Film Review: SEPTIC MAN (2013)

A town is being evacuated due to a water contamination crisis.  Jack (Jason David Brown) is the local Septic Man just trying to get his pregnant wife Shelley (Molly Dunsworth) to safety when a mysterious man by the name Phil Prosser (Julian Richings) tasks Jack with finding out what is contaminating the water in exchange for financial stability for him and his family.  This is the basis for film Septic Man (2013). 

Jack is a man trying to do well by his family but gets trapped in a septic pit with no way out.  He soon discovers the true terror he is in as the septic pit is crawling with dead bodies and other biological monstrosities.  He is stuck in a cesspool that the longer he remains the more he changes becoming one with the cesspool.  He also soon discovers that this septic pit is the dumping ground of a pair of serial killers who want to keep their hideaway a secret.  As Jack spends more time in the septic pit he starts to lose touch with reality.

Written by Tony Burgess and directed by Jesse Thomas Cook this is a slow building film as it takes its time allowing the audience to watch Jack mental and physical deterioration.  This film is not for everyone.  It’s like an extended version of watching Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle from The Fly (1986) go through his slow transformation for 90 minutes.  The other problem is that it doesn’t really go anywhere for much of the second act as we are simply watching Jack slowly deteriorate and go mad.  The serial killer part of the story is interesting but doesn’t really fit within the confines of the story but it needs something to keep the plot propelling forward or there wouldn’t be much of a film.

This being said, the overall film has great production values and is a visually disturbing concoction (so you gore fans should be pleased).

Film Review: EXISTS (2014)

Director Eduardo Sanchez returns to found footage territory with his latest film Exists (2014).  After becoming an international sensation with The Blair Witch Project (1999) Sanchez kind of laid low for a while directing a few indie films instead of going the Hollywood route.  His films Altered (2006), Seventh Moon (2008) and Lovely Molly (2011) are of particular note but with this latest film he tackles his biggest monster yet – Bigfoot. 

A group of friends venture out to an old property not seen in decades for a little vacation in the Texas woods.  They take along a lot of cameras to film their adventures but they hit a snag when they run over an animal that almost puts their car out of commission.  This doesn’t stop them from continuing to their destination and having a good time.  That good time is short lived as they soon realize that a creature has followed them.  Something big and angry and vengeful and will stop at nothing until they are all dead.

This film follows the same conventions of most other found footage film but Sanchez decides to go the opposite route of his previous film by showing the Bigfoot creature front and center and not hiding it in the shadows.  This is the problem of most other found footage films as they don’t tend to show anything leaving the ghosts or monsters in the shadows; this film has a great looking monster and they aren’t afraid to show it.  This is what sets this film apart from the others especially the other Bigfoot film of 2014 Willow Creek.

Sanchez’ technique as a director and storyteller has improved over the years and he doesn’t take the easy road when it comes to the stories he chooses to tell.  I’ve seen a lot a Bigfoot films over the years (mostly all bad) and not one of them holds a candle o this film.  I’ll trust Sanchez with a found footage film any day.

"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - Week 20: “Adrienne Barbeau is the Queen of Horror”

Week 20: “Adrienne Barbeau is the Queen of Horror”

There are some actors that defy the simple notion of being an exceptional talent.  The characters they craft for the screen defy explanation or categorization.  What they do is breathe life into the words on the page and leave an impression on audience members that can last long after the film is complete.  Sometimes even longer than that.  Growing up I watched a lot of horror and science fiction films and one of my favorite actors became Adrienne Barbeau.  She’s an actor that takes what could have been a simple role and elevate it to something…more.  Watching one of her performances is like being a witness to a five star performance.

I’m sure I saw Barbeau is other films but the first film of hers that made an impression on me was Swamp Thing (1982). It was one of the first comic book films I remember “loving”.  There had been other comic book films before and after but this film was the first that showed me that Barbeau was a tough as come no nonsense kind of a woman against a whole bunch of bad guys and despite being over-run could still hold her own.  She didn’t need a Swamp Thing to save her because she could save herself (but it was nice to know that he always had her back).  She wasn’t just a strong woman but a vulnerable one as well which is why her performance in the film is so endearing.  It’s what saves the film from becoming a complete farce.  The film itself is unfortunately dated and I’m sure director Wes Craven would rather forget he ever had any part in the film but for me it was a film I watched a thousand times over and over again.

This was only the start as the ‘80s belonged to Barbeau and the next film I remember loving her in was actually a comedy in Cannonball Run (1981).  This was another film I watched way more times than I should have growing up but not because of Barbeau but more because of the great many other performers in the film.  Barbeau showed that she had a comedic side as did the entire cast.  She would show this again in one of my all-time favorite films Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) which is one of the most ridiculous good-bad films ever made.  The film is so bat-shit crazy that you can’t help but love it and Barbeau gives another stellar performance because she always plays it straight and never down to the audience.  In this film she’s the leader of a tribe of cannibal women…in an avocado jungle…and yes there is some death, so, if you’ve never seen this film I suggest you search it out.

You can’t mention Barbeau’s name and not mention the films she made with director John Carpenter starting with The Fog (1980).  She spends most of this film trapped in a radio station but it is her voice that carries the film and makes the events happening in the film more personal as she just wants her family safe and there is nothing she can do.  This is completely different from the strong woman she would play in Swamp Thing but it is no more less of an accomplishment.  A precursor to Swamp Thing is her performance in Carpenter’s Escape From New York (1981) in which every character in the film is pretty much a bad ass.  You got to love this woman!

She would play her biggest bad ass in direct Mike Mendez’ The Convent (2000) where she is an unstoppable force of nature with a gun and a motorcycle and all the ammunition she would ever need.  She would take on a different type of bad ass in director George A. Romero and Stephen King’s Creepshow (1982).  Even though her role is small it is pivotal and it shows how much of a diversity of characters that she can play.  She would play something very similar for Romero again in his segment of Two Evil Eyes (1990).  Barbeau is never one to be pigeonholed especially having made a profound impact on audiences with her performance as Ruthie in Carnivale (2003-2005), which is hands down one of my favorite of her performances.  She had two seasons to craft one of her most realized characters.  

Barbeau has not stopped acting as she has had a wide variety of roles that unfortunately I’ve not had the pleasure of watching including lots of television series like Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Revenge, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, Cold Case, Grey’s Anatomy and even 65 episodes of General Hospital.  For those of you thinking that she may have given horror the wave goodbye look no further than these three films which are currently in post-production (or so says IMDB) – Tales of Halloween, Killer: Malevolence 3, and Bring Me the Head of Lance Henricksen.

For you diehard fans (like me) you can also pick up her 2009 book There Are Worse Things I Could Do which was a fantastic read and an inspiring look at this amazing talent.  She also spends time on stage as well (when she’s not on television or in a film).  

Now I’ve barely scratched the surface of this amazing talent (mostly because she’s done more work than I can catch up with) but anyone who doesn’t know of this women should immediately go out there and search for these films (and her book).