Wer (2014)

Director: William Brent Bell

Notable Cast: AJ Cook, Simon Quarterman, Sebastian Roche, Vik Sahay, Brian Scott O’Connor

The werewolf genre of horror has never truly been one of my favorites. Too often it’s too much of the same with too little of the inspiration that crafted the long running monster of lore. One thing is for sure, but Wer is not simply more of the same. In many ways, I appreciate the entire concept behind the film and its massive genre leaping. It’s a very adventurous film in that sense. It also happens to suffer from its attempts at being too different from the norm particularly when it comes to its limited budget and weaker script. Sure, there is something to be admired with Wer, but it just doesn’t quite make the cut in the end.

When an American family is brutally slaughtered in the woods of rural France, the police arrest a massive man as a suspect in the murders. A young lawyer (Cook) along with her information guy (Sahay) and her ex/animal expert (Quarterman) are set to represent the odd Frenchman. During their research into his case though, they will find that he might not be what they thought he was…if human at all.

"I see a bad moon rising."

The first half of Wer plays out more like an episode of Law & Order than it does your normal horror film. It’s here that director/writer Bell sets up the basic premise of ‘werewolves’ in the real world where he establishes a realistic tone for the film. It plays out like a court drama, albeit with fairly generic characters and a generally eye rolling ex-girlfriend/boyfriend dilemma for needless drama down the road, and visually he sticks to an almost found footage look for the film. This Michael Mann inspired gritty look doesn’t do the film a lot of favors in the end, especially since it comes off as irritating more often than not, and it takes the audience out of the moment. Otherwise, it does make for a decently intriguing idea about giving scientific reasoning to lycanthrope issues…even if most of it plays like bullshit.

Wer takes its time setting up the idea in the first half and while the execution is hit or miss, I was digging the concept. Which is why it’s somewhat baffling when the film takes a drastic change for the second half. Here the film decides to abandon the Law & Order concept, realism, and subtle details to become an action film. Yes, you read that right. A fucking action film. Not to give too much away (it’s hard not to when the film is pretty predictable overall), but the film goes for a high octane Fugitive-esque chase sequence that features a ton of terrible CGI gore and violence and abandons damn near all of the intriguing elements of the first half for spooks and beat downs. Don’t misunderstand me, I love action films, but this change is rather sudden and awkward compared to what the first half of the film.

Hold on. He's got this.

I can see where people might like the irrationality of Wer. It sure is a ballsy move to whip from one genre to another particularly in the saturated generic formula of the werewolf film. For this reviewer though, a few more drafts to tighten up some of the moves, dialogue, and characters would have done the film wonders. Not to mention a larger budget for the poor CGI gore in the end and the gritty hand held look of the film. If I were to grade the film I would give it an ‘A’ for effort, but a ‘C’ for execution. Despite my enjoyment of the idea, the execution just didn’t do it for me. That doesn’t mean it won’t do it for you though.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Honeymoon (2014)

Director: Leigh Janiak

Notable Cast: Rose Leslie, Harry Treadaway

It’s no secret to those whom follow my writing that I sincerely love a great atmospheric horror film. Too often, particularly in this day and age, horror films would rather go for the gore or the jump scares rather than build the tension to sell the horror to begin with. This is not the case with Honeymoon. In fact, this is a slow burn kind of horror film that requires its audience to be fully invested in the details and small nuances for the payoff to work. Thusly, it’s not a film for everyone. For those willing to leap into the rather simple, but inherently effective, creepy atmosphere and bewildering minutiae then Honeymoon is going to rank up as one of the best of the year.

Paul (Treadaway) and Bea (Leslie) finally took the leap and got married. To celebrate, they plan to have their honeymoon in a remote family cabin in the woods so that they can be alone to really celebrate their union. When Paul finds Bea wandering the woods late one night, their honeymoon takes a twist for the weird as Paul starts to wonder: what happened to Bea?

We can work this out.

