REDD INC (2012) Review

Directed by: Daniel Krige

Starring: Nicholas Hope, Kelly Paterniti, Sam Reid

Thomas Reddman (Hope) was a convicted serial killer known as the Head Hunter who was sentenced to life in a psychiatric hospital. As we learn at the start of the film, the hospital has burned down and Reddman was killed, his body identified through DNA testing. Case closed. Or is it?

Annabelle Hale (Paterniti) is an online cam stripper who was a key eyewitness in the case of Thomas Reddman. She is abducted from her apartment one night and awakens to find herself seated at (and chained to) a desk in a room with a group of others. It turns out that everybody in the room was involved in the Reddman case in some way and all contributed to his conviction. Then in walks Redd himself.

The impossibly alive killer reveals himself to be their ‘Regional Manager’ and proclaims himself to be an innocent man. He then tasks them with finding the real killer by going through the relevant court documents. The catch? Any act of insubordination or any slacking off will earn them a ‘strike’ in the form of a cut on their forehead. Five strikes and they’re out. But will they find the real killer or will they all fall victim to the boss from hell?

REDD INC starts off in some not so original territory with the abduction by a masked intruder and the subsequent waking up trapped in a room being heavily reminiscent of the SAW franchise. But from there on it’s a pretty unique concept with some nice death scenes and a suitably strange performance by Nicholas Hope as the deranged Redd. With the effects being supervised by gore maestro Tom Savini (who also has a cameo) you know that there is going to be some decent blood and guts and plenty of it.
There’s enough slicing, dicing, amputation, eye gouging, stabbing and more to keep you entertained and it’s all surprisingly well done considering the film’s low budget.

There are also some genuinely funny moments to be had here like when Annabelle uses a severed leg as a weapon, swinging it like a fleshy baseball bat (at least I found it funny). Throwing in the extra sub-plot of the infamous hospital Redd was sent to and its not quite legal surgical experiments gives the film an added twist as you have to decide whether Redd really is innocent or whether the surgical scars on his head are a sign that he’s just a deluded, psychotic killer.

In my opinion the least impressive aspect of the film is the fact that although it starts off with a nice original flavor it doesn't take long to figure out where the film is headed, and beyond the unique setting and somewhat original premise there isn't really anything here that you could call innovative or groundbreaking. One other thing that irked me was that in a similar style to DAYBREAKERS, this Aussie indie horror has masked its nationality and appears as a very American film with American accents which I think is a shame. Nothing against Americans I just don’t see why an Australian production should feel the need to hide its nationality like that.

But with those few minor problems out of the way I actually found REDD INC to be quite an entertaining film and while it’s nothing I would call fantastic it’s most certainly not terrible. And as averse to the horror / comedy hybrid as I usually am this film gave me a few chuckles which was a nice surprise. Still it had plenty of room for improvement so I'm giving it five severed heads out of ten.

THE ABCs OF DEATH (2012) Review

Directed by: All of these people

Starring: All of These people

26 directors from around the world. 26 letters of the alphabet. 26 different short films. When I first heard about this it sounded to me like a simultaneously good and bad idea. Good because in general I'm usually a fan of anthologies but bad because having such an array of different directors means that every segment will be different and therefore not to everybody’s liking. For example fans of Ti West aren't necessarily going to be into the more bizarre style of Noboru Iguchi. But by the time the credits rolled I think I can at least say that I had been thoroughly entertained even if I didn't enjoy every segment.

The concept for this anthology is simple. Each director was given a certain letter of the alphabet, a 3 or 4 minute time limit and the theme of death. Aside from those constraints they were given complete freedom in what story they wanted to tell and how they wanted to tell it. This resulted in 26 distinctly different shorts ranging from regular live action clips to 2D animation and even stop motion. There’s nudity, sex, violence, surgery, masturbation, torture, comedy and just about everything else you’d expect from such an eclectic range of directors. But while this variety is one of the film’s strengths it is also its weakness. 

