FMWL Indie Spotlight - The Lashman

(2014, Dir. by Cameron McCasland.)

Review by The Mike.

One of my most common complaints with "retro" genre films - films like Grindhouse and Machete and dozens of low budget imitators - is that the pace is updated for modern audiences. Of course, there's an audience for fast-paced splatterfests out there, but I'm always appreciative of the filmmakers who pay homage to the past without forgetting that most genre films from the '70s and '80s didn't move at breakneck speeds.

One example of this is The Lashman, Cameron McCasland's debut slasher throwback in which some friends head off for a weekend at a cabin only to find that the angry spirit of a lash-wielding fella from the 1800s is at work in the woods. It's a simple kind of horror film - five friends, no civilization, a deadly legend come to life - but it's also an authentic reminder of the things we love about this kind of film.

(Now that I think about it, should I be dropping the s and just calling this a "lasher film"? I do love being accurate, and it would probably be a great poster quote if I said it's "The first great Lasher film!", but that's just too confusing for me. Excuse me if I continue to say "slasher" despite the film's lashing nature.)

The first thing you'll notice about McCasland's film is probably that it looks like something you'd find on a VHS tape in the 1980s. For the most part, the clothes, cars and settings look like something out of Just Before Dawn or The Burning. The film's sound design is also intentionally low-tech, and younger viewers might not understand that this is how some movies used to sound when they were made on the cheap. It's obviously a zero budget film, but the attention to detail in making the film feel dated is one of the things that made me interested in The Lashman from the opening scenes.

The characters are not original for a slasher movie - sensitive guy (David Vaughn), nice girl (Stacey Dixon), lustful couple who make immoral decisions (Jeremy Jones & Kaylee Williams), nice girl's brother who doesn't fit in (Shawn C. Phillips)- but the actors all seem to know what their place is in the script and fit it well. Jones is especially effective as the aggressive member of the group who drinks too much and thinks with the wrong head, while Vaughn, Phillips, and Dixon have no problems fitting into the film. Williams' character is probably the most interesting of the bunch because she's written as something of a wild-card who brings sexual tension to the group. The character is a nice addition to the otherwise paint-by-numbers set up, but none of the actors or characters is bound to be the most memorable thing about the film.

I worry that many people may find The Lashman's pace to be concerning - after the opening sequence establishes the villain it's a long stretch of time before blood flies again - but the slow build to madness is what won me over about this film. Patience pays off for McCasland, because the focus on these characters, the story of the Lashman, and the building tension in both their relationships and the setting is what makes The Lashman feel more like those early '80s slasher films that many of us love despite their flaws. Have you seen these tricks before? Probably. Do they still make for a great party horror flick? Absolutely.

Some of the film's charm is lost in the final act, as the showdown between the killer and his victims is brief and builds to an abrupt finale. There might have been some benefit to spreading out the kills a little more in the short film - which runs only 81 minutes with end credits - but the action is still entertaining and the film ends at a natural stopping point - which, of course, leaves the possibility of a sequel.

The Lashman probably isn't for everyone, but horror lovers who remember the VHS era fondly will surely admire it for what it is. Sure, none of the actors are going to win major awards and the script is simple and it's not the bloodiest thing you'll find and it's just simply not perfect. But I haven't seen a tribute to slasher cinema that feels as genuine as The Lashman does, and that alone should make it worth a viewing.

The Lashman will premiere this Saturday night at 7:00 pm at the Full Moon Horror Film Festival in Nashville, and if you're interested in keeping up with it you can check out the film's Facebook and Twitter pages to see when it'll be playing in your neck of the woods. Until then, enjoy the trailer below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - The Studio on Mars, The ABCs of Death 2, Two Cool Horror Filmmakers, and You

I admit it, I skipped The ABCs of Death when it came out. Word of mouth was not good and I just never got around to it. Still, I appreciated the idea of a 26 part horror anthology film and was even more appreciative of the opportunity that the project afforded to independent horror filmmakers, who were given a chance to enter their own submissions and win a spot in the final film.

Well, The ABCs of Death 2 is on the way, and the same opportunity is being given to a new batch of horror filmmakers. Among the competitors for this honor are two good friends of FMWL, BJ Colangelo and Zach Shildwachter, working with the fine crew over at The Studio On Mars.  Their entry into the competition, entitled M is for Missionary, is something you other Midnight Warriors out there might want to check out.

For more from The Studio on Mars, check out their website and/or their Twitter.

Follow this link right here to go to the contest page for their submission, which you can watch there or watch below. For my money, it's a short and sweet home invasion story with a nice twist on societal expectations and some well-done brutality. Colangelo (who is directing for the first time) and Shildwachter (who once sent FMWL the grimy little treat Thrill Kill) have a good handle on the technical side of the film, teaming with their crew to create a good looking presentation that features top notch visual effects and sound effects that made me cringe a couple of times. As with most good short horror tales, it left me wanting to know more about what's going on here - which to me is the sign that they're doing something right.

I'm not going to tell you who you should vote for in this contest - I haven't checked out any of the other submissions yet, so I haven't voted yet either - I'm simply saying that I'm proud of these guys for their work and that you should check their entry out because it's a diabolical piece of gory fun.

You like diabolical and gory things, don't you?

M is for MISSIONARY from The Studio on Mars on Vimeo.

PS - If you do want to vote for BJC and Zach's fine work, you should go to the main link (which is right here again in case you forgot it) and follow the instructions below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - The Golem (Full Sound DVD/CD by HobGoblin)

A 93 year old movie is not typically what I cover when it's time to look at independent productions, but the good folks over at November Fire (who last year released the fantastic retrospective The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features) have provided an interesting twist on classic silent horror with their latest two part project, which aims to bring new eyes to The Golem, one of the titans (no pun intended) of the German Expressionist movement in early horror cinema.

This new release is a two part project, as director Strephon Taylor and his November Fire associates have provided a new soundtrack for the film, which comes to us in the form of a two disc CD package, and a "full sound" DVD of The Golem, which adds the soundtrack to the film - along with new dialogue and sound effects that make the film - kind of - a talkie. This is the third release of this kind that November Fire has produced - previously adding sound to Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - but it's the first chance I've had to check out one of these updated classics.

If the idea of adding dialogue via new actors sounds like blasphemy to you, you might not be interested in this release. As a classic film fan, I have to admit that I paused at the idea of adding sound and dialogue to this film and others. The title cards are part of the charm of silent cinema to me, and having them omitted and replaced by voice actors is difficult for me to stomach. Taylor has said that the project is intended to help silent film find a new audience - pointing out that younger viewers and TV stations have picked up these products since they are no longer silent - and I see his point, even if it's not my personal preference. There's an argument about right and wrong that I won't get into here - because I really don't care to be that guy - and I will say that it's an interesting twist to present these silent classics in a new way.

