Film Review: THE CALLER (2011)

It is rare that I get to view a random horror film that is actually quite good but that is the case with the horror thriller The Caller (2011).  It came across my desk with a DVD cover that was nothing special or of particular interest and the premise wasn’t exactly all that original and so I thought I would be just watching another Black Christmas (1974 & 2006), without the holiday cheer, or When a Stranger Calls (1979).  What I got was a supernatural version of Frequency (2000) which was well done and entertaining and suspenseful. 

Mary Kee (Rachelle Lefevre) has just gone through a troubled divorce with an obsessive husband and has decided to make a complete new start somewhere else.  She rents a little apartment where one of her neighbors George (played by the always entertaining Luis Guzman) is extremely helpful at making her feel welcomed.  Then Mary starts receiving these strange calls from an old woman looking for someone that used to leave in Mary’s place.  At first she thinks that although persistent the old woman is harmless and humors her but when she discovers that the old woman may have killed her husband in that very same apartment Mary gets scared and tries to absolve the conversations with the woman.  But this old woman will not go away quietly as she has the uncanny ability to alter Mary’s apartment, which leads Mary to the discovery that the old woman is from the past and that for some unknown reason she and the old woman have made a connection in which the old woman can alter the future and destroy Mary if Mary refuses to be the old woman’s friend.

Now Mary must play a game of cat and mouse with an old woman with the power to alter her future and she can do nothing about it.

What could have been a simple stalk and slash film becomes a tense psychological thrill ride as you realize that Mary is helpless to the terror of a psychopathic old woman with the means to destroy Mary’s future should she step out of line.  Written by Sergio Caso this is a particularly effective film that may take a few beats to get to the heart of the relationship between Mary and the old woman but it is all paid forward.  Director Matthew Parkhill and actress Lefevre should also be credited for his great direction and her command of the material and performance.  The film is almost exclusively carried by her performance and Parkhill’s ability to create suspense in the minutest of detail and scene.

Don’t let the title The Caller fool you, this is a great film that should note go overlooked.

Film Review: WAR OF THE DEAD (2011)

The walking dead has taken over just about every genre of film from comedy (Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland) to period film (Fido) to action (World War Z) to drama (AMC’s The Walking Dead) and now with war as seen in the film War of the Dead (2011).  Now zombie-war films are nothing new (and you can even call World War Z a modern zombie-war film) but war takes center stage in War of the Dead. 

During WWII a platoon of American and Finnish soldiers are driven into Russian territory where they discover that they have more to worry about than just the enemy as the dead begin to return to the living with a ferocious appetite for the living and for war.  As the platoon’s number dwindles with each invading attack they soon discover the truth about the dead uprising and must decide who their true enemy in this new war is. 

This film is more in the vein of an action film but director Marko Makilaakso knows how to throw in the scary and gore moments (something missing from World War Z) making this the perfect film for gore hounds.  War films don’t always successful mix with the zombie genre but, in my opinion, this film has enough to satisfy.  What may be a detriment to the film is the more elaborate liberties taken with these zombies as they are reminiscent of the undead found in Verses (200) or Dance of the Dead (2008) or the bonkers Day of the Dead (2008) remake that seem to defy gravity and can do supernatural things but I’m a huge fan of Verses and welcome zombies with more menace.

War of the Dead is definitely not for everyone especially those zombie fans who want a little logic to go with their zombie film but if you liked Dead Snow (2009) or Braindead (1992) then you’ll enjoy entering combat in War of the Dead.

Film Review: BLOOD RUNS COLD (2011)

Every once in a while there comes a film that’s so “simple” in its execution that it should be considered a bad film but for some reason becomes what we call a “guilty pleasure.”  Blood Runs Cold (2011) is one of these films for me.  It’s got a very simple premise but the way in which it is executed makes it so much fun to watch. 

