Reviews: Nocturna: Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night; Nocturna: Side B: Where the Elephants Go to Die

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

 Both these films are on iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Vimeo, DirecTv, local cable and satellite providers, and on a single-disc DVD. The trailers for the films will be at the very bottom of the blog.

Nocturna: Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night (aka Nocturna: Lado A – La noche del hombre grande)
Directed by Gonzalo Calzada
Cine Argentino; Coruva Cine; La Puerta Cinematografica; Breaking Glass Pictures
107 minutes, 2021
https://alief.co.uk/NOCTURNA

This will be the third and fourth film from Argentina that I will have reviewed on this blog, the others being Francesca (2015) and What theWaters Left Behind (2017; aka Los Olivados). Each of these films is quite different, but one thing that runs in common is the intensity. If you were expecting light fare like Mexican Santo releases, you have ladrò up the wrong árbol.

This is an intense study, focusing on a 100-year-old man, Ulises (actor and playwright Pepe Soriano, who has won the Argentine Critics Association Award three times, was also a Valladolid best actor winner, and was nominated for a Spanish Academy Goya Award; he is in his early 90s), facing his mortality, is working his way through remembrances and forgetfulness, as his age tugs at his present and past, and the holes of memory in between. His past is represented by a childhood self (Jenaro Nouet) from the day he met his wife, Dalia (Marilú Marini, who is often known for a number of French films from the 1970s and ‘80s) that is also represented by her younger version (Mora Della Veccia).

Pepe Soriano

It almost appears as time is fluid in many ways, as the film plays with the reality of the moment and the tricky bits of memory and its holes. For example, an event might be mentioned at some point, and then it happens. While this is purposefully unsettling and occasionally confusing at some point, it shows the mind of this older man, and his relationship with his wife.

Also involved is the kind-hearted building manager, Daniel (Lautaro Delgato), who means well and is trying to help the occasionally befuddled Ulises as best he can. Then there is the mysterious and angry woman from upstairs, Elena (Desirée Salgueiro), who bangs on Ulises’ apartment door.

 While the film rolls out in its own time, getting the viewer a chance to get to know the characters a bit, what stands out is the emotions, which flow like rolling hills, as the old man’s chest continues to hurt and things are not always as they seem.

Marilú Marini

For some reason, some have categorized this a “horror” film, and on some level I understand why, but I beg to differ. Yes, there are intense moments filled with dread and possible ghosts, but is it corporeal remains of people or spirits of memories, or some level of senility? This is more emotional thriller that goes at its own slow, precise pace (with moments of chill thanks to the lightening storm sounds going on outside the window and the uncertainty of what is going on). That being said, when the film premiered at Screamfest Film Festival 2021, it won many awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor.

Desirée Salgueiro

The camerawork is gorgeous, especially a warped glass scene where the past and present unite in a blur of images. The lighting throughout is yellowed and dim, like an old light bulb to match the mood and perhaps to reflect Ulises’ dimmer brain functions. While most of the story takes place either in Ulises’ apartment or in the hallways of the building, it never feels claustrophobic thanks to the cinematography which is, again, fluid.

The orchestrated soundtrack fits the film perfectly, swelling and rising at the same time, to help hit emotional peaks. Yeah, this is more of an poignant film than a fright-fest, but do not be surprised if, by the end (or at the end), you have a couple of tears rolling down (yeah, I did).

IMBD Listing HERE 

 

Nocturna: Side B – Where the Elephants Go to Die (aka Nocturna: Lado B – Donde los elefantes van a morir)
Directed by Gonzalo Calzada
Cine Argentino; Coruva Cine; La Puerta Cinematografica; Breaking Glass Pictures
67 minutes, 2021
https://alief.co.uk/NOCTURNA

While the first film was a bit longer than average, this one is a comparably shorter nearly featurette, at just over an hour. Likewise, this review will be relatively short, as well.

The footage here, broken up into many chapters (as was the main feature). However, there is no narrative. Images are shown that reflect the full story, and are manipulated to look like they are 8mm (or an equivalent), with grain and varying speeds, many in black and white or muted, manipulated colors. In the first chapter, the images were going by so fast, I was getting a bit of motion sickness, and I would skip this part if I were an epileptic, honestly. Or, hide the top part and just read the captions. As with Side A, the captions are incredibly easy to read, being an almost orange color, making it pop out. Also, I find most captions go faster than I can read them, but that rarely happened in either Side.