I guess I should comment on the movie, although people who are interested in it probably already know what they need to know. The Golem tells the story of a rabbi who creates a large clay creature that comes to life to help protect the Jews of ancient Prague from the Roman Empire. The creature, a hulking mass played by co-writer/co-director Paul Wegener, doesn't work out exactly as its creator planned, and the result is a lot of carnage, because that's what happens when a faulty clay goliath is on the loose. I've never really thought The Golem was extremely impressive - especially compared to those other two German classics I mentioned earlier - mostly because The Golem itself hasn't aged very well and the plot is also a bit dated. Nosferatu is timeless, Caligari is always interesting from a visual standpoint, but The Golem starts strong and kind of wears out its welcome before a big finish.

The film still has some iconic imagery, and November Fire's presentation does an excellent job of keeping the visuals strong. The film is tinted with colors and looks very good, even if it's not fully remastered through any high tech process. With the title cards removed the movie only runs 64 minutes long, which makes it a quick watch and good for those newcomers that the project is targeting. As for the voice acting, it's hit and miss. I'm not sure the tone the actors used was always serious enough, and it might be too over-the-top for some viewers. As someone who treats silent cinema with a bit of reverence - even when the film isn't among my very favorites - I found the sound to be distracting sometimes. I don't expect this to be the case for everyone, but it's another warning I have to put out there for purists.

On the other hand, the soundtrack that has been added by musical group HobGoblin is definitely the highlight of the package. It's got a definite rock/metal edge to it, but never seems to be abrasive and rarely seems like a distraction from the movie. There's a nice balance between classic horror score and modern rock here - with a little funk too - and I feel comfortable saying that the folks in HobGoblin definitely knew what they were doing here. It's another touch that will certainly appeal to new viewers, and I'd even say that it made The Golem - which I've seen and been a little bored by before - seem more engaging this time around.

I'm not in love with what this version of The Golem offers on a personal level, but I think that my reservations come more from my own cinematic experiences and the fact that I've never been entirely in love with The Golem either. (I'm interested to check out their versions of Nosferatu and Caligari, which I do love, just to see how their vision compares to my experience with those films.) I wouldn't necessarily recommend this product to people who haven't seen The Golem if they're silent film fans, but I agree with Taylor and company that this is a nice way to catch new viewers who haven't really experienced silent horror due to reservations. If nothing else, I hope that these sound versions of silent classics will open up the minds of new viewers and get them interested in what that era of horror has to offer them.

You can check out the DVD and CD releases (and the other mentioned products at the November Fire site I linked in the opening, as well as at Amazon (DVD here, CD here) and other retailers. Check them out, and keep classic horror alive!

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Thrill Kill

I've known of Zach Shildwachter for a while on this here internet thing, and I can say in all certainty that he is one sick monkey - in the best possible way. I probably could have told you that yesterday - before I watched his directorial debut, a seven minute short film called Thrill Kill that might just kick you in the teeth. Thankfully for lovers of bloody, pulpy, grindhouse goodness - Thrill Kill proves my point about its creator.

This little piece of foul mouthed - the f-word is said more than all other words combined, I think - and blood stained - complete with some gooey practical effects by the writer/director himself - cinema has a lot of good stuff going on for fans of old-school sleaze. The short plot has some taboo twists that might remind the viewer of bizarre drive-in flicks of the 1970s, while a love for modern gore shines through as the film tortures its two main characters, who are played with perfect grit by stars J Buckner and Agata Stasiak. At the center of it all is one gorgeous automobile, a 1977 Ford Mustang that drives this macabre little adventure to its brisk conclusion.

To give you plot details would be a disservice to the short film, so I'm going to just skip ahead to the good part. Below is a link to the film itself, released today by Cleveland based production company The Studio on Mars. Fans of bloody cinema, fast-paced carnage, and twisted humor - especially fans of twisted humor - should definitely click below and get their own taste of what Zach Shildwachter and company have to offer. It's the kind of NSFW story that only the most wonderfully disgusting people could put together, which means it's also a raw grindhouse treat for the uninhibited viewer.

Click here to watch Thrill Kill today!

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Gut

(2012, Dir. by Elias.)

The snuff film is back with Gut, a psychological indie thriller that aims to draw us in with a deep focus on death.  It's not entirely successful in this regard, but it does leave an impression as a unique addition to the horror genre.

The film follows a family man, Tom, and his co-worker and friend Dan. The two men live a relatively boring life, working in a boring office and eating lunch in a boring diner and reminiscing about the good old days - which sound like they were boring except for watching horror movies. The thing is that Tom is Mr. Serious Married Man now and has little interest in those olden days, while Tom just wants to hang out and watch horror movies like Return of the Living Dead 3.

Since Tom is embracing the boring, the only way Dan can get his attention is by upping the stakes - which means he starts ordering gonzo horror flicks that seem to consist entirely of stomachs being cut open - and which also seem to look extremely real.  I'm not entirely sure this type of film appeals to me - then again, I have spent plenty of time watching YouTube videos of animals being vaporized by vehicles with friends - but Tom and Dan are soon enamored and trapped in the path of whoever makes these sadistic pieces of torture cinema.

The resulting events lead the characters into madness and violence, which you can bet makes their lives a little less boring. Along the way we learn that neither character is very wholesome - let alone very interesting - and we see their relationships with others quickly fall apart.  There's some commentary about the people who chase violent thrills to be had here, which is probably the best thing to focus on in the film. If you can avoid getting too caught up in the acting (Jason Vail, who plays Tom, is especially wooden) and pacing (plenty of shots seem to hold for far too long) and get caught up in the mysteries of what is going on and why it's having such a dramatic effect on these men, you might not mind checking out Gut.

I'm not sure the whole film works. It's raw, but it's raw in a bad "we're being way too deliberate" way and not a good "we're bucking trends and making our own rules" way. The idea is interesting, and it's one of those stories that could be fleshed out more with more interesting characters and more intrigue. Worst of all, the conclusion is incredibly disappointing, wrapping up with a previously teased confrontation that doesn't answer most of our questions. Part of that problem is on the actors - again, I just couldn't get past the stiff performance by Vail - but it's also a problem that the film gives us so much information and so little conclusion.

Gut has plenty of problems but, as I said in the opening, it at least leaves an impression. The snuff-ish sequences are definitely unsettling, and the sequences that surround them - as we watch the male characters become increasingly enamored in them - provoke a lot of thought. The whole product isn't fantastic, but it at least has moments that show a lot of promise. I'd be fascinated to see what writer/director Elias has up his sleeve in the future, because Gut feels like a starting point for an intelligent horror director's career - if he can get the right people around him.  Gut is worth keeping an eye out for if you're a fan of human horror, but to me it ended up as more of an interesting attempt than a winning success.

For more info on Gut, head on over to the official site or Facebook page.  The film is available for rent on plenty of platforms, details of which you can find at those links.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Nicky

(2012, Dir. by Dom Portalla.)

I first encountered the work of Dom Portalla and Ken Flott, the men behind the short feature Nicky, in the fall of 2010.  Portalla had directed the ambitious low-budget thriller The Darkness Within (which came to me via longtime friend of FMWL Cortez the Killer over at the rockin' Planet of Terror), which featured a key side performance by the attention grabbing Flott.  It was a good little film that piqued my interest in the folks at Door Eleven Productions, and that interest has thankfully led me to a pretty fantastic short film today.