The biggest problem for me was that since this anthology revolves around the use of the alphabet and therefore they are all shown in alphabetical order, there is no real balance. You might get a few blood drenched segments followed by an over the top CGI filled clip and then there might be a few slow segments before it starts to get interesting again. A good example would be the crazy fucked up acid trip of “W Is For WTF” followed directly thereafter by the more serious “X Is For XXL” which rather than being just a short film also has a message behind it. The alphabet idea is a novel one but I almost think this would have worked better if they’d ditched it.

The full anthology runs for around 2 hours and I would say that I enjoyed about half of the shorts on offer. So basically I got a solid hour of entertainment out of this which is not bad at all. I can’t really go into any of the clips too much because their short running times make it difficult not to spoil them but I will however list a few of my favorite segments that I think are well worth checking out.

“D Is For Dogfight” was perhaps my favorite of the lot. It looked really clean and crisp and the whole short is shown in slow motion which worked exceedingly well. 
“S Is For Speed” I thought was quite a clever and well done visual metaphor for drug abuse. 
“X Is For XXL” was a nice gruesome clip with a serious and no so subtle message behind it. 
“O Is For Orgasm” – I'm not so sure that I enjoyed this one that much but it looked really fucking cool.
And there are others of course but the less I say about them the more you'll probably enjoy them.

But for every good short it seemed that there was an equally bad or at least disappointing one. Some didn't seem to fit properly into such a short running time, others just didn't make sense at all and some were just plain shit. And if you’re not familiar with Japanese films and directors like Noboru Iguchi then you are just going to think that the few Japanese shorts here are plain fucking bizarre.

THE ABCs OF DEATH is a hard film to recommend. If you’re a fan of anthologies like I am then definitely go and see it because it is essentially the ultimate anthology. If you’re not so much a fan of anthologies or of short films (uber short films in this case) then obviously you'll want to stay away. But if you don’t really care either way about them and if you have an open mind when it comes to different directors and styles then I say go for it. Even if you only enjoy a quarter of the clips on offer that’s still a good half hour of entertainment, and who knows? Maybe you'll discover some talent out there you've never heard of before.

At its worst THE ABCs OF DEATH is an eclectic collection of hits and misses that isn't going to satisfy everybody. At its best it is a delightfully varied sampler of the wide array of talent we have out there in the horror genre. In fact it’s kind of like those Whitman’s sampler chocolate boxes. There’s plenty of good stuff in there but every now and then you bite into one that doesn't taste too good.

INBRED (2012) Review

Directed by: Alex Chandon

Starring: Jo Hartley, James Doherty, Chris Waller

A movie titled INBRED. Pretty predictable isn't it? A bunch of city kids find themselves stalked by inbred rednecks somewhere in the deep south of the US right? Wrong. In fact this particular film takes place in the UK, which is something that intrigued me right away. What are English backwoods inbreds like? Do they drink tea and eat scones? Who the fuck knows, the best thing to do here is jump right into the movie and see what happens.

Kate (Hartley) and Jeff (Doherty) are driving a quartet of troubled youths through the English countryside, heading to a small town. This retreat is supposed to be some sort of project to help the four kids. Somehow. But that’s not important. What’s important is that after arriving at their run-down shithole of a vacation house they put all of their mobile phones in a bag and leave them behind (great idea guys!) then decide to take a trip to the local pub. As soon as they open the door and step inside all eyes are upon them. These eyes happen to belong to a throng of greasy, dirty, stringy-haired fellows with bad teeth and an appearance that suggests they are all each other’s brothers, uncles and sons. In fact only the barkeeper seems to be a normal, friendly guy. He even makes the group of newcomers a fresh batch of lemonade. Sure it tastes like warm piss but hey, what are you gonna do? At least it was free. He even sells them some homemade snacks which look suspiciously like shrivelled up, hairy pieces of person. What a nice guy.