As for the text meanings, well, honestly again, it was a bit lost on me. It’s philosophical and whimsical, and often I had no idea what they were discussing (yes, I have a Master’s in Communications). This caused me to stop reading and just enjoy the footage as it went by. It feels more like an art instillation than a narrative film.

By modern U.S. standards, Side B would probably be delegated as an extra on a DVD or Blu-ray (especially the latter), which is why it makes sense that both are being released together. It kind of has the feeling of a Making Of featurette, but the footage is unique, albeit shot at the same time as Side A, almost like Outtakes of extra footage. It certainly is a curiosity, but I did find myself getting antsy by the end, but that was most likely due to my confusion than an opinion of the film proper.

IMBD Listing HERE 

Side A trailer:

Side B trailer:

Review: Autumn Road

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

Autumn Road
Directed by Riley Cusick
The Last Motel; Gravitas Ventures
95 minutes, 2021
https://gravitasventures.com/

I am the kinda guy who likes Halloween, whenever it appears. If I were to watch a Halloween-themed film in, say the dog days of summer, it would make no difference and I could like it the same. Also, I am willing to guess that will be true for most of those who are reading this review.

The reason I bring this up is because even though this film is opening just in time for Thanksgiving, it is heavily Halloween based, with its central location a “haunted house” themed deconsecrated church. In the extended prologue that is nearly long enough to be an act, it is run by a man and his two twin teen sons, nice guy Charlie and twisted bro Vincent (played by real twins Ranger and Jonas Lerway), with some help from their friend, Winnie (Maddy-Lea Hendrix). After Winnie goes Poof (no real mystery as to how or why since it is telegraphed and then given away in the prologue, but not on this blog), life is different for everyone.

Riley Cusick

A few years moseying down the road, hot-headed, possibly homicidal Vincent and glasses-wearing so you can tell them apart Charlie (both played by the director, Riley Cusick) still runs the Halloween house. While Vincent gets into fights with guests, Charlie is quick to defend him, though both are protective of each other in their own ways. It is not a healthy situation for either of them. The third character in this study is Laura (Lorelei Linklater), who happens to be Winnie’s older sister by three years. An actress who has not found success but has had some recent heartache, she comes home and gets re-hooked up with our odd brothers, both of whom take a shine to her in their own way. Needless to say, she is full of questions about Winnie.

The main focus of this release is the triangle of Laura, Charlie and Vincent. Along the way there will be some blood shed, some other strange characters – such as a diner regular (George Welder) who reminds me of the evil entity Bob from the original “Twin Peaks” series (1990) – and a situation where something eventually has to give way.

Lorelei Linklater

This is not a typical masked killer slasher, though there is a mask and a body count, but more on the direction of the film later.

The film is filled with long, static shots and lots of conversations, not just snippets of dialogue. Rather than it being in the “here’s some obscurities to show how cool I am,” Tarantino way, the talking is used for character building, which is absent way too often in genre films.

There is a nice use of color palates. Not the garish ones of primary colors that tend to be trendy nowadays (I call it the Creepshow factor), but, for example, in one shot, a character is wearing a mustard yellow colored top, drinking from a mustard yellow beer can, and sitting beside a lamp base that is, yep, mustard yellow. It is actually quite subtle rather than loud. The tone of most of the film is on the dark side, but so is the storyline, which is definitely a slow burn tension builder.

The use of technology for portraying twins is a lot easier now than it was when Cronenberg did Dead Ringers in 1988, where he had to physically cut the negative to make “two” Jeremy Irons. Now the studio magic is all done digitally and quite seamlessly with CGI software like Photoshop. Also, Cusick does really well in differentiating the brothers, and not just with glasses, or different hair styles (Vincent combs it in the middle), but also intensity. For example, much like Wes Bentley’s character in American Beauty (1999), Vincent rarely blinks (as with the owl mask he often dons), giving a subtly layer of unease that many people will not catch, but will still subconsciously feel.

