2015 film; reviewed HERE)  is a surly older guy, model-esque Vicky (Paula Sartor) is his sexy and too-young-for-him girlfriend (and her small poodle, Kiki), the camera woman Erica (Paula Brasca, wearing a blue Ramones tee), the AD Diego (Augustin Pardella), and Carla (Victoria Maurette), who is a survivor of the initial flood when she was just a wee one. She gives them (i.e., us) a bit of personal exposition to where we are bound. Then there is the mysterious Señor X (Gustavo Garzón), who appears with a rifle; is he one of the good guys or in with the evil clan? Historically, in other films of this nature, this typical genre character can go either way. Oh, do I need to say that the film is in Spanish, with English subtitles?  Oh, wait... too late.

What I found impressive is that the location is actually at Epecuén, so we get to see quite a bit of the town, or what is left of it. Fascinating stuff. Speaking of which, in the first act we get to see some very nice Latina and Latino bods, flexing their youth such as in a bikini and shirtless. To paraphrase the Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Come-along a-baby, there's a whole lot of sexual tension goin' on... including one I did not see coming. The cigarettes are not the only thing that's smokin'. 

Rather than a leather face, the native miscreants seem to lean more towards the type of masks worn in The Road Warrior (1981; aka Mad Max 2). Cattle skulls appear to be the màscara du jour. With the slightly washed out and desolate local images, this could almost be seen as a post-apocalyptic world (because in this locus, it is).

While the story really picks up around the half-way point, the Onetti Bros manage to keep things hopping along the way, between the tension with some locals, the visuals, and the characters, so there is little time to be restless even though the ultra-violence is mostly in the second half. If this were the 1970s, the Ramones could come and save the day like that ridiculous KISS movie from 1978, but this was filmed in the late 2010s, and it was too late for the Ramones (RIP) and many of the film’s characters by then.

Yeah, the film is brutal, but there are two ways to look at it. For the average viewer who is used to “CSI” level of gore, this is quite shocking. For fans of films like the Hostel (2005) series and later versions of the Saw (2004) franchise, this is enjoyable and comparable, but not as a gore-fest as some of the other torture porn styles that Unearthed usually distributes (though I am saying this is still right up their alley) along the level of the likes of Audition (1999) or Bouquet of Guts and Gore (2014: reviewed HERE). 

That being said, sometimes the way the film cuts away just when something is about to happen, I wonder if there is a different edit of the film floating around somewhere that doesn’t occasionally (not always) skirts the issue for which most of the gorehounds are sniffin’ around. But don’t be deterred, there are still lots and lots of brutally violent and blood-soaked body parts to be seen and tasted.

Of course, the big, $64,000 question, is by the end will it be a mass slaughter of the innocents, or will there be a comeuppance; perhaps a mixture of both? I ain’t tellin’ since that’s a major part of the fun of these kinds of things.

Even from the trailer, it’s easy to see some of the foundations the filmmakers dipped their own toes into, such as the mini-van along the dusty road of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), or the hungry, hungry hippo actions of the towns inhabitants, like The Hills Have Eyes (1977; note that for both of these sources, I refer to the originals). And let’s not forget the utter bleakness and frenzy of Wolf Creek (2005) and the Wrong Turn (2003- ) franchise. If you want to push it, you could even add in Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (for this, I refer to the original play, not the limp film version). One character could even be straight out of Mother’s Day (1980), though I don’t know if she’s “a very a sick woman” physically, but mentally is another story.

What made me smile is that even though I figured out a key plot point early on, the way it was presented (meaning the timing) took me by surprise. This was an excellent choice by the Onettis. That is why, despite all its reliance on earlier and classic canon, the film still works and can keep the viewer entertained.

And stick around for the credits and afterwards for some amazing real news footage of the flood from, I'm guessing, the 1990s.

Review: Terror in Woods Creek

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020

Images from the Internet

Terror in Woods Creek (aka Deadlines)

Directed by Tracy Lee Staton

Roadkill Entertainment / Wild Eye Releasing / MVD Entertainment

94 minutes, 2017 / 2020

www.facebook.com/tracyleestaton/

www.wildeyereleasing.com

www.mvdb2b.com

In the small Virginia town of Woods Creek, population under two grand, there is an evil that recurs every 50 years or so. No, it’s not the Creeper from Jeepers Creepers, this is more of an old school, Biblical evil from the pits of hell that has come to visit. We are introduced to the Drifter (Royce Hobson), a cool lookin’ dude with smashing early ‘60s sideburns, a big smile, and eyeliner.