The city folk head out to an old abandoned train yard for what I assume is supposed to be some sort of fun, team-building scavenger hunt. However Dwight (Waller) (the douche bag of the group) manages to turn it into a ‘let’s smash the absolute fuck out of everything’ activity. Two of the other youths have a run in with a pair of backwoods freaks before the others come to intervene. Unfortunately while trying to be a tough motherfucker Jeff falls and cuts his leg open on a big chunk of steel. Blood everywhere.
Back at the pub they ask somebody to call an ambulance, and this is the point where everything turns to shit.

So I suppose apart from the setting it is pretty predictable, until we get to the killing that is. Although the English villains are just as sinister as their American counterparts, these enterprising British inbreds aren't just intent on making their victims squeal like piggies or carving them up for their dinner. No, they have decided to make a spectacle of it. The whole town turns up to watch. It’s a fucking hit. Even the nice barkeeper gets involved, blackfacing himself up and putting on a spiffy red jacket like a circus ringleader. Then he announces the main attractions, which I won’t reveal. Let’s just say that they involve vegetables, animals and other things.
Speaking of killing though we should talk about the gore and effects. First of all there is plenty of the red stuff and some good looking practical effects. But there is also quite a bit of CGI that I found a little distracting. Overall though it’s not too bad. Some of the death scenes are quite unique too.

So I guess in the end INBRED isn't as predictable as you might first expect. There isn't anything groundbreaking brought to the table but there are enough fresh touches to keep you interested. And more importantly it’s a fun movie. I particularly liked the attitude of the inbreds themselves. Rather than sprinting through the woods in hot pursuit of their victims they take a more care-free approach, skipping along singing old folky songs and leaving the escapees to the mercy of their booby-traps. It’s a shame about the CGI but at least they haven’t gone completely overboard with it and had the good sense to use it in collaboration with some good old practical stuff. And as far as backwoods inbred movies go it’s a hell of a lot better than what that piece of shit WRONG TURN franchise has turned into. If you see one British, backwoods inbred film this year make sure it is INBRED.

AMERICAN MARY (2012) Review

Directed by: Jen & Sylvia Soska

Starring: Katherine Isabelle, Antonio Cupo, Tristan Risk

After arriving at Monster Fest’s closing night and watching Isabel Peppard’s beautifully crafted stop motion short BUTTERFLIES, Monster Pictures’ Neil Foley assured the audience that the next film to screen would be unlike anything we’d seen before. I have a habit of not taking these types of claims too serious because more often than not they turn out to be complete bullshit. However in this instance I’m glad to say that Neil was right on the money because AMERICAN MARY turned out to be not only an incredibly unique and unconventional horror movie but also easily one of my favorite films of the year.

AMERICAN MARY is the latest feature from Canadian directors Jen & Sylvia Soska who broke onto the scene a few years back with their incredible indie film DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK which has since become a firm favorite for genre fans. But as good as that movie was AMERICAN MARY is such a huge step up in almost every way. I’ll go over the plot and then get to the rest of what makes this film so brilliant.

Mary Mason (Isabelle) is a young woman making her way through medical school with hopes of being a surgeon. She is doing well with her schooling but finds herself in financial trouble so applies for a job at a seedy club in a bid to make some fast cash. Midway through her interview there’s some trouble and the club owner invites her downstairs to do some impromptu surgery. At first she resists but eventually succumbs to the temptation of five thousand dollars cash in hand. This backroom surgery opens a door to Mary through which she discovers the hidden world of extreme body modification.

As much as the plot might suggest otherwise, AMERICAN MARY does not dwell too heavily on gore. That's not to say there isn't plenty of up close and explicitly graphic scenes, but the Soska sisters know when to hold back so that the main focus is upon Mary and her story'. A story which not only includes some extreme body modification but also a rape & revenge thread and a police investigation and so much more. AMERICAN MARY is indeed an intricate and multi-faceted film but not so much that it becomes too difficult to follow or enjoy.