While this is obviously Cusick’s film, both behind and in front of the camera, for his first feature (other than some shorts before this one), he has assembled quite the accomplished cast, though the main focus is on the three main characters. Linklater (who resembles a young Janeane Garofalo) holds her own, though she is on some level in a state of shock through most of the story with PTSD, so her emotional range is reigned in significantly, but is still likeable, despite Laura’s role being over shadowed by der twins.

Maddy-Lea Hendrix

Technically a masked slasher film, but much more of character studies than anything else, its pace may be off-putting for those used to the likes of the Halloween or Friday the 13th franchises where there are a certain number of kills per X minutes, but those of us who like some background and development, even when that precludes any major surprises, this is a well thought-out, put together release, and hopefully just the beginning of Cusick’s feature journey.

 

Review: Painkillers

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019

Images from the Internet

 

                                                               

Painkillers

Directed by Roxy Shih

Kew Media Group / Title Media / Lone Suspect

83 minutes, 2019

https://kewmedia.com/film/catalogue/new/

www.facebook.com/painkillersmovie2019/

 

How deep is your emotional pain? Does it turn into something physical? While this theme was used in David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979), here it takes a deeper, yet also bloody turn.

 

Adam Huss

In the prologue, Misha Barton has “Drew Barrymore” cameo, shared with the great Maria Olsen who steals the scene, of course. After that we get introduced to the main characters, and their issues. After a tragic loss, surgeon John (Adam Huss) has to not only readjust to life with his wife, Chloe (Madeline Zima), but he now finds he is in constant physical pain. Apparently, the only temporary cure for this agony is to drink fresh blood. No, he’s not a vampire in the classic sense, and why blood affects him this way is never really addressed, but it is taken on face value. I’m okay with that, as it’s a genre film.

 

The other two main characters are John’s boss at the hospital, Gail (Debra Wilson, of “MADtv”), and Herb (Grant Bowler), who is in a similar situation as John but has nefarious ends in mind (not hard to figure that out within one minute of his introduction).

 

Madeline Zima

There are two positions that the film posits: first, will John reset his moral compass to obtain the fresh blood needed to ease his pain. As his body shakes in agony, he becomes distant from Chloe, who is also dealing with the same tragedy as John that started the whole blood thing, but she feels like she’s doing it on her own. This second, human emotional touch is different than most genre films, in that it lets the drama be more inclusive to those around the main character, something you don’t see very often.

 

There is some blood and squeamish knife cuttings here and there, but generally, this is more a dramatic story of a man and his family/friends struggling with some of the same issues in both direct and indirect ways. Because of this the pacing is a bit slow, but the tension definitely builds as the film rolls on.

 

One of the smart side-topics is the whole “Dexter” vigilante motif, when discussing the sources of the elixir of life. I can see a bunch of friends getting together after a viewing and having a “what would you do?” conversation about actions taken by the characters, perhaps over a game of Scruples.

 

Debra Wilson

The acting is top notch, with all the leads turning in solid performances, though Bowler’s character is too easy to read too early in the story, even if the means and motivations are not yet present.

 

I would be tempted call this more of a thriller than horror, even with the blood drinking, as it’s easy to substitute the cravings for blood to other addictions, especially in the medical field, and there is some play with that in the story. Again, this is a smart move.

 

Despite the high angst level throughout, there is a feeling of trying to balance a life or lives with a new normal. Taiwanese director Roxy Shih shows compassion for her characters, though I found the ending a bit unrealistic (no spoiler alerts). For only a second feature, she has done an admirable job.

 

 

Review: Wretch

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019

Images from the Internet

Wretch

Written and directed by Brian Cunningham

…ThoughtFly Films

89 minutes, 2018

www.thoughtflyfilms.com/wretch

www.mvdvisual.com

 

Right from the start, this film hits a number of interesting buttons on many fronts, including psychological, paranormal, a creature feature, and a few hikes in the snowy woods around Louisville, KY.

 

Riker Hill, Megan Massie

At a party, we are introduced to the three leads, who have been friends for years. The couple is Abby (Megan Massie) and Caleb (Spencer Korcz), and the third wheel is Riker (Riker Hill), who also obviously has a thing for Abby. They are Millennials who like to drink and drug, and are spiritually holding out for something better, be it between each other or through mind-altering substances. One thing they don’t seem to feel assured of is their sense of self-being. This plays a sharp dynamic in the story.