The film concerns Winona (Hanna Oldenburg) who is an artist looking to get away from a stressful life.  Her manager rents her a house in the middle of nowhere.  One night away from the house she runs into an old boyfriend and friends of which they decide to go back to her house for a nightcap.  Winona and her friends get more than what they bargained for when they realize that there is something else in the house with them and all it wants it blood.  This hack & slash film should be an easily forgotten film but this killer is an unstoppable force with no reason or method to his madness.  Now Winona must find a way to survive by becoming the hunter instead of the hunted.

Written by Sonny Laguna (who also directs) and David Liljeblad this is a nonstop chase film once the horror truly begins.  There is a short set up of the characters before all hell breaks but once it does Winona is never let off the hook and it becomes an exciting kill or be killed scenario.  There may be no original ideas in Blood Runs Cold but it is a well done film in which the film makers realize that despite the simple premise of the film the execution is exciting and entertaining and that is what will elevate the film above the other cannon fodder out there.  This is a film more for horror fans than the casual viewer as only the fans will enjoy the end result of the film and appreciate it.

Film Review: DONNER PASS (2012)

If you’re a horror fan then you’ve probably already heard about the macabre story of Donner Pass in which George Donner and his party found themselves stuck and stranded in the winter of 1846 and were forced into cannibalism to survive and keep from starving.  The film Donner Pass (2012) takes these events as fact and transports them to modern day times. 

A group of twenty-something decide to take a vacation at a friend’s cabin in the middle of nowhere.  After hearing about a recent murder in the nearby neighborhood they learn that there may be more to the Donner Pass story when they each begin to get killed one by one by a vagrant that may be the descendent of one of the original Donner Party members or even George Donner himself. 

For the most part this is a by the books hack & slash affair that tries to give a supernatural reason for the whole Donner Party incident.  This supernatural angle probably could have worked if introduced earlier in the story but it comes in the third act and just seems tacked on to give the story something different from the standard hack & slash affair but it’s far too late.  You have to get through the first two-thirds of the film in order to get to anything originality in the story.

Director Elise Robertson lacks any particular style with the material but she is given very little to work with.  The hack & slash horror film has been done to death (pun intended) and it is rare when something new is truly attempted which is why these films are so inept.  This being said, the film is not entirely without its entertainment value especially towards the end when the film finally starts to move forward and becomes more interesting.  It’s just not one of those films that leave you with a memorable impression.

Film Review: ISOLATION (2011)

Single location thrillers are nothing new in the horror genre especially with indie films.  It’s rare when one of these films elevates itself above being something other than an easily forgotten waste of time.  Isolation (2011) tries its best to elevate itself above its meager setup and in some respects it does. 

The film concerns a medical student by the name of Amy Moore (Eva Amurri Martino) who wakes up in an isolated hospital room with no memory of how she got there.  All she knows is what Dr. Sloan (David Harbour) tells her which is that she may have contracted some type of unknown contagious disease and that she must stay in isolation until he is able to identify what she may have.  As time drones on and Amy’s strength begins to return to her, she becomes curious with her isolation and wonders if Dr. Sloan is any closer to discovering what is really wrong with her.  As her memory begins to return to her, she discovers that a fellow medical student and friend is in the room next to her.  She learns that Dr. Sloan may be keeping secrets from her and that there is something more nefarious to her isolation.  

Amy’s isolation at first seems necessary but then becomes a nightmare of which she may be partially responsible leading to third act where the tables will be turned on everyone.  What starts off as a simple medical thriller morphs into a psychological horror film with ample amounts of shock and awe.

Written by Chris Billett and directed by Stephen Kay Isolation does a good job of pacing and building upon a story that gives equal amounts of time to all the characters.  Despite the fact of being filmed in mostly a single location, Kay does a good job with not repeating himself.  It also helps that Martino does a great job of carrying most of the film on her own.  Harbour as Dr. Sloan may seem a bit of a one-note character but by the third act his methodology will be revealed and he holds his own.  Also, a supporting turn by character actor Gregg Henry as Amy’s father is a welcomed addition.

The film as a whole may turn off some audiences who want a little more from their indie thrillers but Isolation is a well done little film that while not being ground breaking is a sign that there is quality being turned out.