Royce Hobson

What is it about devilishly and deliciously joyous supernatural evil men that you can spot them a mile away by their eyeliner? Sure, the sideburns scream “watch out,” but it is the eyeliner on these squinty-eyed dudes that make them so obvious; it’s quite the common trope. But one other thing to note is if your satanic guy is wearing eyeliner, he is going to be a fun character to watch. He is so cool and malevolent: he constantly smokes, yet still often has a cigarette tucked behind his ear at the same time.

Anyway, back in 1962, the town was visited by this very same Drifter – as we see in the prologue – while the whole joint is going crazy and killing either others or themselves, right out of Cronenberg’s The Crazies. After that we pop up to 50 years later, and it is 2012, and guess who has come back with his ‘burns, eyeliner and a cool retro ’65 Buick named Ruby bearing a license plate that proclaims “Burn One”?

The modern town is filled with people with cutesy homage names, such as Police Detective Smith Wesson (Robert Barger Jr, who looks a bit like Stephen King in Creepshow) and the priest is Father Fulci (John Johnson).

Whatever their nomenclature, everybody is just sweatin’ out ‘tude in this film, from the relatively good people to the absolutely bad ones, such as news reporter Tippi Thompson (Jaclyn Vames), said police detective, the abusive garage guy Jesco (Matthew Ewald, who also writes horror-themed novels you can check out), and especially The Drifter. Though I should point out while this covers both sexes, the women come out better in general numbers than the male of the species. An exception is the heinous High School Principal (Camille Keaton of the 1978 classic I Spit on Your Grave / Day of the Woman, in a stand-out cameo). The most likeable person, though, is the busty bartender, Bobby Jo (Katherine Tryon, who is also an Executive Producer).

Oh, and did I mention on top of all this, there is also a person in overalls and a potato sack over his head tied on by twine around the neck that is going around helping others meet the boat at the River Styx? He walks around with (and uses) an axe, and is called “Potato Sack Jack.” To me, his conversation with the Drifter is one of the high points of the film.

Beneath the story is an underlying dark sense of humor that shows its head in the form of mostly dialog, but also some of the deaths are kind of humorous, in a sick way. Some killings are “Good, they deserved it!” and others are “Damn, I liked that person.” It’s more balanced when they do that.

Most of the film is just menacing and murder, but the truly magickal and supernatural part of it does not really come until the third act, even though there are a-plenty of killin’ throughout. Nearly all of the actual murders are done off-screen, but this is a story-based tale, so that is okay. Still the “after” SFX look pretty damn cool.

As far as the acting goes, well, Hobson and Ewald definitely comes off the best. Some of the acting is kind of a mix of hokey and wooden, but with all the drawls, it all works out. Part of this is that is seems like the director employed a few of the locals (i.e., not professional actors) in Buena Vista, VA, where it was mostly filmed.

Robert Rydland and Matthew Ewald

There is a good contingent of the cast that also does double duty as the crew, especially Tryon and Johnson. And I know I shouldn’t make anything out of this, but the director being female made me happy (I bring it up because it does not happen often enough, and I want to recognize and encourage that). With the exception of Tryon’s constant cleavage, this is a pretty balanced film, and sexist behavior is pointed out often and sometimes indirectly (it was also written by Staton), even if it isn’t stopped until after the fact, such as Jesco’s relationship to his girlfriend and regarding female travelers who stop by his gas station. Kudos for that.

The extras include the trailer for the film, and a 6-minute Outtakes short, which is actually a Blooper reel. These tend to be fun, and this one runs just long enough not to get tiresome. There is also a full-length commentary track with the director, executive producer Cory Grier (who has a small, recurring role in the film), and star Barger; thankfully, they don’t talk over each other and are respectful. I love when that happens. The conversation between them deals mostly with anecdotal and cursory information about the film, such as what the shoot was like, set locations, and stories about the actors; there is little philosophical discussions on what the film means, or plot points. That’s okay, because as it is, it certainly kept the interest up.