 

With a slow burn and languid pace, we get to know these three and their conflicts between themselves and each other as they cling to the same old ruts and conflicts they seem to be drowning in, rather than to explore new avenues of change. This is where most of the tension of the film arises, but of course, there is so much more.

 

Spencer Korcz

Each of the three is flawed in their own way, as are we, I suppose. Riker is a “morose drunk” who has anger issues dealing with his unrequited passion for Abby, and living with his mom and sister. For Caleb, well, I don’t want to go into too many details because it would be a spoiler alert, but being faithful is not one of his strong suits. As for Abby, she’s lost and confused, and afraid to make big changes even though it’s pretty obvious the reasons she should.

 

The three spend a night in the woods imbibing on a hallucinogenic substance, and Abby claims to see something in the woods, which may have followed her home. Is it real? Is it in her mind? Is it the drugs? That is the direction the film takes, and brings the viewer along with it.

 

There is a lot of angst in the film, but not necessarily because of killing sprees or copious amounts of gore, but rather digs into the psychology of these three, while still hinting at something more, and if you haven’t been wrecked by the joy-ride pacing of most releases these days and still have the patience to take in what is happening, it’s actually quite well done. Don’t get me wrong, there is sex, blood and violence, but it’s kept somewhat in check by the story (and rightfully so).

 

The acting by the three leads is well done, with much of the strength being with Massie, who is essentially the lynchpin character of the action. This is especially interesting as the film is filled with local Louisville underground theater actors who are relatively unknown outside of their home turf… so far.

 

As for the creature feature aspect, real or not (and I’m not giving any spoilers), it looks pretty cool. We rarely get to see much of it, again for the better, but what we can glean makes on appreciate what makes it the “underground theater scene.”

 

Another stylistic tactic that works for well for the film is that the narrative is not straightforward, but jumps around in its timeline; under Cunningham’s choices and sharp editing, however, the viewer is never lost on where the characters are at any time, even though it seems some wear the same clothes most of it time (gotta love low budgets!).

 

One might consider this a found footage film, but it is quite modified in its approach, which I believe the experience of viewing it benefits. What I mean by that is, yes, there is a lot of handheld cameras by the cast filming the action, which is key to one of the sub-stories, but the single camera is also focused on the trio when they are by themselves, as if someone is filming who is not acknowledged within the story and essentially making the viewer the camera-holder, being in the scene, as it were. This style is way more interesting than just the usual found footage fare. Yes, there is the obligatory walking through the woods with flashlights, but Cunningham avoids the cliché tropes merely by walking in a steady gaze rather than running all akimbo with the damn image bouncing all around. He also keeps it to a few select shots, not to tire us out. Totally appreciated, dude.

 

 

 

 

Review: Hollow Creek

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2018

Images from the Internet

Hollow Creek (aka Haunting in Hollow Creek)

Written, produced, directed by Guisela Moro

Newfoundland Films; First Edge Films;
Cinematic Motion Pictures; FilmRise; MVD Visual

116 minutes, 2016

www.mvdvisual.com

I love it when I get to see a horror film written and directed by a woman; in this case it’s Latina actor Guisela Moro. She takes a number of different subgenres and mashes them into an expansive story that lasts nearly two hours (usually a long time for an indie flick), which I will now discuss without giving away too many details, of course.

Steve Daron and Guisela Moro

We are introduced to married horror writer Blake Blackmore (dashing Steve Daron, who continually has a Sonny Crockett-type 5 o’clock shadow) and his mistress, Angelica (the lovely Moro), as they head out to a cabin retreat in a not largely populated small town in rural West Virginia (hillbilly genre). It seems some young boys have gone missing recently in the area, but our protagonists are more focused on their work and – err – play.

But it’s very shortly into the story (which is why, in part, I bring it up) that other supernatural happenings start to crop up in the house (haunted house genre) that are somewhat subtle to them, but are used well for jump scare type shock value to the audience. There is also the bit about the trio of missing boys and the investigation into finding them (“Criminal Minds”-type genre). They all interplay together well into a comprehensive story with a touch of the supernatural without being overwhelmed by it.

In the first act, the ghostly stuff is well timed because in the beginning there are some dialogue-heavy moments of exposition that drag a bit due to some forced language, such as the over use of the endearing-babble word “babe.” But they are interrupted by those nice scares that livens thing up quite a bit.