One of the most interesting and pleasant aspects of the film is the way that the body modification culture is treated with dignity and respect rather than revulsion and unfair judgement, indeed one of the messages the film seems to convey is the idea that people could be accepted and accept themselves for who they are. And this doesn't just apply to her patients but to Mary herself who while she may not have the most stable and conventional lifestyle seems to embrace her new-found identity.

Technically AMERICAN MARY is easily one of the more impressive movies I have seen all year and in particular with regards to its use of cinematography and lighting to create atmosphere. The make-up and practical effects are also top notch thanks to the award winning efforts of Masters FX. And of course I cannot fail to mention Katherine Isabelle's acting which was even more impressive than I would have expected, now there's an actress who deserves a lot more recognition.

Put simply I have not seen a genre film (or film of any kind) in years which I have found this impressive, enjoyable and original and especially with it being only the second feature from a pair of film-makers. The Soska sisters are definitely a pair to look out for in the future and AMERICAN MARY is in my opinion a must see film for genre fans.

TRUTH OR DARE (2012) Review

Directed by: Robert Heath

Starring: Jennie Jacques, David Oakes, Jack Gordon

I wasn't expecting much from TRUTH OR DARE (aka TRUTH OR DIE) to be honest, it started out like countless other teen revenge slashers and so I expected a fairly predictable and generic film. But thankfully by sticking with the movie right to the end I was treated to something which was actually quite original and overall very well crafted.

As I said TRUTH OR DARE starts out like so many other movies at a party where the creepy loser is humiliated by the popular kids. In this case the creepy loser is Felix and he is humiliated while playing a game of Truth or Dare. When asked which girl he has a crush on he points out the cute girl Gemma and her boyfriend gets all macho and beats Felix up.
Months later five of the kids who were present at the party are invited to a birthday party at Felix's house. Gemma, Chris, Luke, Paul and Eleanor arrive to find out from Felix's older brother Justin that his flight was cancelled and he wouldn't be attending, but they are all welcome to stay the night anyway. They start drinking and eventually get into a game of Truth or Dare in which Justin tells them that he lied about Felix. Felix didn't get stuck overseas due to a cancelled flight, he hung himself. After this revelation Justin tells everybody that he connected them to Felix's suicide and in fact invited them all so that he could find out who is responsible for the death of his brother, by any means necessary.

One of the things that came as a pleasant surprise to me was the level of acting here. David Oakes’ portrayal of the psychotic Justin was great, as was Jennie Jacques as Eleanor. They were definitely the standouts for me but the rest of the cast also did a great job.

There is a point at which it seems that TRUTH OR DARE is going to descend into the dark depths of what a lot of people would call ‘torture porn’ (I’ve always hated that term) but thankfully it doesn’t quite go that far. There is torture involved but it is mostly psychological as Justin continues using the Truth or Dare concept to try and make the friends turn on each other. That’s not to say that there isn’t also some physical torture thrown in for good measure, and the ‘acid test’ is a sadistically original idea that’s a lot more sophisticated than just pulling fingernails or busting kneecaps.

Unfortunately since all of the characters are equally annoying (they all seem to be either assholes or whining bitches) it didn’t really bother me which of them lived or died, in fact if they had all died I couldn’t have cared less. It would have been nice if there were somebody I could have found myself rooting for but in the end none of the characters were likeable enough.

FATHER'S DAY (2012) Review

Directed by: Astron-6

Starring: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney

I’d been looking forward to watching FATHER’S DAY ever since I saw the kickass poster art. I’ll admit I was a little worried when I saw the Troma name attached to it but I decided to give it a chance anyway. Turns out that was the right choice because not only is FATHER’S DAY an awesome movie, but I’d even go a step further and say that it is one of the best films I’ve seen, period. The guys at Astron-6 have done an amazing job with this film and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more from them soon.