As a bit of an obsessive nerd, I remember a lot of weird things that I hear on the internet. Back when I was checking out that flick, I remember a tweet or interview or podcast or something featuring Portalla where he was talking about some kind of difficulty with the film's story and was resigned to admit something like "Thankfully, we had Flott."  I remember being taken aback by the frankness of the director, who seemed unwavering in his confidence that this man was a one-of-a-kind talent.  Seeing what they've done now, it's easy for me to understand why.

Which brings us to Nicky, which is directed by Portalla, based on a short story by Flott, and co-written by the duo.  Look at the poster and you will literally see three lines of credits that feature only these two names, plus Flott as the top billed member of the cast.This is by no means a two man show entirely - the 30 minute short has more characters and settings than you'd expect based on its length - but it is a showcase for Flott, who moves through the film and commands our attention at every turn.

The story follows Flott as a nameless man who is searching for his little brother, Nicky, who vanished years ago without a trace.  We learn a lot about the man through an inner monologue that plays as narration - not to mention his brief conversations with his unconventional best friend - and it's not hard to see where the plot is going as we watch this man move through his life. But, as he did in The Darkness Within, Flott demands our attention and makes the character fascinating.

His journey goes to dark places, which makes Nicky a trip down an unsettling rabbit hole. There's violence and there's foul language and there's even the obvious statement about human trafficking, but there are also some truly unsettling moments that go beyond the expected. The appearances of young Charles Everett Tacker as the title character - usually accompanied by a beautiful score by Danielle Samson - add an air of mystery to the film and push us to that great spot where we're not quite sure what to believe. The end result of these scenes will surely be some conversation about what happened or didn't happen, what was "real" or "not real".

Nicky is an impressive piece of filmmaking. It's put together well by Portalla, well acted by Flott and company, and - most importantly - unique and engaging.  It left me wanting more - it's easy to see this story blown up to feature status with all the questions that remain and the characters that are being established - but it also left me satisfied with what it is. The Darkness Within seemed like a fun diversion, the kind of flick a bunch of talented friends make when they're just seeing what they can do.  Nicky seems like the next step in the evolution of Portalla and company as filmmakers, and I'm willing to guess that anyone who meets Nicky won't soon forget it.

For more information on Nicky and Door Eleven Productions, make sure to head over to their official site or hit the film up on Facebook. And, of course, check out the trailer below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - I Am a Ghost

(2012, Dir. by H.P. Mendoza.)

A little ghost story that could in all the right ways, I Am a Ghost brings a new flavor to the haunting film and does so with plenty of flair.  Directed by second time filmmaker H.P. Mendoza, this is a brief chiller that finds countless ways to remain fascinating as it tells its tale.

The film opens with a series of repetitive events following a woman named Emily (played by Anna Ishida), and as I watched it I started to wonder if there were times when the film had accidentally rewound itself. We see the same events several times, and each occurrence of each event seems a little stranger than the last.  We see that Emily lives in a big house, seemingly alone, and we get that her day is filled with repetition and routine.  And then we see that she's terrified of one of the rooms in the house. And then things repeat. It's a little excruciating to watch the film go through these motions early on, mostly because I kept pushing back against my chair waiting for that ghost from the title to show up.  (To be honest, I even paused the movie and ran to get a hoodie to protect me at one point. Scientific evidence that doesn't exist yet shows that you are much less likely to be scared while cozy in a hoodie.  And this movie made me feel like I needed one.)

Then we get our first major reveal, which isn't a big surprise, but is about as far as I will go in explaining the twisting and wonderful plot of I Am a Ghost.  The devil is in the details (metaphorically, this isn't that type of film), and all you need to know about I Am a Ghost is that writer/director Mendoza and his talented star know exactly what they're doing as they lead you on the film's journey.

I want to point out that the path that the filmmakers set for the viewer is non-linear, but that seems too simple of a term for what I Am a Ghost does. Non-linear, to me, signifies events that occupy different places on the same continuum, and the most intriguing aspect of I Am a Ghost is the realization that we are not dealing with a normal series of events.  A keen observer of the film should quickly realize that things aren't quite right for Emily, and much of the film's charm comes from trying to figure out just what is going on and how Emily can escape this routine that she is trapped in.  The film does a pretty good job of laying out what we can expect from it, but it never seems to jump to the place or time that we would expect to be the next logical step in Emily's journey.

Which brings me to the topic of fate, a topic that must be dealt with throughout the film. There's a moment just after the reveal that I hinted at earlier which really shook me up.  Emily explains a tragic event to another character in a shockingly vivid manner and I - wrapped in my hoodie and trying to figure out just what is going on in Emily's world - suddenly found myself shaking my head and hoping beyond hope that the events that are being explained don't end up happening on screen any time soon.  It says a lot about a horror movie when it can tell you about a horrible thing and make you never want to see it happen, and it's a testament to the writer and the actress that this dilemma is set up so wonderfully by such a simple sequence.

And then we get to the film's final act and, well....the easy thing to say is that the train goes off the rails in the best possible way.  Expected things happen, unexpected things happen, and everything adds up to a final sequence that will surely keep horror fans talking long after the credits roll.

There's very little not to like about I Am a Ghost, a one of a kind haunting tale with an excellent lead performance and all the right supports. It's also a beautiful film, with inviting settings and nice practical effects that make the unique narrative that much more engaging.  I've been thinking about I Am a Ghost for almost 24 hours now, and the more I do, the more impressed I am.  Mendoza has created a smart horror film that maintains a primal edge, and the film's ability to make me think while I'm shivering in my seat makes it a rare treat.

For more info on I Am a Ghost, be sure to check the film out on Twitter or Facebook and/or check out the official website (which, coincidentally, currently has a nice blog post that features friends of FMWL Chris and Mike from All Things Horror Online). Or, if you don't want to go anywhere else, come back in about a month and I'll probably mention it when I talk about my favorite genre films of 2012.
I AM A GHOST (Reviews Trailer #1) from H.P. Mendoza on Vimeo.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Dust Up

(2012, Dir. by Ward Roberts.)

Dust Up - which wants to be a grindhouse western comedy, I think - is a bizarre little movie that seems like a Troma film on half the budget and half the sleaze.  With an eye patch laden hero, a kinda TV star in the cast - Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Amber Benson - and an inordinate amount of random sexual deviance, Dust Up certainly makes an impression in its own way.

Set in the modern day southwestern United States, the film is plotted like most westerns of a time gone by.  A loner with a violent past (and, as mentioned, an eyepatch) lives alone and only interacts with his Native American friend (in this case, a guy who's pretending to be a Native American), until he becomes caught up in a battle between a down on her luck mother (Benson) and a ruthless criminal.  That criminal is the film's biggest departure from the norm for classic westerns, presented as a ruthless drug dealer with a henchman who pretends to be a lizard - and is thus called "Mr. Lizard".