Earleen Carey and Alyn Damay

The questions that arose for me were concerning the film’s intentions. Is it a good ghost or a bad ghost? Are the cops the good guys or the bad guys? The only two things that are a given pretty much right from the onset is that Blake and Angie are the side of light, and Leonard (Alyn Darnay) and Margaret Cunnings (Earleen Carey) are the in the dark region. As it’s given away quite early on (and even in the trailer) that it’s the latter, rednecky farm couple who are behind the kidnappings, But again, what are the reasons and intentions for the sinister duo to be carrying out what they are doing? That is part of what kept my interest.

Here is the thing about small towns: they can amazingly rally up behind you, or give a strong cold shoulder if you are (gabba gabba) not one of “them,” meaning if they turn their back on you, it can be isolating. I’ve been through small towns in West Virginia, and other than the Dixie flags a-flyin’, I got along with everyone I met, even as a stranger, but if I had taken an action that was disapproved of by the group by breaking a code of honor, that situation might have turned into something else. When Angie suddenly disappears, Blake gets a taste of this from the locals as he gets blamed for her going poof! in the rainy night in the court of public opinion, thanks to a sensationalist-driven local media (as we were taught, “If it bleeds, it leads”).

When the second act starts, after Angie vanishes from the town (but not from the story), is when the tale really starts to build momentum. While the film centers on the kidnapping story as its core, it manages to not overuse the ghost or hillbilly aspects of it; rather, Moro wisely plies the other two as aspects of the whole story, which actually helps make it stronger. Yeah, there are some gothic cliché’s, such as a child’s baseball mysteriously and nosily dropping down the stairs, which has been a standard ever since The Changeling in 1980; however, the orb is key to the story, so in this case it’s not just a ghostly announcement of presence.

Do I really need to say who this is?

The big cameo, of course, is Burt Reynolds, who shows up for one decent scene with Daron, and a brief one later on. Now, Daron has announced that Reynolds is one of his acting idols, and the writing credits state that Daron is “collaborating writer.” My guess is he wrote the scene with Reynolds, which just consists of the two of them. I will further posit that while the film was shot in West Virginia, the scene with the frail, then 80-year-old Bandit, was filmed in Florida where Reynolds lives. The second scene just shows the back of the heads of the cops, so I’m guessing all his scenes were added in after the principal shooting. I would say that it is a cool thing.

The one big hole to me is that there is a rifle hidden in the closet where Blake is staying. This makes no sense, as the cops think he is responsible for Angie’s disappearance, wouldn’t they have found the rifle in searching the house? It’s not like it was hidden somewhere, it’s right on the shelf at the top of the closet. I’m just going to put it up to a rookie writing mistake, and mosey on.

The cast is really strong here. Both Moro and Daron carry their roles well, Carey plays woundedly cracked just a tad overboard (though her character, well, actually is), and Darnay definitely steals his scenes as the always seething patriarch of the kept clan. He has this way of moving his mouth as a sign of annoyance (you can see it in the trailer) that says so much about Leonard.

Once past the initial “Hey, babe” scenes, the film turns into a really taut, well-written thriller. Even if one edited out all of the supernatural aspects, the tension would still be on high, and that’s great. Having it in, though, is a boost as a way to take it to another level to apprehension. Plus, the way the film was shot, with the effective lighting (including being able to see the action at night) and slower editing, brings a strong and satisfying end result. I look forward to seeing more of Moro’s work as actor, writer and director. Brava.

Review: Night Zero

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

Night Zero

Written and directed by Mark Cantu

Lost Empire; Cineworx; Tredd Productions;//; Dreaming Droids Productions; MVD Visual

81 minutes, 2017

https://www.facebook.com/NIGHT-ZERO-322401744861444/
www.mvdvisual.com

First of all, right off the cudgel let me posit that Night Zero is a great title. For those who don’t know, when the word “zero” follows a noun, it usually means “where the destruction began,” such as the first known to die of AIDS being called “Patient Zero.”