Honeymoon is driven by atmosphere and detail. Not that the film doesn’t go for the gag reflex in the final act as the ‘why’ for all the ‘what the hells’ starts to unveil itself, which I will get to in a bit, but the true highlight of this horror flick is most certainly the first two acts. Starting off with some hand recorded footage of their wedding day where our two leads (and essentially only actors in the film) unveil some quirky anecdotes about themselves and their life together, Honeymoon goes for the character over plot path that really sells the film. Pay close attention to the dialogue and details of the first two acts because its these details that make the film so unnerving as it starts to roll out. This dialogue and subtle plot progression is really hit home by some surprisingly solid performances from the two leads. Both Treadaway and Leslie feel very real as you see the obvious young love crumble underneath the unusual elements of the film and it knocks it home with its creepy aspects.

For the third act though, the film does shift gears into more of a body horror flick. The change flows well enough that it doesn’t feel out of place, but for those who loved the atmosphere of the first two acts the change might be a gruesome one that doesn’t sit as well with you. For this reviewer, it was a shift that needed to happen to really take the film to the next level that it needed to go. The gore is very realistic and very unnerving (particularly because it tends to hit a few buttons that would make any person so has been in a committed relationship uneasy) and even though the final twist might come off as a bit eye rolling, the natural progression of the film from atmosphere to pure horror works beautifully.

Brought to you by "oh shit, what the hell is that?!"

Honeymoon is not a wholly easy film to consume. Two thirds of the film is slow burn atmosphere, which may lose a lot of the younger modern audience, but the final act is nightmarish and grisly which might put off those against some of the shock elements. For this horror fan, the blend was impressively accomplished in all the right balances that are driven by a director who knows the value of tension and uneasy moments and finished off with some stellar performances. Honeymoon is not the easiest film to love, but it’s hard not to appreciate the detail work that went into igniting this indie flick. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Kundo: Age of the Rampant (2014)

Director: Yun Jong-bin

Notable Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Kang Dong-won, Lee Sung-min, Ma Dong-seok

Going into Kundo: Age of the Rampant, I was expecting something like a kung fu Robin Hood sort of flick. I have yet to see any other film from the commercially acclaimed South Korean director Yun Jong-bin (although I have heard that Nameless Gangster is phenomenal) and thusly much of my expectations were based on the basic synopsis you’ll read below this. Boy, was I wrong. Kundo is so much more than just another Robin Hood knock off. In fact, that comparison can only really be made based on the synopsis. What Kundo actually reflects is a wide variety of genres and style, mixed together with brutal precision and executed in a massively entertaining and impactful manner.

It’s the late 1800s and the Joseon Dynasty has fallen into the greedy hands of the upper elite, forcing many of the villagers and farmers on desperate times. A young butcher (Ha Jung-woo) loses his sister and mother at the hands of a corrupt and militaristic rising star in the noble ranks (Kang Dong-won). He is rescued by a rogue band of thieves who aim to restore justice to the area, setting into motion events that will bring the two opposing forces into a bloody battle.

Bamboo forests: a staple of these films.

While the film might indicate something more grand on the scale of Red Cliff or the like, truthfully Kundo plays out in a much more basic manner, albeit painted with plenty of detailing and genre bending to make the proceeding film far from feeling rehashed. On one hand it owes much of its structure and narrative to Hong Kong wuxia films. A young man hell bent on revenge joins with a clan of talented fighters to oppose unjust corruption? Hell, even much of the sword play fits right into that dramatic visual storytelling of newer wuxia films, in particular a massive dazzling display of choreography and directorial flair in an ambush sequence set in a foggy ravine.

Yet the characters are far less ridiculous and eccentric as a wuxia normally plays out. Our hero is ably portrayed by the talented Ha Jung-woo (who’s little neck twitch was the perfect touch to complete his brazen cleaver wielding thief) and a phenomenal secondary cast including a strong man, an acrobatic mute, a snarky archer, and their fearless and knowledgable leader, whom often steals each scene, to balance it out. The humor pops up here and there in the secondary characters and it lightens up the mood just enough to prevent the ‘right versus wrong’ morality and revenge narrative from being too heavy. Kundo is littered with this compelling characters.

I have to admit that despite some phenomenal acting and some very impressive action set pieces, the MVP of Kundo happens to be the detailed and often tragic villain of the film. Kang Dong-won adds such depth and gray matter to a rather normally dastardly villain that for a good portion of the film, I was wondering if he might actually become a redemptive character and one who finds the path of the righteous through his characters’ fear and anger. Not to give anything away for how the film ends, but his character arc blossoms into one of the defining bright spots of an already stellar film. It was enough that I had to give that actor and his portrayal their own paragraph in a short length review. It’s impressive to say the least.