You can tell that this is not going to be your grandfather's western from that explanation, but you really can't understand how true that is yet.  It isn't long into the film before things kind of degenerate into a mishmash of devious acts that cover all kinds of bases.  At the forefront of this cluster of cheesy sleaze is a strong dose of random sexual humor, as the film has more references to hand job techniques and more attempted male-on-male rapes than almost anything I've ever seen. (In fact, I kind of hope it's more than anything I've ever seen, for my own sanity.)  Everything is done with a tongue in cheek, I guess, and there's nothing overly malicious about the film's sexual quotient - nor does the film really ever reveal anything visually that's too inappropriate - it's just really bizarre for the sake of bizarreness.

When you get past some of the more uncomfortable humor that misses the mark - most of which centers on the drug dealer aspect of the story, there's a lot of fun to be had with the hero, sidekick, and mother characters who are fighting to survive here.  The awkward tone of their relationships reminds a little of quirky indie films like those of Wes Anderson or the like, and each of the actors seem to be having fun with the roles.  Aaron Gaffey's performance as the one-eyed veteran is probably the film's most rewarding, as he plays the role with a straight face and seems at home in Dust Up's madcap universe.  Benson gets star billing and - as she was on Buffy in many crucial moments - is certainly the heart of the picture. It's just that - as was the case on Buffy in other crucial moments - she's not necessarily given a lot to do at times.

When you put all the pieces together, Dust Up is kind of just there. It's not grindhouse enough for that crowd, nor is it accessible enough for mainstream crowds.  It's definitely unique and there are some really fun moments, but it seemed like there were just as many moments that came off as too forced or too brazen or - worst of all - too pointless.  I can't bring myself to call it a failure - it's too unique and too good-hearted at times to be a waste of time - but I also don't think you should go out of your way for this one. It probably would play best for fans of wacky westerns with a devious streak - I'm just not sure that crowd is really out there looking for this flick.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - In Their Skin

(2012, Dir. by Jeremy Power Regimbal.)

For a relatively straight-forward film that doesn't disguise its punches very well, In Their Skin is particularly effective at what it does.  A home invasion thriller akin to The Strangers and its like, the film works thanks to a strong cast and an astute attention to detail.  In fact, it might be the film's consideration of every angle might be a big part of what makes the plot seem straight-forward.

Josh Close and Selma Blair star as Mark and Mary, a married couple whose relationship has seen better days.  They abscond to a country home for some quiet time with their son, but things quickly turn bizarre when another couple with another son show up and invite themselves into that home.  As we learn more about the newcomers, we realize two things. Firstly, we realize that they have a lot of questions about the lives of  Mary and Mark.  And secondly, we start to notice that these invaders seem to look a lot like this family.

From those two hints - and the Freudian usage of the word "invaders" by a ham-fisted reviewer - you can probably guess where In Their Skin goes as the film moves past happy interactions and into full fledged carnage.  Things quickly evolve from an awkward dinner conversation to plenty of violence and depravity, as Mark and Mary begin to lose control of their lives to their guests. And their lives are exactly what these invaders are after.

Blair and Close are asked to be victims in some pretty awful events, and each actor does well with their role.  Blair is recognizable from several Hollywood films earlier in her career, but this is the most interesting I've ever seen her be in a film.  She's traumatized before things get out of hand due to the family issues that have driven Mark and Mary apart, and I couldn't help but feel really badly for the character as Blair bared herself for the performance.  Close seems to be the more put together of the two, as is normally the case in these films, but his performance evolves as the film goes on and his work in the final act is quite impressive.

The star of the show, however, is British actor James D'Arcy as the aggressor that leads the charge against this family.  His performance doesn't go to the insane heights that we are used to from actors who are asked to commit unspeakable acts in a realistic setting, and it's the calmness with which he attacks his role that really won me over. The actor shows off some range throughout the film, but always seems to pull his character back to a cold and distant place that is wonderfully unsettling.  A film like this works when the threat works, and most films achieve that through gimmicks.  Some make the killer a total David Hess style madman, some take away the killer's face - but In Their Skin is perfectly comfortable letting their intruders reside somewhere in the middle.  Some might say this hurts the film's shock value, but I think it makes D'Arcy and his "family" that much more interesting.

In Their Skin loses some steam in the final reels - which sadly leaves D'Arcy trying to do too much to keep us interested once the torture of Mark and Mary has kind of peaked - but the film has enough human drama to keep it afloat.  It succeeds mainly because it's so well-acted, and I feel like the same script with lesser actors might have fallen flat.  Blair, Close, Rachel Miner, and D'Arcy do more than enough with their performances to keep us watching the film.  It doesn't have the scare factor of some home invasion thrillers - though there are some good chills - but it does make the viewer feel incredibly uncomfortable with the things that occur on screen.  In that regard, In Their Skin is worth seeing for fans of dramatic human horror.

In Their Skin is currently available through most VOD/Instant Video services (including ITunes, Amazon, and game consoles) and will be hitting select theaters on November 9th.  In the meantime, you can check out the trailer below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Hollow

(2011, Dir. by Michael Axelgaard.)

I feel like I've written this intro a hundred times before. You know the one, it's about how The Blair Witch Project happened and then later Paranormal Activity happened and then the "found footage" horror movie was everywhere.  And they just keep coming at us, over and over again.

Today's example is Hollow, in which a creepy tree and an epidemic of suicides tie in to an ancient cult.  This sounds like a spoiler, perhaps, but what kind of surprised me about Hollow was how little time was spent on the reasons for this supernatural hotspot. Instead, we spend much of the film watching the characters interact with the old dark country home and deal with their relationships with each other. 

The relationship part of the film gets a lot of focus, as the young woman who grew up in the house, Emma (Emily Plumtree) interacts with her fiance Scott (Matt Stokoe).  At the same time, Emma's friend James (Sam Stockman) tries to woo a blonde minx (Jessica Ellerby) who's been added to the picture - while also dealing with his feelings for Emma.  The film never goes all the way into soap opera drama territory while dealing with this love rectangle, and I thought Hollow did a pretty good job of keeping the relationships moving - even though I was definitely more interested in the old dark countryside part of the story.

And it's easy to see why, because the dark moments as the hand-held camera moves around the estate did a pretty good job of getting under my skin.  There are a lot of moments where the camera provides the only light as a character moves around the pitch black estate, and I couldn't help but be a little creeped out at times.  Director Michael Axelgaard does a good job of building tension at moments, but the tension isn't always consistent throughout the film.

The inconsistency really hurts the film's pacing, which becomes an issue particularly as the final act rolls around.  The film kind of grinds to a halt just before the conclusion, and the last 15 minutes left me just waiting for something to happen.  The biggest problem for any found footage horror film, especially at this point in the game, will be viewers that compare them to their predecessors, and this severely hurts Hollow as the characters deal with their predicament.  Some fans will probably bemoan the film because they've "seen this before", and I'm not sure I'd disagree with them.

It will take a patient viewer to get something out of Hollow, because the pace is occasionally tedious and the way the plot is presented offers little new to the formula.  I still liked Hollow enough to give it a mild recommendation for a viewing, but I can't imagine going back to the film a second time.  There are a lot of interesting parts to the film, but it's one of those films that I kind of lost interest in shortly after I'd finished watching it.  I'm not sure that there's a lot of lasting value in this one.