As the prologue shows, there is some kind of explosion that releases a chemical gas – it’s ambiguous by whom – with a toxin that increases the person’s rage, and also takes away all inhibitions. Thereby, the infected becomes extremely angry and violent without the compulsion of socially constructed guilt. One might think from the trailer that this is yet another zombie movie, but rather it’s more insanity with the blood lust, without the need to consume said blood or body parts. Just Me Smash!

Dawnelle Jewell, Monisha B. Schwartz, Katie Maloney

For the meat of the film, we are introduced to three couples who come together to celebrate the moving away of Sophie (Dawnelle Jewell) and Eric (Vincent Bombara) from a small-ish town in Pennsylvania (more on that in a sec) to Boston. Joining them are interracial couple Monica (the fabulously monikered Monisha B. Schwartz) and Danny (Umar Faraz), and the two main protagonists who are on the verge of separation, Nina (Katie Maloney) and CJ (Eric Swader).

For the first 20 minutes or so, we get to hang out with these three pairs, as they talk, argue, talk, argue, celebrate, and then talk some more. For an action film, there is a lot of conversation at the onset, but I have come to believe that when cinema historians look back on the horror genre of this period, they will come to the conclusion that the first 20 minutes of most films is basically lead-up time and exposition.

This all takes place in a burg about 20 miles away from Pittsburgh (actually filmed an hour south of Steel City). Of course, Pittsburgh is a touchstone town for this kind of story as most of the …of the (Living) Deads took place in that area, thanks to the godfather of the modern zombie and violently looney genres, George A. Romero.

There are many film references and hallmarks that are reminiscent of others that came before. Let’s start with the local, mainly being the trapped in the house as the infected try to get in of Night of the Living Dead (1968), and the diseased violence of the Crazies (1973). But here, those effected by the gas can run (though we don’t see much of that), such as in 28 Days Later… (2002). Like 28 Days, neither that nor this is a zombie film per se, but rather both pertain to a disease or infection, and this is certainly closer to 28 Days than to NotLD. There is also the cabin-in-the-woods claustrophobic feel and fear of Cabin Fever (2002), and the last is the slow, inevitability of On the Beach (1959).

Eric Swader and Umar Faraz

Especially once the film gets on its hind legs, there is a lot to like about it. For example, whether you like them or not, the main characters feel like real people; they make good or bad choices, but mostly it feels realistic, such as Monica wanting to go home even though there is extreme danger in the streets and a greater possibility of absorption of the gas. They also turn on each other out of fear, even after years of friendship, which also feels accurate to me. But on a more subtle note, the audience begins to wonder about how much of the anger this group exhibits among itself is the onset of the toxin, or just righteous indignation and anxiety.

What especially impressed me was that while the cast is certainly attractive, they also have more of an everyday look, rather than as if their second jobs are models. For example, while low on role credits in IMDB, Maloney would be more believable to me as Tonya Harding in the new film, I Tonya, than poster queen Margot Robbie (plus, I believe Maloney would do a great job of it).

Writer (and director) Mark Cantu wisely adds two characters later on: a cop (Mike Dargatis) and a scienist (in this case, the ironically named Tom Mirth), who both help with exposition and to be the connection to what is happening beyond the door – which is locked, but never barred, even with all the glass.

Going against the grain, I’m guessing in part due to direction and budget constraints, this is more of a thriller than a gorefest, into which it could easily have waded. There is some violence, and there are spurts of the salty red stuff, but it’s kept at a minimum and is not a key part of the zestiest. It’s more about how the characters interact with each other and their situation that is the locus focus.

For me, the one flaw is that the protagonists are trying to avoid being seen by whomever is out there, yet walk around with flashlights on making themselves targets. Me? I would turn off all the lights to avoid attraction, but they’re swinging the huge torches around, even when not needed, such as waking through the center of town.

Despite the budget and a few of the actors with limited credits, the cast is quite strong and work together well. With a mixture of good writing, editing that isn’t in hyper speed, and a wise use of the unseen (such as being able to hear the screams and sirens from outside without needing to drive the audience into it), Cantu comes up with a film that is subtle and one that becomes more interesting as time passes over its single night.