Showing off some skillz.

Kundo does occasionally suffer from a sticky structure (that in the first third relies on a narrator to keep the audience caught up in the historical context of the film) and there are some intriguing samurai/western motifs that pop up that may not always sit well with the casual film audience, but the film is so impressively executed onscreen and in its storytelling that rarely did it bother me like it should have. In a year where there have been plenty of pleasant surprises in the action genre, the dramatic beats and refreshing genre bending of Kundo shoots this film to being on the best of the year. Powered on the slashing swords of anti-heroes and the weight of social morality, Kundo is a must see film for all cinephiles. Robin Hood, eat your peppy heart out. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Leprechaun: Origins (2014)

Director: Zach Lipovsky

Notable Cast: Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl, Stephanie Bennett, Teach Grant, Bruce Blain, Adam Boys, Andrew Dunbar, Brendan Fletcher, Melissa Roxburgh, Emilie Ullerup

Take it for what it is, but the Leprechaun franchise earned its weight in gold by being more entertaining than good as each additional entry eclipsed the previous in outrageousness. When the decision came through to reboot the long running horror series I can’t say I entirely blame them particularly when the second Leprechaun in the Hood flick came out. That being said, Leprechaun: Origins might actually be the worst film in the entire run. For every element that was ‘so bad, it’s good’ in the previous entries, Origins is ‘so bad, I cry myself to sleep at night.’ Seriously though, what happened?

Two couples on tour of Ireland decide it’s their best interest to listen to a few locals in a small village about seeing the Stones of the Gods on the outskirts of town. The locals are even kind enough to put them up for a night in a remote cabin for the night to limit their trek. Unfortunately, there just so happens to be a hungry and pissed off leprechaun in the area ready to devour them. Talk about un-luck of the Irish.

I'd be hard pressed to remember the name for any of the characters.

In many ways, I get the idea of moving this reboot into more serious territory. By the end of the first round of Leprechaun films, it was all joke and no horror. A move back to the horror roots isn’t a fully bad decision. What was a bad decision was making it WAY too serious. For a film about a small village that sacrifices tourists to a man eating leprechaun, you have to give the audience a little room for fun. There is no fun to be found in Origins though. To make things even worse, the film is so utterly uninspired in how it goes about its tale that not only did I predict the entire film 15 minutes in, it didn’t even carry the execution to make it worth my time blurting out loud what was going to happen. There was only one kill in the film worth it as a horror flick and the rest of the ‘chase’ was boring, repetitive, and lacking any kind of tension to keep my attention. I may or may not have decided to do laundry about an hour into the film.

Yet the biggest mistake that Origins makes is that it moves the franchise from a supernatural slasher into creature feature territory. One of the big calls in the marketing was that it would be WWE star Hornswoggle’s time to star as the titular Leprechaun. Not that I know who he was previous to this film, but I sure as hell have no idea who he is after it. Looking like the bastardized child of the X-Files’ Flukie the Fluke Worm Man and a chimpanzee (I think that’s what it looks like, the director does an amicable job at never letting us see or even feel the overdrawn presence of the titular monster with blurred cameras and relentless editing), the Leprechaun sort of shambles around with Predator heat vision – oh yes, it can even see handprints! – and snatches gold before attacking its prey like an animal. So really, this has nothing in common with the entries previous.

Shit, he's a dentist too?

Outside of one kill in the film, Leprechaun: Origins has nothing good going for it. It’s cliché, misses out on its monster movie opportunities, stumbles around with no relatable or intriguing human protagonists, and then proceeds to have no fun with its concept. In fact, the movie takes itself so damn seriously that when our main heroine spouts off “Fuck you, Lucky Charms,” in reference to one of the best one liners from the franchise, I was borderline offended.

Somebody call Warwick Davis back. I’ll take a second Leprechaun in Space film now.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Sacrament, The (2014)

Director: Ti West

Notable Cast: AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Kentucker Audley, Gene Jones

Ti West is the kind of director that splits his audience a bit with his style. Some claim him a hack for his lacking substance to his films, others claim him a genius for his atmospheric and slow burn approach. Technically, I don’t fit into either category. I quite enjoy his throwback approach to film and his dense camera work and subtle plots, but really it’s nothing wholly original. When The Sacrament was announced I was excited, particularly with Eli Roth’s name attached as a producer, but the fact that it would be a found footage flick scared me a bit. Luckily, The Sacrament easily handles the stylistic approach with ease and ultimately reveals one of the creepiest and unnerving films of the year.