Hollow is currently available on most VOD services, and if you're looking for a found footage tale with some chills and a focus on character, you could do worse.  For more info, head over the the Tribeca Films site for the film and/or check out the trailer below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Grave Encounters 2

(2012, Dir. by John Poliquin.)

Grave Encounters 2 - the follow up to a film that was one of the biggest surprises of 2011 for me - is one of the most bizarre sequels I've ever come across.  Making a sequel to a found footage horror film is never an easy task, and the folks behind Grave Encounters 2 - producers The Vicious Brothers and new director John Poliquin - show their intention to be self-referential throughout this film.  They have to believe in the first film - because this film insists that what we saw in Grave Encounters was real.

Of course, that's exactly what Grave Encounters insisted too, but the tone has certainly shifted over the past year.  Now we're supposed to believe that the thing which was presented as real was actually a lie, while this thing that's presented as real proves that the thing that was presented as a lie was actually real.  It's like we've gone one step further down the proverbial rabbit hole, which seems to be exactly where the filmmakers want us.  If you're confused by that, you're not alone. I'm right there with you.

Grave Encounters 2 follows student filmmaker/amateur YouTube critic Alex Wright - who doesn't appear to be related to the former WCW wrestler of the same name - who becomes obsessed with internet rumors that Grave Encounters was a real reality show in which real people were haunted in a real asylum. Thanks to emails from an anonymous source known only as "Death Awaits", Alex and his friends slowly begin to strip away the lies about the film, and soon find themselves inside the same asylum facing some of the same problems.

By presenting this multi-layered look in to found footage horror, Grave Encounters 2 runs in to a few problems.  The first thing that really bugged me was the set up, which seemed to drag on for far too long.  One of the main reasons that The Vicious Brothers' original film worked for me was that it seemed to seamlessly transition from its brief set up to the haunted asylum showdown that really got under my skin.  The sequel seems too focused on building its characters and too interested in providing inside jokes about the production, and it left me wishing for a simpler premise that would get down to the scares.  The number of characters involved in the sequel goes up as well and some of them seem like filler characters that serve only as victims for the delayed asylum trip. The first film wasn't a picture of character development, but the sequel seemed to add characters on a whim and drop them even more quickly.

The other problem with Grave Encounters 2's structure is that the tension seems to be broken far too often.  To an extent, all found footage films rely on whiny characters wheezing about their predicament, but Grave Encounters 2 seems to completely break from the action at hand far too often.  The first film seemed to shake off the supernatural and cross-dimensional twists in the name of tried and true shocks, but this sequel spends too much time wading through explanations and trying to make sense of everything that's going on.  Thankfully, the film's not very good at explaining away its mysteries.

Which brings us to an area where Grave Encounters 2 succeeds.  The unraveling reality that we found the characters in during the first film only seems deeper and darker here, with the mid-film return of a character from Grave Encounters only adding to the intrigue.  One of my favorite parts of the first film was watching the characters realize how weird the environment they were trapped in could be, and the sequel only takes us further down that bizarre path, and sequences like a near escape in the middle of the film really do a great job of showing the shifting reality in the film. These sequences help lead to some of the film's better scares, though they don't come with the same build up as the first film.

When I really break down Grave Encounters 2, I can't help feeling the whole picture is a mixed bag.  I liked the first film despite some obvious flaws, mostly because the filmmakers took a complex idea and made it pretty simple and effective.  Grave Encounters 2 seems to be pushing too hard in too many directions at times, and I struggled to sift through everything as I watched it.  There are a lot of high points in the scare department and some perplexing moments of shock and awe, but too much of the film is spent trying to achieve too many goals.  There's a little bit of everything in the horror spectrum here - everything from Scream to "torture porn" to Donnie Darko to the old fashioned haunted house is represented - but I don't think Grave Encounters 2 does any of these things extremely well.  I still think it's worth a watch if you were a fan of the first film, but I'd warn you to be prepared for some perplexing changes in the film and some unwelcome confusion.  Grave Encounters 2 just doesn't come together as well as the first film did, but I still want to watch it again to try and figure out how all the creepy twists in this universe come together.

If you're interested in seeing the film for yourself, it becomes available through online rental and VOD sources today.  Head over to the Tribeca Films website if you want to learn more, or just check out the trailer below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features

(2012, Dir. by Strephon Taylor.)

There's this picture that I've seen several times on this here internet that has always spoken to me. I never bothered to look into the backstory of said picture.  In fact, I think I once knew who the man in the picture was and why it was taken, but I think I mentally blocked myself from retaining that information.  I mean, the picture was so cool - so why did I need to know why it was so cool?  Anyway, the picture looked like this:

So yeah. That's an awesome picture. And for me, the picture was awesome because I looked at that catchphrase written on that oval backdrop, and I just smiled.  I'm a dude who loves horror movies (I really hope you knew that by now, if not....SURPRISE!), and I love the idea that watching horror movies builds up a person's resolve.  Perhaps it's a childish belief, and perhaps it could be said that a dedicated conviction to any hobby could build a person's resolve - but I still kind of love it.  And the guy looks like a perfect time capsule back to a simpler time in horror, and I loved that too.  Yet I never really looked into who this guy was.

Anyway, my computer tells me that it was September of 2010 when I downloaded this picture that I thought was awesome.  And it was just about two weeks ago that a guy named Strephon Taylor contacted me about a DVD produced by November Fire called The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features.  I've been pretty worn out by work lately and also playing too many video games when I'm coming home like a zombie and it's been hard to keep up with emails, but I skimmed the dude's email and saw that this was a documentary about a horror host of days gone by and I was like "Oh, cool, I want to see that!" because I love horror hosts.  And then the DVD showed up and I looked at the insanely cool packaging (more on that in a bit) and I was like "Hey....that's the guy from the picture!"

So yeah, long story short (TOO LATE!) - the guy in this picture that I've loved is a horror host named Bob Wilkins. And I didn't even make that connection, ever, until this friggin' DVD showed up on my doorstep. The point of the story? I am a big honkin' doofus!

Now that my history (or lack thereof) with Mr. Wilkins' work has been detailed in painstakingly silly detail, let's talk about the man himself. As I quickly learned from the press release when I re-read it after realizing I am a doofus and the description on this DVD package, Bob Wilkins hosted horror movies on three television stations in California from 1966 to 1981, a fifteen year run that included more than 1800 movies.  Wearing nothing more than a suit and some very distinguished glasses, Wilkins made his name by being a straight shooter about the movies he was showing - which basically means that he told the audience when the film stunk - and by showing up to work a lot of times with a lot of movies.

Proclaiming that it covers every one of those movies that Wilkins hosted, the first reaction that I had to The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features was the feeling of being overwhelmed.  The format of a film is less like a traditional documentary and more like an ad reel for what Wilkins represented.  The first thing that captured my eyes was the "ticker", of sorts, at the bottom of the screen, which scrolled through the entire documentary and listed the film or films that were shown on every single Bob Wilkins hosted show.  The folks at November Fire boast that "you definitely will not catch it all on a single viewing", and this ticker alone makes their claim accurate. As these dates and titles are being shown on screen the rest of the screen is throwing tons of information at us, and there's no way I saw everything there was to see.