Chris Fuchman (or just simply ‘the Fuchman as he’s known) was a prolific rapist, murder and cannibal who preyed exclusively on fathers. His reign of terror was thought to be over but it seems that the Fuchman is back and no father is safe. Twink (Sweeney) is a young male whore who has experienced the terror of the Fuchman when he watched his own father being burned alive in front of him. He’s a person of interest to the police because of his past but he is out to prove his innocence. He runs into a priest (Kennedy) who tries to help Twink via God, but instead they end up trying to find The Fuchman. Father Sullivan is told he needs to seek out a mysterious man named Ahab (Brooks) who is their only chance to defeat the Fuchman for good. Ahab's own father was killed by The Fuchman many years ago and during the attack he himself lost an eye. Father Sullivan finally recruits a reluctant Ahab and then this trio decide to work together to rid the world of the terrible Fuchman. Ahab’s estranged sister Chelsea becomes involved and eventually things just get weirder as they discover that the Fuchman is no ordinary man.

Make no mistake, FATHER’S DAY is no slick big-budget Hollywood production, but it is one hell of a ride and one of the most entertaining pieces of cinema I have seen in years. It has a bit of everything, murder, rape, torture, incest, suicide, buckets of blood all blended with some fantastic humor. This movie is hilarious. It is absolutely absurd but somehow it works because FATHER’S DAY embraces this absurdity and runs with it. To give you an idea there is one scene where Ahab and friends need to sneak past a police detective, so they dress up in women’s clothes and wigs and just stroll right past him. Not only is Ahab sporting a nice thick beard but he also has a picture of an eye taped to his eye-patch. It might sound ridiculous and it is, but somehow it just works. Oh and keep an eye out for the random clip of a bear just thrown in there for seemingly no reason.

Astron-6 has done such a great job with such a small budget and they've thrown in something for everybody. Enough gore for any gorehound out there, plenty of action and humor and also a kickass retro synth soundtrack. The acting won't win any awards but it really doesn't matter. The way the characters play off each other is perfect. And FATHER'S DAY is one of the few modern movies which has successfully pulled off that old school grindhouse style. Very highly recommended.

ASYLUM BLACKOUT (2012) Review

Directed by: Alexandre Courtes

Starring: Rupert Evans, Dave Legeno, Richard Brake

George (Evans) and his friends are wannabe rockstars. They work in the kitchen of an asylum to scrape together enough money to buy themselves some studio time. Unfortunately while working at said asylum one night, a storm rolls in and knocks out the power. Along with a few orderlies they find themselves in the dark and surrounded by patients who need to be taken back to their rooms until the power is up and running. While escorting the patients to their rooms some major shit goes down and they soon find themselves trapped in an asylum with a horde of violent patients. Not good.

I've always found movies involving crazy people to be a bit lazy. Ridiculous plot points which seemingly happen for no reason can simply be explained by saying "well they're crazy, so anything can happen"

There are a few such moments in ASYLUM BLACKOUT but for the most part it is actually not too bad a film. The first half hour or so helps us to get to know George and his aspiring musician friends as they work their day jobs in the kitchen as well as spending time in the studio and playing gigs. Personally I really couldn't give a single fuck about George and his struggling musical career and I thought this half hour was too long and unnecessary. But when the lights go out and the crazies take over things get much more interesting indeed.
And unfortunately for our musician friends this movie is set in the 80s. No cell phones here.

With the asylum blackout underway and the patients running free, there is plenty of tension, claustrophobia and terror as George and friends try to keep themselves safe. Unfortunately all of this gathered tension is basically flushed right down the toilet once the movie degenerates into gore and torture. Don't get me wrong, I love me some gore but I just don't think this movie should have gone down that path. But even the gore and death scenes are pretty tame compared to a lot of other movies so even gorehounds will likely be disappointed here. Basically the film had two choices; either keep up with the tension or ramp up the gore, but it did neither.