A small documentary company called Vice, featuring host Sam (Bowen) and cameraman Jake (Swanberg), has just had an interesting opportunity land in their lap. A friend (Audley) just received a letter from his sister Caroline (Seimetz) to have him come visit her in a secret compound where she has been living in recuperation from her addictions. It’s an opportunity for them to dig into a religious cult and see just what keeps people there. What they find though may surprise even the most cynical of detractors.

Can we start filming or what?

The Sacrament never seems to hide the fact that it is based (loosely, if you will) on some of the real life cult occurrences that consumed news throughout the last handful of decades. To its benefit, it uses it as ground to really build its ‘realism’ which is only accentuated by the documentary style of the film. Instead of a detriment to the film, the found footage actually adds to the entire experience. It gives it a real time sense of eerie atmosphere that just makes it feel that much more real.

Never did I feel scared in the film, like so many horror films attempt to accomplish, but West and company instead opt for that unnerving realistic factor which is executed in spades. In addition to the found footage and realistic plot just mentioned, I have to admit that it was the acting that had me hooked. AJ Bowen and Joe Swanberg handle the narrative with soft hands, never really forcing much of the subject matter in the script, so that when the finale comes about in all of its horrifying glory it packs one hell of a punch. To make it even more impactful, the ‘Father’ of this compound is enigmatically charismatic on screen and promptly eats the basic dialogue he is given. Actor Gene Jones simply owns in the role and it adds to the experience.

"Let me just out act everyone in this movie, okay?"

The Sacrament isn’t going to be a film for everyone as it certainly has that slow burn Ti West style to how it goes about its plot. At its core, it’s basic in the writing and even more basic in the premise. However, the execution is superb. The characters are all relatable, the situation unnerving, and the film magnetic. Definitely one of my favorites of the year.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Stage Fright (2014)

Director: Jerome Sable

Notable Cast: Allie MacDonald, Minnie Driver, Meat Loaf, Douglas Smith, Kent Nolan

Despite graduating college with a degree in theater, musicals have always been one aspect of film that have never agreed with me. They are just so presentational, so cheesy. Yet, I was rather intrigued by Stage Fright and the blend of musical and slasher horror film. I wouldn’t say I had high expectations going into this tongue-in-cheek flick, but I was fascinated enough to delve into it for review. The resulting combination between slasher and musical is certainly fun and there were some great inspired and very funny moments, but it came off ultimately as a mixed effort that lacks a bit of flow to make it all work.

Camilla (MacDonald) has already lived through one horrific experience when her mother (Driver) was brutally murdered at her Broadway debut of “The Phantom” when she was a child. She now works at a small summer theater camp with her brother (Smith) under the supervision of her guardian (Aday). When they announce that the summer show they will be performing will be a new rendition of “The Phantom,” she decides to try out for her mother’s role. Too bad someone wants to stop this show from happening and they will leave a body count to make sure it all comes down.

Nothing is scarier or sillier than kabuki theater.

At the core of Stage Fright, director/writer Jerome Sable crafts a film that is as much homage to classic slashers as it is a comedic horror flick. The humor tends to be more about timing of some of the characters’ lines and cliché moments then the spoof that I have seen a few reviews falsely claim the film to be and it creates a fun and spunky film overall. The musical numbers are delightfully tongue-in-cheek and keep the film moving forward (particularly the villain’s heavy metal style of music and a song where he repeatedly shouts “Shut your fucking face”) and the slasher elements are silly enough in their execution of gore and kills that its hard not to laugh them off at times. Occasionally, I felt like the film could have pushed some of the secondary characters even further for comedic purposes, but overall it works to create a film that a viewer can simply have fun with.

Ultimately though, Stage Fright comes off as a mixed bag. While the comedic moments work and the slasher moments work, the flow in-between the two styles can be a bit choppier than one would expect. The film starts off with a very strong balance between all of the different aspects as it blends some serious horror beats with comedic timing, but the latter half of the film tends to lose sight of getting that balance to work and the final act tends to be a little too serious for my tastes to get it to work as smoothly as it could have…particularly as the ‘twists’ of the plot start to reveal themselves to the audience.