For most of the film, one of the comic book-esque panels on the screen shows vintage artwork for a film being mentioned or artwork from Wilkins' show.  At the same time, the majority of the screen speeds through a collection of interviews with Wilkins, footage from his shows, and trailers of the films he covers.  There is no narrator or host, and there are very few telling interviews with anyone but Wilkins, who is only featured in retrospective footage briefly throughout the film.  The most lengthy interviews are transferred from his past shows, showing off the host's interactions with stars.  

These interviews are also few and far between, but all fantastic and interesting in their own way.  Christopher Lee and John Carradine represent the classic horror scene, while a sequence with John Landis, John Belushi and Donald Sutherland talking about Animal House and their other projects of the time is completely bizarre. (At one macabre point, a potentially stoned Belushi even jokes quietly about his impending horrible death.)  Perhaps the best piece of vintage Wilkins material in the film is an interview with Blacula star William Marshall, which shows off the host's ability to work with an actor, discussing the serious tone of the film in question and how it relates to different races.  The film notes early that Wilkins didn't always care for or have a ton of knowledge about the films he was showing - and that he faced some criticism for suggesting viewers change the channel at times - but each of this interviews show the man as a respectful host and a quick thinker in conversation.

The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features is certainly marketed to a complete genre nut or a prospective horror scholar, but I imagine some will find the product slightly disappointing.  The use of film trailers seems a lot like filler at times, and I felt like there were a few gaps where the only information relevant to Wilkins and his journey in horror was the list of titles that kept showing up on the bottom of the screen.  There's a lot of good information about Wilkins and his show throughout the film, but I at times felt like the amount of material was a little slim for an 87 minute documentary.

Thankfully, I am one of those genre nuts, so I wasn't too put off by interludes that showed off the films Wilkins hosted.  Like most good documentaries about those in the film industry, I was left with a list of movies I wanted to watch or re-watch and plenty of reminders as to why I love movies.  But most importantly, the work of Bob Wilkins that is shown here reminds me why I love spreading the word about horror cinema to all you people out there.  Bob Wilkins was a trailblazer in horror cinema, and The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features seems like the perfect way for horror fans to experience his unique place in horror history.  

If you're interested in checking out The Complete Bob Wilkins Creature Features, head on over to November Fire or pick up the disc at Amazon.com.  On the topic of the DVD, I should note that fans of Wilkins should love the fantastic packaging job that November Fire has done here.  The colorful cover shown at the top of this post is complemented on the cardboard packaging by a reproduction of a "Creature Feature Fan Club" membership card featuring Wilkins and a certificate that denotes membership in a Creature Feature Freak Fan Club.  The latter comes with an honest comment that Wilkins signed off on, which I will reproduce below as an example of Wilkins' fantastic persona.

KTVU Channel 2 appreciates your loyal support and contribution

in making Horror, Fantasy, and Monster Movies an important part

of the American Way of Life. Bob Wilkins, Channel 2, the economy,

and our nation thank you. Your continued viewing of these movies on

Saturday nights will Help Keep America Strong.

                                                                                                 - Bob Wilkins

I'd sign my name to that club any day of the week.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Volkodlak

(2011, Dir. by Bjorn Egil Eide.)

Volkodlak, a little vampire opus that's straight outta Norway, might trick you into thinking you've taken a trip in the Way Back Machine and landed in a much simpler time in horror history.  This 25 minute silent film sets out to present a horror story that would have been right at home a hundred years ago, and achieves some success.

While this is certainly a low budget affair, the first thing that leaps from the screen about Volkodlak is a booming musical score that really makes the film feel grand.  It's a tad overbearing at moments - with no dialogue you kind of have to fill the air with something - but when it's at its best the film sounds like it would fit in with Nosferatu (or at the very least a Castlevania video game).  When this music is combined with some classic shots of the moon or the dark countryside, the film hits its highest highs.

On the flip side of the equation, Volkodlak loses some of its antique charm at times.  I particularly struggled to accept the film as it got closer to its actors, because the young cast look more at home in our time than they do in classic horror cinema.  It's a minor beef - it's not like there are any young actors of 1915 around and still young- but it did take me out of the film in a few moments. The costumes and makeup didn't do a lot to hide the actors' modern images in close shots (probably a budget issue, which I get) so the film did lose a little of its edge with me in some scenes.

Aside from minor stylistic concerns, it's the simple plotting and authentic visuals that accomplish most of Volkodlak's goals.  The filmmakers mimic the silent era as well as they can, and wide shots of the characters moving through the castle combine with the exterior and setting shots to really hammer home the feel of a classic vampire tale.  The plot is very basic - one Count, one swordbearing dude, and one girl are the main cogs - but it is exactly the kind of story this kind of film needs.  There's a little bit of violence and a little twist as the plot moves on, but the visuals are really what we're here for and they don't disappoint when they matter.

On another positive note, the production doesn't feel like it's trying too hard to point out its influences or wink at the audience; an area where many filmmakers who want to pay an homage to past films lose their way.  Director/star Bjorn Egil Eide might be guilty of taking his film too seriously at times, but I'd rather have a film that leans too far in that direction than one that turns in to one big joke.

Volkodlak is incredibly raw and might not look just like something from the silent era, but it does more than enough in its better moments to make up for some of my nitpicks.  The film is probably best viewed as an amateur experiment in horror, but I think that fans of silent horror will find some positives in this short tale.

If you'd like to try Volkodlak out for yourself, here are the links to part one and part two of the film on YouTube.  If you like what you see, be sure to head on over to let the fine folks behind Volkodlak know by commenting and/or liking the videos. And, of course, if you're still not sure, hit up the trailer below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Screaming in High Heels

(2012, Dir. by Jason Paul Collum.)

The three women who are profiled in Screaming in High Heels - Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, and Michelle Bauer - certainly have a special place in the history of smutty b-cinema.  The majority of their films - things like Nightmare Sisters, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, and Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama - are not what I was expecting when I became a horror fan after watching things like The Phantom of the Opera, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Blob.  So I've always found their slice of the horror pie - the one filled with direct-to-VHS titles that generally offered great nudity and terrible storytelling - to be a strange one.

For those who weren't around in the '80s, Screaming in High Heels documents who these women are and how they got here, but it also spends much of its time (perhaps too much) trying to justify why these movies were necessary and how these movies were so great.  There's an incredible bias on display, as the few people interviewed are directors and actors who worked on the films headlined by the three women, and some of these men seem a little too excited about their work.  There's a loving tone, to be sure, but the amount of superlatives thrown around makes it really hard to really believe that these guys are offering a fair assessment of a subgenre they made a living in.

(I do not intend to debate whether or not these men are right or wrong about the value of their films.  Where there's a niche, there's value in a product.  My thoughts on these films - most of which I am not acquainted with - is a different story for a different day.)