While there are issues with the some of the points in the film, this is a nicely put-together release, with fine editing, lighting, and all those other technical bits. This is Staton’s third film and first feature, and she shows a lot of promise, which I hope I get to enjoy for years and features to come.

Review: Shelter for the Bloodstained Soul

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

Shelter for the Bloodstained Soul

Written, directed and edited by Nicholas Wagner

77 minutes, 2016

Free HERE or HERE 

A while back, I saw Nicholas Wagner’s 50-minute film called The Holy Sound (2013; reviewed HERE), which dealt with an object in a cave that had an effect on both libido and aggression, which its characters found to be a quasi-religious experience.

Malcolm Mills

Many of those same themes are present in this release. After a very brief prologue that makes more sense as the film unspools, somewhere in the Deep South we meet redheaded singer and junkie Harvey (Maggie Williams) picking up the stranded and creepy Addison (Malcolm Mills), whose car bit the dust. Add into the mix Harvey’s pal, dealer, and habitual spitter Tex (Reed DeLisle), and we are on our way.

Addison talks a lot of religion goo, but it soon becomes clear that it’s not Jeebus at the center of it (this will drive the Trump-lovin’ Southerners bonkers, I’m sure). Addison smokes this pipe and suddenly the area fills with smoke (or mist, I suppose) and a mysterious and lovely woman appears, who is apparently an angel without a body. And what does she need (this is all in the film’s description, so no spoiler alert)? The burned bodies of people who are involved with sex, but without love (i.e., pure lust, one of the seven deadlies) is what is used as either food or sacrifice, I'm not sure, but either works for me.

Needless to say, Addison is just the start of the cult as he gets both Harvey and Tex smokin’ (which apparently deadens the effects of other drugs), and they become bloodthirsty killers to help raise Cain… I mean the goddess/angel. Into the mix comes redheaded (this is a theme of both films) Cammy (Elena Delia), the self-professed town tramp, who completes the fourth.

From there, the cult is pretty much a unit, but unlike many killer kult films, they aren’t zombie-like in robes chanting and dancing naked around a fire, i.e., they still do drugs and smoke butts a lot. Without any job, I’m not quite sure how they can afford that, but I digress… They all have their personality foibles and remain “human” within their goal to free the dark angel. Things intensify and there are definitely some power struggles among the group, who mostly seemed pretty incompetent in their lives before all this started.

This is as much about human personalities, the past effecting the present, and philosophical meanderings, as much as a blood cult aimed at killing and the raising of this woman into flesh. Throughout the film, there is a lot of dialog (with some action), as nearly all the characters have deep thoughts that sometimes come out as philosophy, and other times sounding like greeting cards. Sitting around a fire, sitting around a beach, or sitting in a bar, the dialog seems to flow more than jab, even when doled out by the oft angry and spitting Tex.

Elena Delia

It makes sense that a lot of this film takes place near the shore, because the tone and pace of it is like sitting on the beach, watching the waves ebb and flow. It’s sort of languid and steady, but there is still the power of even the smallest motion of the water to destroy, wear down, or to change the shape of its environment. Each action in the film has a direct reaction some other time.

The editing, also done by Wagner, is… cautious. This film, even though it’s a murderous one with a decent body count, is not jarring (other than in certain, unexpected moments, such as a gratuitous kill), but nearly everything happens at a set pace throughout. This is also reflected in the languorous music that dapples like the water throughout, or the use of muted colors to show perhaps the dulling of the senses via chemical substances, or the drugged and washed out lives the characters are living.

It’s pretty obvious things are not going to end well for most, as they tend to do in these kinds of tales, but the whole “the more things change the more they stay the same” touch that runs during the course of the film is a nice touch, which I really enjoyed.

Despite the hint of promiscuity, there isn’t a whole lot of it on the screen, and again while the numbers of people who violently shed their mortal coil is relatively decent, the blood and gore is kept to a minimum. There are, however, decent application effects towards the end without being ridiculously hammy and gory.

If you’re expecting something like a Rob Zombie film where a murderous group hijinks it up while blowing people away, this is definitely not for you. However, if you also like stories to have a brain, and you have the patience to wait it out for the 77 minutes for a conclusion that is not ordinary, you may be pleasantly surprised by this sleeper.