A little slice of Meat Loaf for your evening.

For Stage Fright, the concept is a much better idea than the movie. The film is packed full of fun moments and silly aspects, but the script and flow of the feature tends to undermine much of what the film has going for itself. It’s not very often that a slasher musical slides its way into my viewing queue so Stage Fright does have that going for it. Outside of the horror and/or musical audience though, it might have be as fun.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Oculus (2014)

Director: Mike Flanagan

Notable Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Annalise Basso, Garrett Ryan, Rory Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff

Killer mirrors. It’s not necessarily a new subject matter when it comes to horror. Hell, we even had two entries into the Mirrors franchise, which the original was a remake to begin with. Yet, I was still hesitant to dive into Oculus despite some of its rave reviews and recommendations from friends. Could a killer mirror film truthfully be as good as people claimed? Oculus IS that good. Director/writer Mike Flanagan crafts a thoughtful and utterly creepy flick that dominates as one of the best horror films of the year. Enough so that I feel bad to not support the film when it came out in theaters.

Tim (Thwaites) has just been discharged from a mental hospital. His sister Kaylie (Gillan) is eager to help him get back on his feet in the real world. She insists that he help fulfill his promise to her first. To prove that the massive mirror in their house is what drove their father (Cochrane) insane. To prove it played tricks to entrap their mother (Sackhoff). To end its decades of deception that has devoured countless owners before it. Can they stop the evil Lasser Glass or will history simply repeat itself?

"What's that? Oh my, it's a reflection!"

The beauty of Oculus is that the film plays out like two films that intertwine into one. We actually have two sets of stories being played out in full. Firstly, we have the present day adult brother and sister duo who are set to prove and/or destroy the Lasser Glass for what it is and secondly, we have the child versions of the brother and sister duo who see their parents succumb to the tricks of the mirror. The combination of current story and flashbacks to fill the voids isn’t a wholly original concept, but Flanagan and company do their best to not only make them parallel each other. By the final act, the two stories are so intertwined that Flanagan uses imagery from both in the other plot to create this nightmarish parallel existence to show just how powerful (and similar) the two stories are and how it shapes the two lead characters. Partner this smart plot structure with strong acting work from all six of the ‘main’ characters – as their mother and father play huge roles in the older plot line – and the resulting storytelling is impressive to say the least.

Oculus is a horror movie though and no matter how artful the structure and plot progressions are, as horror fans we want to know if the film is scary or not. Well Oculus only plays up ‘boo’ scare factors sparsely unlike so many other ‘ghost’ and psychological horror flicks do. Here Flanagan instead focuses on crafting an deep atmosphere and uses visuals and disturbing concepts to scare us rather than full on gore or jump scares. Although both the gore and jump scares are present, it’s this thoughtful creepy factor that truly makes Oculus work like it does. It gets to the point that the audience is more concerned with figuring out if the horror is real or a trick of the mirror and that sets us up for those gore and jumps to be as effective as possible. We root so strongly for our protagonists not to fall into the influence of the mirror that when we see something as simple as the sister bite into an apple (which may or may not be a lightbulb) we are screaming at the top of our lungs for her not to…in a way falling into the mirror’s influence ourselves and letting our own perceptions of the film be tricked.

"I've got your back...FROM THE GRAVE."

Horror in 2014 might be weak overall, but the smart and wicked execution of Oculus highlights that modern horror is not dead and can be just as impactful as it was three decades ago. It creates a relationship for the characters that makes the nightmare they have to live through a nightmare for us no matter how ridiculous the plot might seem. Mike Flanagan has made quite a splash with his feature length debut and I’m whole-heartedly looking forward to see where he goes from here with his career.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Here Comes the Devil (2014)

Director: Adrian Garcia Bogliano

Notable Cast: Laura Caro, Francisco Barreiro, Michele Garcia, Alan Martinez

While many horror films will garner mixed reviews overall from various sites and reviewers, I usually stick to particular ones for recommendations. It was from these various sources that I kept hearing about Here Comes the Devil and how creepy it was. This Mexican horror flick is definitely creepy at times, but the overall quality and flow of the film didn’t do a whole lot for me as it randomly shifted gears throughout and tried to balance out the grindhouse aspects with the arthouse elements.

