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Reviews
Death Scene (2021)
An interesting horror short
It's quite a bit like a segment from All Hollows Eve, both in terms of the story and production. Whether that's a strong influence or it's entire coincidental, I'm not sure, but I'd suspect the former.
Performance isn't too bad. The story isn't super complex, since things are simplified for the format of a short film, but nothing jumps out as distractingly false.
Special effects are pretty strong too, especially the visual effects. The aesthetic is a little campy, so seeing electricity move through cables is exactly the kind of visual effect I'd expect. Still, it looks modern, with proper compositing and motion tracking despite some ridiculous visuals.
It's a competent short horror film. It's not a huge investment of time to give it a watch. If you're from the Midwest and enjoy horror, this should be on your list of films to watch.
Venus (2021)
Surprisingly satisfying short film
I watched this on YouTube without any knowledge of what I was about to see. What unexpected joy! It's a well-written, well-executed, and satisfying short film with good production quality.
This is top notch stuff and easily at a level that would satisfy many film festivals. It legitimately made me smile and my night is a little better having viewed it.
It seems to be a part of a package of shorts on the Crazy Little Monster YouTube Channel. All of them are competent, effective, and efficient, but this one stands out as the highlight in what is hopefully an ongoing series. Efficiency seems to be the aim of the game with shorts in the 2 minute range. We have character introductions, conflict, resolution, and plot twist in that short span of time, and nothing feels rushed. Kudos to the filmmakers and performers.
Loon Lake (2019)
Competently-Produced, Character-Driven Horror Film
Loon Lake (2019) not to be confused with Loon Lake (2022) is an ambitious microbudget that doesn't get bogged down with too many micro-budget production issues to distract you from the narrative.
The elements of period piece sprinkled throughout, a big "no-no" for filmmakers on a budget, are produced admirably. David Selby carries these scenes (as well as several in the main narrative) as a corrupted and conflicted Pastor.
Selby is the highlight of the film for me playing both a Heston-esque town-leader with a deep, booming voice, before transforming into the caring, soft-spoken neighbor just a few scenes later.
Performances are relatively strong throughout the cast with some notable exceptions for a little ham and cheese. I found myself chuckling at a scene where Louis has named his fists, a clearly tongue in cheek moment that seems a little out of place in an otherwise straight horror film.
I think the biggest faults of the film are when it tries to emulate it's Hollywood counterpart a little too closely. Louis emerging from the shed, axe in hand, calling out into the darkness, "I'm ready for you!" is a trope I've seen a few too many times with horror films for the last few decades, and while it reminds us that we're watching a genre piece, I'm not so sure it's necessary as we're inching closer to our climax.
I can appreciate the restraint. It has to be tempting to rush to jump scares and violent scenes, but Loon Lake relies more on it's atmosphere. When we do get those scares, they are earned and effective. It's an incredibly tough technical feat to pull off, and I'm happy to witness emerging filmmakers taking those risks for the sake of a project that they are clearly very passionate about.
As a kid from the cornfields of Illinois, I can appreciate the horror of isolation and the dread of existence in a nearly deserted town.
As with any film, it's not for everyone, but Selby alone is worth your time if you are looking to give something off-the-radar a chance.
Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn't Die (2021)
An interesting blend
In case you need a content warning, this is definitely not a film to watch with your kids. It lets you know that in the opening sequence, but it may need stating if you are watching on a whim.
I'm from St Louis where this was produced, so there's an added layer to my experience with the film. I enjoyed seeing various locations that I've visited, and actors that I'm familiar with from other projects. I'm not sure how much that biases me with the performances or production design, but I thought the scenery was one of the stars in this pic.
There are certain things that you expect with a micro-budget that you have to be quick to forgive if you want to give a film a fighting chance, but this one succeeds where others fail. Set-ups are paid off, characters behave as they should, structurally, everything operates like the grind house/exploitation films it's emulating. It may seem like a low bar if you aren't familiar with micro-budget films, but even if you aren't there's not a lot of confounding or frustrating writing elements here to dissuade you from completing the movie.
The production doesn't emulate that grindhouse style too often though. It looks very slick with impressive cinematography and a sharp, clean look. There are a few very stylish film transitions including a very well orchestrated match/smash cut that I was impressed by. There are also moments where the lighting looks much closer to the more artistic Italian 70's films than their grungy American counterpart. There's a lot of "troma-esque" humor in here too with over the top violence and sometimes laughable reactions to being horribly mutilated. I had a good chuckle at a decapitation where the corpse continued standing for just a little too long.
This mix of camp and style makes it it's own unique film, but sometimes betrays what would otherwise be more forgivable with a rougher edged aesthetic. Some dialogue scenes break the 180 degree rule, and there's a scene between our lead and a child that stays fixed in a two shot where the pace and performance could have been enhanced with some editing. There's some crude dialogue with hammy performances, that would probably land a little better with tighter editing, but instead, we have longer takes to give the cinematography a chance to breath, but it's at the detriment of even the schlockiest of performance. These are relatively minor gripes in the grand scheme of things. I suppose the inverse could be true for other viewers. All of the promotional material seems to say it's a straight grindhouse throwback, but there's enough originality to appeal to some people who might not choose that type of film regularly.
It's a very solid film that doesn't take itself too seriously. If you are part of the St. Louis scene, it's almost essential viewing.
Friends Don't Let Friends (2017)
IMDb reviews spoiled things for me
The top review here spoils a pretty significant part of this film. It's kind of a shame. I was waiting for the reveal for most of the film's duration.
Like most microbudgets it's a mixed bag in terms of production elements. There's some less than perfect dialogue sound at the beginning of the film, and they didn't have enough HMIs to light the entirety of the desert at night, but considering the reveal, I think that's forgivable in the context of the narrative. Production design is sparse, with most of the film taking place in the desert, but the scene immediately afterward (trying not to spoil anything) was really well put together. It reminded me a little of an iconic shot from the American version of The Ring.
The bright spots are the creature design which looks really rad. It's a menacing silhouette and those hands are definitely spooky. I also really liked Jake White's performance. His delivery is natural and his character is believable and doesn't alienate like some of the other characters. There is a "change" that happens with him. I would have liked to see him stick around as our surrogate anchor. Despite his flaw, he's easily the most likeable character in the film.
I think it's an admirable microbudget. Again, if you want to avoid spoilers, stay away from the IMDb reviews. I guess if you are already reading this though, it's too late.
Exhumed (2011)
Interesting weirdo microbudget movie
It's so weird to read reviews on IMDb. We'll, if it isn't Lynch level, then it is obviously crap?
There's some leeway you certainly need to give to the microbudget cinema that exists out there. If you can't make that distinction simply by watching a film's trailer, I'm not so sure I can trust your review.
That said, it is incredibly rare in my experience to find a microbudget film that I can make it through entirely. It's so tough to watch a production trying to follow the studio horror playbook with far fewer resources. This one tries something different with odd narrative and equally strange performance choices. There's integrity here, and I can respect that.
I do think it has a very niche audience. Artsy horror without a budget is not something I see people applauding regularly online. It's usually something relegated to prospective filmmakers and those who scour the nadir of cinema looking for something of substance. If that sounds like you, Exhumed might be up your alley.