The good news is that ASYLUM BLACKOUT looks great and creates a chilling atmosphere. The darkened corridors lined with half open cell doors are super creepy and the insane screaming and laughing from the patients is downright disturbing. The acting is also solid but the writing is unfortunately not so good.
There is no doubt that you can easily sit down and enjoy ASYLUM BLACKOUT, but it's just disappointing because it could have been so much more.

HANGER (2009) Review

Directed by: Ryan Nicholson

Starring: Dan Ellis, Nathan Dashwood, Ronald Patrick Thompson

For the second time in as many weeks I've been subjected to a film by Ryan Nicholson and I have to say that I'm developing quite a soft spot for them. His no holds barred violence and gore approach is something you don't see in enough movies these days. However whereas GUTTERBALLS (full review here) was a really enjoyable and over-the-top romp, HANGER seemed to be lacking a certain something.

HANGER follows the familiar theme of revenge but in quite a unique and fucked up way. A prostitute named  Rose finds herself knocked up and her pimp Leroy (Thompson) is none too happy about it. After he slaps her around a bit he decides to perform an abortion using none other than a coat hanger. In the process Rose dies and Leroy disposes of the child by wrapping it in plastic and throwing it in a dumpster where a homeless man finds it and raises it. 18 years later we meet the grown up Hanger (Dashwood) and he is introduced to 'The John' (Ellis) who turns out to be his father and the only man who ever really cared for Rose. Together they exact a plan for bloody revenge against pimp Leroy.

There's a whole bunch of other shit which happens in between and along the way we meet some interesting characters including Russell (who has a disturbing used-tampon fetish) and Nicole (who enjoys pleasuring herself in the confines of her office) and of course the horny, perverted freak Phil.

Unfortunately I didn't find HANGER as enjoyable as GUTTERBALLS and I think it was mostly due to the story which at times seemed to get sidelined by a lot of unnecessary gay jokes and meaningless subplot. I also found the character Nicole to be weak and there didn't seem to be much point to her inclusion other than an excuse to throw in some pornographic scenes. I'm not really complaining about the porn, but I do think her character could have been made a bit more substantial.

The make-up and effects are top notch however (courtesy of Life to Death FX) and they did a great job with everything from gross, oozing fluids to wounds and prosthetics (although speaking of prosthetics, I'm still not quite sure why half of the cast needed such heavy facial sculpting). The gross factor has really been turned up here too and viewers will be subjected to an insanely graphic abortion scene, a foul rape scene, death by tampon (yes you read that correctly) and plenty of blood and guts - enough for anybody with a weak stomach to lose their lunch.

THE BUNNY GAME (2012) Review

Directed by: Adam Rehmeier

Starring: Rodleen Getsic, Jeff Renfro

THE BUNNY GAME is one of those movies I actively hunted down solely because of its reputation; it has been described as downright depraved and was refused classification by the BBFC. Other movies in similar circumstances (THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE II for example) have invariably disappointed me because none of them seem to live up to the hype. THE BUNNY GAME however sets itself apart from these films by presenting an extreme sense of realism, from the non-simulated oral sex scene at the beginning to the use of a branding iron and other devices.

THE BUNNY GAME has the simplest of plots (if you can even call it that) which has a prostitute being abducted by a truck driver and then subjected to both physical and psychological abuse in the back of his truck for days on end. That's it. There's nothing close to character development in fact all we really know is that this prostitute is a sad, filthy whore who sucks dick for whatever scraps of cash and drugs she can get her dirty little hands on, and the truck driver is some kind of sadomasochistic nutball with plenty of spare time on his hands.
Despite the little to no story, the minimal dialogue and complete lack of character development, I found myself becoming mesmerized by this film. Being shot in stark black and white was probably the right decision as I can imagine a lot of impact being lost were it filmed in conventional color. The editing is a rollercoaster ride as well with a lot of long shots where basically nothing happens followed by a sudden barrage of rapid, epilepsy-inducing imagery accompanied by some fast and heavy music.