During a family outing on the outskirts of town, two young kids (Garcia and Martinez) go missing in the rocky hillside. Stricken with grief, their parents (Caro and Barreiro) vow to figure out what happened to their children. It doesn’t take long for the kids to magically reappear though and it leaves the spouses relieved but slightly confused. When their kids begin to act relatively odd in the aftermath though they decide they need to figure out just what happened in that time span.

"Aw shit, contacts went white again."

The most intriguing aspect about Here Comes the Devil arises from its rapidly changing focuses throughout the film. For some this leaping of styles might be considered unique or clever as director Bogliano even goes as far as jumping into different horror subgenres, but to be honest, I found it utterly distracting and disjointed. The film starts off as a pure grindhouse flick opening on a lesbian sex scene before rapidly exploding into a gruesome serial killer sequence (which knowing the synopsis ahead of time had me slightly confused) before it heads off towards the main chunk of the film with the parents and their missing children. At this point, outside of some more random sex sequences, the film takes on a more realistic approach to the film focusing on a dysfunctional family environment and even goes as far as moving into torture-esque revenge territory as the parents become convinced that their children have been molested by a weird man on the outskirts of the city. It’s not until the final act does the truly creepy aspects of the film come into play (shifting into a possession film at this point) and we get some clever twists that actually work. It’s like a massive roller coaster ride as Here Comes the Devil shifts tone and focus to get film going and unfortunately, I wasn’t fully enjoying the ride.

The execution is solid enough with some subtle and impressive performances from the two main adult actors and the sound editing and visuals definitely work for the heavy atmosphere of the film, even if a random sequence featuring a scared babysitter gets rather trippy for the sake of trippy. The kids don’t get a lot of time to show a ton of their skills as most of the film requires them to simply be odd and it does hinder the impact of their change that could have sold the film even further. The random bits of gore and supernatural elements work for what they are in the horror aspects and do add a bit of pizzazz to a film that’s mostly focused on being emotionally heavy.

Didn't mother ever teach you not to play under boulders?

In the end though, it doesn’t matter how well a film is executed if the foundation it is built on is flawed which is the case with Here Comes the Devil. The awkward shifts of tone and focus for the film undermined the entire experience and atmosphere of the film enough that it was hard for me to even keep my attention on what the endgame of the film was let alone be drug into its deeper elements. Many of the attempted messages of parenting and marital issues are undermined by the grindhouse aspects (we get it, sex is symbolically evil and bad things happen when sex is involved) and in the end I found Here Comes the Devil to be a series of missed opportunities instead of an artful horror flick. I seem to be in the minority on this one though, so take it with a grain of salt. Here Comes the Devil is definitely an experience to watch – good or bad.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Possession of Michael King, The (2014)

Director: David Jung
Notable Cast: Shane Johnson, Ella Anderson, Cara Pifko

So far this year, horror has been (more or less) pretty damn mediocre. Combine that with the dime-a-dozen nature of possession films and you could say that I didn’t necessarily want to dive into The Possession of Michael King with a whole lot of enthusiasm. Yet, I have to admit that this straight to home video, semi-found footage, possession flick came a rather efficient and creepy surprise to me. On paper the film looks like it might be damn near everything I dislike in the current horror genre, but the resulting film in The Possession of Michael King is a frightening look into the spiraling nightmare that one man creates in his attempts to search for a dark side to the spiritual life.

Michael (Johnson) has never been a believer in God or any other religious element despite his wife’s continued attempts at persuading him. After an accident takes his wife and leaves him on his own with his young daughter, he becomes obsessed with disproving religious elements in all the darkest ways imaginable. While his sister helps him with his daughter, he decides he’s going to create a documentary about his trials and tribulations with the black arts…and what he’s going to discover is that some things are not meant to be played with.

Finding yourself can take you to some wacky places...like the flea market.