The heart of this documentary - as the title suggests - is the three women who headlined this era.  Each of the actresses appears and is frank and candid about their experiences, for the most part. (Though, I did think it was a little weird when Brinke Stevens explained how "she studied SCIENCE" and she came to LA "to get a job IN SCIENCE" like she was a bad sci-fi character. An area of specialty might have made her story more palpable.)  Bauer, who has distanced herself from acting more than the others, is the most down to Earth and accessible of the the three queens, while Quigley and Stevens seem to still fit perfectly with the image they represented in their heyday.  In each case, it's easy to see the intrigue each actress offered to their films (which is not just their willingness to get naked, of course).

The trouble with Screaming in High Heels, on the whole, is that there's just not a lot of intrigue outside of a few tidbits in interviews that perk your ears.  Unlike more accomplished genre docs - like the amazing Corman's World, which I covered earlier this year - the scope of this film is very limited.  We get the opinions of the three stars and a half dozen folks who worked with them - and that's it.  I suppose the argument could be made that this doc, like the film's its talking about, should be held to a much lesser standard than more financially sound productions, but it still feels like there's a lack of outside perspective.  Instead of fans and critics talking about these actresses and filmmakers, we get these actresses and filmmakers talking about fans and critics.  There's talk about families of the involved, but no actual talk with the families of those involved. Things like this hurt my interest in the film, and left me a little bored at times.

If you don't know much about these women and these films, and want to learn what they were about in their own words, Screaming in High Heels should interest you.  Just be prepared for a rather slight and one-sided look at these films.  The low retail price of the disc compared to other releases seems to reflect the short (it's barely an hour long) and sweet approach to the production. On the other hand, fans of these films and stars probably aren't going to learn a lot from Screaming in High Heels.  To me it feels more like a DVD extra than a full length documentary, because it doesn't dig deep enough to really cover a wide berth of topics regarding this movement in genre film.

Screaming in High Heels will be out on DVD on August 28th, and is worth at least a rental to those interested in learning about the best of '80s sleaze scream queens.  Horror buffs will probably enjoy the interviews, but might feel like they already know a lot of what's being said.  Still, this one's probably worth a rental.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Beyond the Grave

(2010, Dir. by Davi de Oliveira Pinheiro.)

A zombie apocalypse movie from the heart of Brazil, Beyond the Grave (or, Porto dos Mortos, if you're so inclined) takes a shoestring budget and puts together a film that looks like an epic horror adventure.  The road-tripping film uses its surroundings very well, and the biggest success here might be just how much the film makes it look like the world has ended.

Hopping from place to place and covering several violent characters, Beyond the Grave is primarily centered on a man in black played by Rafael Tombini, whose image will probable evoke memories of Robert Rodriguez' films.  There's certainly a bit of El Mariachi in the violent-but-heroic character, who moves through the film with a chip on his shoulder and an eye for revenge.  We learn bits about the character - the film is heavy on monologues that deal with past hurts - but mostly we just need to understand that he's a lone wolf who will take down those that oppose him. 

The opposition, as is generally the case on a zombie apocalypse, is twofold.  Sure, there are bloodstained zombies roaming the countryside, but the biggest challenges come from some possessed killers who reign terror upon the few remaining humans that our nameless lead shows compassion for.  This makes for a pretty interesting switch in expectations in the middle of the film, but also leaves the film feeling a bit disjointed as it moves on.  I kind of feel like it forgets about them zombies for long stretches of the film, .

Special effects are one of the biggest worries I had about the film, as much of the creature effects are underwhelming.  The undead that are presented range from simple and effective to completely over the top, but none of the creatures really evoke much of an emotional response.  The possession side of the plot is handled very simply, possibly due to the film's low budget, but I was much more interested in that part of the film than its few zombie stragglers. 

The most interesting thing about Beyond the Grave, to me, is probably the tone of the film.  There are plenty of moments that feel like they were inspired by Rodriguez or Tarantino - especially when the director chooses to let music take over the film's soundtrack while a character does something cool - but the film never really takes off as a fast-paced adventure or a "something's around the corner" style shocker.  The film moves rather slowly with its emotions, and it seems like the goal was to really create a sense of emptiness and dread that fills this world gone mad.  There are a lot of things about the film that remind me of Stephen King's work - characters who can't find the normalcy they seek, discussions about hope, etc. - and I like where the filmmakers heads were at in this regard. I'm not sure their message got to me in every scene - perhaps something was lost in translation, or perhaps the dramatic impact of some reveals just misfired for me - but I was certainly intrigued by the film's bleak perspective.  I definitely enjoyed the film's departure from gore and mayhem in this more introspective moments, which looked great against the run down settings of the film.

I'm not entirely sure what I think about Beyond the Grave on the whole.  Parts of the film seemed to leave me wanting, while others had me very interested in the world that these filmmakers created and the plight of our one-note hero.  I know I'm going to be thinking about the movie for a while, but I worry that my thoughts will sway more toward what it missed than what it said.  Regardless, this is certainly an interesting addition to the horror pantheon, and I do recommend that horror fans - particularly those with a taste for the apocalypse - keep an eye out for this one.  It's the work of filmmakers who have something unique to offer us.

For more information in Beyond the Grave, be sure to check out the film's official site or its Facebook page.  In the meantime, here's the trailer for your perusal.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Rites of Spring

(2011, Dir. by Padraig Reynolds.)

Ever have one of those moments where you can't decide if a film is really good or just doing stuff you've seen before well? That's kind of where I'm at with Rites of Spring.  There are elements of a lot of different movies wrapped up in one package here, which sent my mind going in two different directions.

Part of me was quite intrigued by the film, because it seemed to deftly move between different elements of the story several times.  The opening of the film explains the odd disappearance of several people in 1984, and tells us that more and more people have disappeared throughout the years.  We're introduced to an old man who is praying to something about a ritual and a young woman who encounters a surprising terror outside a bar. And then, without warning, we get caught up in the middle of a kidnapping film.

I'm a big fan of films that manage to braid genres into one thread, and Rites of Spring succeeds in this regard.  Criminals hiding out around killers isn't new - it's happened in movies like 1974's Axe to 2004's Malevolence and plenty of times elsewhere - but director Padraig Reynolds manages to really tap into two different worlds at times.  There are scenes with the kidnappers - headlined by one of those "everyone has a gun" standoffs that are always cool - that remind of '70s crime films and feel very authentic.  At the same time, the other side of the film takes off on its own path.

Anessa Ramsey stars as the young woman who finds herself at the mercy of "The Stranger" who intends to carry out some blood ritual - yeah, this is actually a double kidnapping film! - and her performance stands out because it feels genuine.  By frantically moving through the film, continuing to run despite the horrors she encounters and never seeming to break from her mental faculties - the actress reminds of Marilyn Burns in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by showing fantastic resolve and making the viewer root for her.  The film also reunites Ramsey with her co-star from The Signal (and recent indie horror MVP) AJ Bowen, who gives another low key performance that fits the film perfectly.  Acting is often a sticking point in slasher films, especially independent ones, but Rites of Spring definitely gets more from its cast than most.