Review: After

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

After                                      

Directed by Ryan Smith

Seabourne Pictures / Quite Quick Productions / Magnetic Dreams /

M.O. Pictures / MVD Visual

90 minutes, 2012 / 2017

www.facebook.com/aftermovie

www.movisual.com

www.MVDVisual.com

When I first heard the title of this horror thriller, I was honestly a-feared that it might be one of those post-rapture Left Behind dreck kinds of things. Considering our society is being currently run and overrun by people who think the earth only 6000 years old and probably flat not only makes that a real possibility, but also, puh-leeeze. Thankfully, I was wrong, Amen.

The film starts off calmly enough, with two people sitting on a bus, being the only passengers. They only start to get to get introduced to each other (she’s really not into him), though they find out they live a few blocks from each other, when the bus crashes (off-camera).

When she awakes in her own bed, she heads off to work at the hospital and finds she’s the only one there in the entire building. Soon she realizes it’s not just there, but the entire town. She finds the dude, who is apparently in the same situation, so they go searching for answers together.

This may sound familiarly like the 1964 “The Twilight Zone” episode written by Earl Hammer Jr., “Stopover in a Quiet Town,” but that is where the similarity ends. Luckily, Jason Parish and director Ryan Smith’s story takes a different tack from that episode into something pretty unique, albeit familiar, as it does seem more like something Stephen King might take to write in about 800 pages.

While searching through their small town, secrets of their past will come to light, giving clues to how to possibly get out of the situation. They do figure out pretty quickly what is the outcome of the mystery, but not the how to beyond it. That’s what the plot is for, of course.

George (Steven Strait) is a film projectionist who draws comic books on the side, which he has done from his youth. Ana (Karolina Wydra, from “True Blood” and “House”; her look reminds me a bit of Andrea Marcovicci) is a nurse who dreams of being a fantasy writer. Well, first of all, that makes a strong combination if they pitch their tents together going forward. I know a writer who recently married a comic artist (Hey, JD and Kris!), and their co-work is phenomenal. But I digress…

As their bodies flash back to a time when they were children in the same town of Pearl, they watch themselves on the same day of consequential events, and try and figure out the clues. Meanwhile, the town is surrounded by a wall of smoke that starts to tighten its grasp, giving them just a few days to work it all out.

When they are in the present with the clouds looming, the film has a blue-hued, drab, colorless look to it. When they have moments in the past, viewing themselves, friends and relations (especially her aunt, played by character actor Sandra Lafferty, who you will probably recognize from The Hunger Games or the Johnny Cash bio-pic Walk the Line), the colors are bright. This reminds me a bit of the Richard Matheson 1988 novel, What Dreams May Come, where Purgatory is similarly gray.

Filmed in a few towns, all with two hours of Birmingham, it makes sense that this would be hellish. Okay, that’s kind of an inside joke as one of my best friends just moved to that state from Brooklyn; I really don’t have an opinion.

There is a strong fantasy element running throughout the picture, even beyond the mysterious flashbacks and literal encircling black cloud hanging over them. The two examples I’ll share is a magical wooden door just outside the evil cloud ring with a key that needs to be found, to a smoke monster that longs to kill the two that is on a chain that’s half a mile long before, they figure out how to get in the doorway.

                                                                                                                      

Let’s get a bit to the nitty gritty of it. The smoke monster, as it roams around the city hunting them, looks kinda cool but definitely has a digital effect to its movement. That being said, when shown in close-up, it’s great. There isn’t much blood throughout (i.e., less then you’d see in a typical television crime drama), but that’s okay because this is more story-oriented.

Being story-driven rather than effects-focused (not that there aren’t SFX, such as the cloud and monster) was a smart move. This brings the person-ability of the two characters more to the forefront, making us care about them. After (no pun intended) seeing so many films filled with blood and guts in graphic detail, it’s nice to see one that is more simplistic in its approach, relying more on what is happening than how it is happening, if that makes any sense.

Except for some trailers to other films (not this one), there are no extras, but I do have one question, and one complaint (what can I tell ya, I’m crotchety). First, the question: what happened to the bus driver after the accident, who is never seen nor mentioned later? It would have been cool if he was the smoke monster, but that’s never really put out there. The complaint is that the incidental music by Tyler Smith is just way too overwrought and emotional Lifetime Television sappy orchestration.

This film was a bit of a eye-opener to me. I didn’t know what to expect from the name or cover, but it certainly came as a pleasant and enjoyable surprise. And there is a bit after the credits, for those who watch those things, as I do.