The Possession of Michael King is not a full fledge ‘found footage’ horror film. Yes, the style of hand held cameras, security footages, and playback are all present for the entire film, but never is this film indicated to be ‘found footage’ of this event. Director David Jung allows the film to play out more in a traditional manner and only uses the camera style and editing to build on atmosphere, tension, and scares. The pacing for the film is particular and impactful at times although occasionally it does get a bit too ridiculous (the actual demonic summoning ritual is almost laugh inducing instead of scary,) but the film moves in such ways that even the more outrageous beats are not apparent immediately. It’s not an element that’s easy to pull off for films utilizing this approach, but Michael King seems competent in doing so…much to my surprise.

So there are a few elements that don’t quite make sense throughout due to the stylistic choices, but overall the film plays out like a nightmarish decent into a possession fueled hell. It’s a film that is remarkably subtle with some of its scares and tension, there is a running theme with ants that works to punctuate this as time goes on and his possession gets stronger and stronger, and it’s driven by a pretty phenomenal performance from Johnson as the titular Michael. His transformation, not only in acting but also in slight make up changes and some strong visual effects in the final act, is truthfully the highlight of the film and Michael King takes full advantage of his talents in many ways.  Whether it’s the more subtle anger that arises when his wife is mentioned or the more traditional creepy-voice laden demonic portion at the end, Michael King is propelled by his work.

Oh, that's 7 years of really bad luck.

It’s not necessarily a film for everyone and perhaps I was in the right mood for a film like this, but considering the trashy possession films that have been hitting the market lately (see my review for The Quiet Ones here) The Possession of Michael King is a well executed and refreshing spin on the genre. It’s tight in the writing, paced extremely well with just enough surprises to keep it interesting, and it’s motivated by an impressive lead performance to make it all work together. It’s not a wholly unique horror experience, but the resulting film certainly hit all the right buttons.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Almost Human (2014)

Director: Joe Begos

Notable Cast: Graham Skipper, Josh Ethier, Vanessa Leigh

The impact of John Carpenter recently is something else. Whether it’s the mainstream release homage in The Purge: Anarchy or the low budget worship that is contained here in the science fiction horror of Almost Human, his presence is becoming such a force in the young filmmakers that it’s impossible to ignore. This low budget flick owes so much to Carpenter that at times it’s startling and unlike the other film I just mentioned, the execution of that influence is not nearly as impressive this time around. There might be an underground midnight cult film to be found in Almost Human, but it was hard for me to get through some of the massive flaws to even enjoy it in that manner.

Two years previous, Seth (Skipper) finds himself running from some menacing lights in the night sky. In the process of hiding, his friend Mark (Ethier) goes missing. No one knows what happened and Seth’s memory is a bit fuzzy about the events. Mark has returned though and he’s not himself. He seems driven by an unearthly force and his intentions seem less than humane.

Mondays always get me down too.

Almost Human is one of those films that I desperately want to like as it’s obviously made with a lot of effort on a very, very low budget. Unfortunately, there are some aspects of this film that make it extremely hard to do. Firstly, the acting is borderline atrocious. Outside of some fun The Thing inspired ‘possession’ work from Ethier in the latter portions of the film the rest of the cast struggles to pull off the rather intriguing concepts and scenes. Their dialogue certainly doesn’t help so that when Seth confronts Jen about the return of her missing husband it comes off as cringe worthy rather than an emotional beat to really drive the final act forward. The film also suffers from its budgetary restraints when it comes to the special effects. I have to admit, that for what they had they did particularly well, but the results are still a rather mixed affair as it blends a bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers into the pot with its plot progressions.

That being said, there is an underground cult status atmosphere emanating from Almost Human that will play to certain crowds. The film randomly takes some grindhouse swings at time in the final act with its bursts of violence (and a sequence where Mark attacks his ex-wife that comes out of nowhere, but certainly made me pretty uncomfortable and worked to really solidify him as a villain) and in these moments of extremity, one can see that there might be some underground appeal. For this reviewer, the attempted blends of serious science fiction character beats with the grindhouse horror elements didn’t quite gel as well as one would have hoped.

Reality TV? No way!

Almost Human is simply a disappointment overall. The John Carpenter influence partnered with some of the solid atmosphere and charming low budget elements make me want to enjoy this film more, but the sub-standard acting and messy plot progressions bog the film down to the point that it was hard to get into it. For some various people that are willing to overlook its issues, the film will work. For me though, it was a missed opportunity to create a thrilling and impactful sci-fi horror flick.

Written By Matt Reifschneider