But there's still that other side of my mind - the one that wasn't sure if Rites of Spring was really breaking any new ground.  It's easy to see that there's a lot of talent involved in this film - it's one of the more polished independent films I've seen in a long time - but I couldn't help feeling that it was a little too basic as the plot moved on.  I'm not sure I was surprised by anything I saw in Rites of Spring, as there are some effective moments of suspense, but nothing in the plot that really pushes the film to a new or interesting place.  Those who have seen farm based horrors - think Texas Chain Saw Massacre or (on a much lesser note) Jeepers Creepers - will probably be pretty prepared for what they'll see in Rites of Spring.

I really want to like Rites of Spring, and I can't stop myself from suggesting that horror fans should at least give it a try.  I wish there were a few more twists and turns to keep it interesting in the final act, but Rites of Spring still presents some solid tension and moments that remind us why the best slasher films work.  Part of me thinks it's a much better film than I'm giving it credit for - I watched it twice in a few days because I wanted to believe it was something special - but I just can't get behind it entirely yet. But, I do get the feeling that I'll watch it again to see how much I like it then - so maybe it really is on to something.

Since I don't know whether I love Rites of Spring or am kind of disappointed by it, I leave the verdict up to you.  The film will be available in select theaters and on VOD services nationwide starting this Friday, July 27th via IFC Midnight.  In the meantime, head over to the film's official site and find out more about it.

(And when you do watch it, come back here and tell me what you thought! I'm interested to hear what others have to say about this one.)

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Scalene

(2011, Dir. by Zack Parker.)

Scalene promises that "the truth is just a point of view" in its advertising, a tagline that represents the film's jagged narrative.  It's a film that shows us one thing in the beginning, then works backwards to explain how we got to that point.  By bouncing from the perspective of one character to another, the film intends to create intrigue by drawing us in to what might have happened as it reveals the lives of its three main characters.

The description above is a little wordy, even for my tastes, and I never mean to get in to "rambling critic" mode so quickly.  But Scalene is a more ambitious film than a lot of the independent thrillers that come my way, and I wanted to point out the lofty aspirations of the film - before I move in to the things that bugged me endlessly about it.

The disjointed narrative follows the mother (Margo Martindale) of an invalid adult son (Adam Scarimbolo) who has been locked up for some sort of violent behavior involving his college-aged caregiver (Hanna Hall).  The film literally opens with a bang as the female leads go toe-to-toe over whatever has occurred, with Martindale assaulting Hall in her home.  The film backtracks from this point showing us how all of these characters got together, but I struggled to keep myself too interested in in their journey.

For starters, there's Ms. Martindale, who is certainly the central attraction of the film.  She's an actress who has shown a lot on much bigger stages - her work in the second season of TV's Justified is borderline amazing - but her work here seemed a little too far over the top for my taste.  The film aims for extreme realism - the setting and low-budget aesthetic remind me of Steven Soderbergh's experimental drama Bubble - but I couldn't shake the feeling that the actress was a little bit past the point of restraint that would have best served the film.

Though her character may be a little much for me, I can't say that Martindale wasn't interesting in the film.  The same can not be said for our other primary characters.  Hall is serviceable as the young woman charged with caring for the son, but she stands out as an actress against the members of the cast who look more at home in the "everyday" setting of the film.  On the other hand, Scarimbolo is an actor I had seen before - he had a memorable bit part in last year's Stake Land - but I did not recognize him as the affected young man.  Unfortunately, there's not a lot that stands out aside from his physical commitment to the role, and I at times wasn't sure if I was annoyed by the character because I was supposed to be or because the role was grating to view.

Scalene tries to be a lot of things, but I just couldn't find much to love about any of it. The Memento-style narrative feels forced and predictable, and the cast just doesn't feel right.  There is nothing that stands out technically (though that may be the fault of the DVD screener sent out by the distributor, which made the film look like a blurry copy of a VHS tape), and the final reveals don't inspire a lot of thought.  Scalene is a film with grand aspirations, but I felt like it missed the mark too often for me to recommend it. 

Scalene will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 31st, so you'll have your chance to see if I'm wrong then. If you want to learn more, check out the official site and the trailer below.

FMWL Indie Spotlight - Low

(2011, Dir. by Ross Shepherd.)

There's something about distance from society that just brings out the horror in people, isn't there?  You can set a horror movie in the middle of a city, sure, but is it really as scary as when the character realizes they have miles around them and no place to go?  You can have all the green hills in the world in front of you, but when there's an aggressor around you and you don't know which way is out...well, you might as well be trapped in a box or cell.

By following those ideas, Low is an exercise in tension that approaches the viewer with only a few resources.  One woman walks into the British countryside for her own reasons. She encounters one man who is wandering the same countryside for his own reasons.  The movie adds a few more characters and a couple other settings, but the focus of the film is directly on three things - the woman, the man, and the rolling green hills.  And - if you're following the definition strictly - none of these three things are innocent.

The less you know about Low's plot will be a definite benefit to the experience.  Though it runs under 70 minutes, the indie feature is packed full of twists - some blatant, some shocking - as we follow the path of Alice (Amy Comper), the scared woman, and Edward (David Keyes), the man who seems to hold her captive in the wide open countryside.

When you take one look at the man, you can tell that Edward is one of those seedy types of villains that only seem to come from England.  Keyes plays the role well, offsetting his delicate frame with bold and vicious explanations of what's going on with him. The words he speaks are direct and ominous, and they sell the man's deadly mindset better than any amount of violence could.  It's a cold performance that's gripping to watch, especially when we start to learn more about why Edward is the way he is.

On the other side of the coin is Alice, who is better prepared for a bullying male figure than Edward might think.  The character seems like the traditional damsel in distress early in the film, but a big reveal about what is going on in her life stands the film on end and makes us think twice about Alice and why she's here.  I won't go into the details of just what she endures through the film - again, the surprise of this film is crucial to its charm - but there was certainly a moment that had me fully shaken from my comfort zone and left me feeling deeply affected by the film's representation of human horror.

The third star of the film - and certainly the aspect of the film that drew me in to the story the most - is the stunning cinematography. I'm not a technophile by any means, so I can't tell you just what the cameras used were or how the picture was achieved, but I can say that the movie looks and sounds phenomenal. Colors pop off the screen just as they would in any big budget film, and the cameras do their best to make the settings look like landscapes out of a dream.  There's something terrifically haunting about a film that looks so beautiful yet contains some pretty unspeakable things, and Low gets plenty of benefit from how beautiful the film looks.

Considering how professional the film appears, it's a bit of a surprise to learn that director Ross Shepherd put the film together over a two week span in 2010, working with merely a three man crew.  I can't imagine the limitations that the filmmaker and company were dealing with, but the final product definitely overcomes most of the shortcomings.  My few complaints were tied to the plot, where a few of the developments seemed a little forced and the characters' motivations occasionally border on silly.

With a plot that keeps the viewer on their toes and some interesting characters, Low plays out like a story from The Twilight Zone.  There are a few leaps of faith to be made, but none are deal breakers.  When you add in how well the film is presented, Low seems like the kind of thriller that's just begging to be found.  If you're a fan of minimalist thrillers that keep the focus on the characters - some modern comparisons would be Vincenzo Natali's Cube or Stuart Hazeldine's Exam - Low is a film that you're going to want to watch out for.

If you want more information, don't hesitate to check out the film's official website, and make sure you check out the trailer below.