It's obvious that the actors (especially Rodleen Getsic) have put their all into this film, with a lot of full frontal nudity, restrictive locations and physical abuse. Jeff Renfro's portrayal of 'The Hog' brings to life one of the nastiest fuckers I've seen on screen, and Getsic gives a very passionate performance as 'The Bunny'.

With the grayscale visuals and the experimental editing THE BUNNY GAME comes across as almost an arthouse flick and a very gritty one at that, but it is a great way to bring across the disturbed and drug-fuelled content of the film. If there's one main downside to this film it definitely has to be the overuse of long shots where nothing happens and the running time of 76 minutes. I can't help but feel that this would have worked better as a shorter film but as it currently is it just seemed to drag on a bit too long. Another complaint I personally have is that I think I would have enjoyed this more if there had been a slightly more substantial plot or at least some kind of conclusive ending. The ending given almost makes the movie seem pointless as there is no real sense of closure of finality.

For casual horror fans I wouldn't recommend this, you'll probably find it either repellent or boring or just plain stupid. For fans of extreme and experimental cinema or just those looking for something a little different though, you may just find a special place in your heart for this unique film. It may be lacking in the plot department but the performances are great and it definitely pushes the boundaries when it comes to realism.

THE DIVIDE (2012) Review

Directed by: Xavier Gens

Starring: Michael Biehn, Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia

Many movies have taught us that when you take a group of people and lock them all together in a confined space, bad things happen. Such is the premise of THE DIVIDE, a movie which follows a group of survivors who have taken refuge in the basement of their apartment complex after a nuclear attack on New York City. With the deadly levels of radiation outside their bunker these people will need to stay inside for a long time, but eventually of course they start to clash and disagreements quickly turn to violence. As the tagline says “The lucky ones dies in the blast”

THE DIVIDE starts with a bang, literally. A nuclear attack is underway and although we don’t really see a lot of it, it’s pretty obvious what with all of the people running for their lives and everything. Through all of the jostling and running and screaming we follow a relatively small group of people rushing through a heavy steel door which then slams shut behind them and suddenly it all goes quiet and dark. Somebody hits the lights and these survivors get their first glimpse at the place they will be calling home for a long time. For some it may even turn out to be their tomb. A few nerve rattling aftershocks later and we are introduced to the characters we will be spending the next 2 hours with.

Mickey (Biehn) is the apartment super and this basement is his territory, an underground complex he has turned into a fallout shelter for when the ‘rag-heads’ attack. He’s a gruff don’t-take-no-shit-from-nobody type of guy and it’s from him that we get the lowdown on the situation. He explains how they may not be able to venture outside for a long time, but stops short of saying just how long that may be. Along with Mickey there are Eva and Sam a couple with a fractured relationship, a woman named Marylin and her young daughter, two brothers Josh and Adrien and a friend Bobby and finally Delvin who seems to be the token black guy. Mickey instantly clashes with Josh and Bobby who turn out to be the stereotypical nobody-tells-me-what-the-fuck-to-do young idiot males. They ignore his warnings and proceed to try and open the door but back off when Mickey pulls an axe on them.

After things finally settle down and everybody seems to be aware of the gravity of their situation something unexpected happens. There’s a knock at the door. A knock at the door? After a nuclear blast? Yes that’s right. The door is torched open and in step a bunch of soldiers wearing radiation suits and carrying some heavy weaponry. But is this a rescue crew or a clean-up squad? That question is swiftly answered as they abduct the young girl and then bullets start flying. The shit has most definitely hit the fan.

It’s pretty predictable by this point that things are just going to go from bad to worse. Arguments make way for violence, questioning turns into torture, sexual appetites rear their ugly heads, radiation sickness sets in and it’s unclear just how many people are going to make it out alive.

Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first. THE DIVIDE is most definitely not an original concept, it’s also predictable and full of characters who make stupid decisions. The acting in parts is below par and the nature of the confined space means that shooting locations are limited. Despite all this however, I really enjoyed this movie. With not much in the way of a plot this is definitely a character driven film, and this is where the movie pulls you in. Even though half of the characters seem like assholes or idiots who you just wish would die, it is really entertaining watching them interact especially after they all start turning on each other. Some of their transformations are terrifying (see accompanying images for examples).
And when the action starts it doesn’t let up until the end. You may think that spending two hours in this claustrophobic setting would become boring but somehow it manages to do just the opposite. The suitably dim and dank subterranean surroundings make for some panicky scenes especially when gunfire is thrown into the mix. And the knowledge that they are all basically rats in a trap is always present.

I mentioned below par acting earlier but thankfully this is the exception rather than the rule and for the most part everybody does a great job, Michael Biehn especially. Things get rather brutal and depraved during the course of the film and may be a little too much for some people, especially if you find yourself sensitive to scenes of torture or rape.
But otherwise THE DIVIDE is a pretty solid action packed movie. Xavier Gens has taken a well used idea and given it new life by filling it to the brim with depravity, brutality, doom and gloom. Well worth a watch.

URBAN EXPLORER (2011) Review

Directed by:Andy Fetscher

Starring: Nathalie Kelley, Nick Eversman, Klaus Stiglmeier

Urban Exploration seems to me like the perfect subject for a horror film. The whole point of it is to venture into dark, isolated, out of the way places where few people ever go. I'm actually a little surprised that I've never seen a horror film using this theme until now. Taking this subject ensures some perfect horror ingredients, darkness, claustrophobia, disorientation and the unknown. But is that enough to create a good, solid horror movie?

Denis (Eversman) and his girlfriend Lucia (Kelley) have organized a little subterranean tour of Berlin's mysterious underground. They meet up with another two explorers Marie and Juna and their German guide Kris who leads them through a nightclub and then deep down underground. Their destination is an old walled-off Nazi bunker, and the trip should take them about two hours there and another two hours back. Simple right? However the trip is anything but uneventful and they soon find themselves fighting for their lives as a subterranean psychopath stalks them relentlessly. Will they ever see daylight again?

The movie starts off rather slowly, the characters all meeting each other at a designated spot before being led underground by their guide. When they finally find themselves deep down in the darkness Kris leads them on, pointing out features as they go. Although the going is rather slow, this gives the film a great chance to set the mood and show off some great shots of the surroundings. The underground location is actually one of my favorite parts of the movie. The low light, torch beams, rubbish strewn everywhere, water dripping down long tunnels all come together to create a somehow beautiful experience but at the same time you also have a feeling of impending doom. I will admit however that some of these huge caverns look like they might just be factories or warehouses filmed late at night, they just seem a little too big and intricate and they seem to vary quite a bit.

So visually the film is excellent, but what about the rest? Well I thought the characters were quite well written and I think that it was a smart move to make them (apart from Denis and Lucia) people who have all just met for the first time. It's a good way to make sure that relationships don't get in the way too much. Surprisingly for the most part they don't make too many stupid decisions either, although the movie does have it's fair share such as Marie deciding to point her camera right at Kris's face and take a flash photo while he is trying to navigate a narrow beam across a dangerously deep shaft. 

I thought the killer was really well written and cast too and he actually reminded me a lot of the Aussie madman Mick Taylor from WOLF CREEK. In fact the whole movie (apart from the setting) was reminiscent of that film. Not that that's a bad thing.

I should also mention the effects too, which seemed to be all practical and by the end there is quite a bit of gore and blood without going over the top.

Storywise it's pretty simple and there aren't a whole lot of needless subplots to get in the way. The pacing was a bit inconsistent in areas though, and this 90 minute movie seemed to me a lot longer because of it. I also had a bit of a problem with the ending. There was a point where I thought it could have ended, but it didn't. It dragged on for a little longer and I really thought the last few scenes could have been left out. Also there were a few scenes which seemed a little unbelievable or illogical. But apart from those few problems I actually enjoyed URBAN EXPLORER and I recommend it to anybody who hasn't yet seen it.