Film Review: WE ARE STILL HERE (2015)

There are no such things as evil houses, just evil people, which is what we are always told but that is not the case in We Are Still Here (2015) which follows Anne and Paul Sacchetti (Barbara Crampton and Andrew Sensening, respectfully) who rent a New England home to get over the death of their child.  They’re not long in the house before they start experiencing strange things leaving them to believe that maybe their child has returned to them somehow. 

Their friends May and Jacob Lewis (Lisa Marie and Larry Fessenden, respectfully) show up and they all decide to have a night on the town not realizing the strange glares they get from the locals.  It seems that Anne and Paul’s appearance at the strange house has been orchestrated and that they are part of a nefarious ritual that occurs every thirty years when the spirits of the house need to feed.   Now Anne and Paul must decide whether or not it’s more important to find a way to be with their child or survive the fate that lies before them.

The film has a very interesting premise and a great cast but it’s a slow burn with lots of exposition.  Unfortunately, this is one of those films that you actually don’t want to be a slow burn as it spends too much time on characterizations.  This being said the film has a fine cast and it’s always great to see Fessenden chew on the scenes.  It’s also another welcomed appearance from Crampton as well as a distraught mother who embraces the paranormal.  She’s been gone from the horror scene for far too long and it’s good to know that she’s back.

There are some great moments to be had in the film but it just takes its time getting there.  If you’re willing to take your time with the film then it will be worth it as the climax is a bloody good mess.

Film Review: POD (2015)

Martin (Brian Morvant) is out hunting with his dog when he encounters something in the woods that kills his dog.  He isn’t given much time to be shocked as something out of the woods attacks him and thus begins Pod (2015).  

 

Ed (Dean Cates) and his sister Lyla (Lauren Ashley Carter) decide to go to their brother Martin’s house because Ed got a cryptic message from him.  Ed believes that his brother is in trouble and that it’s time for another intervention but when they get there they realize that Martin has completely shut himself in his house and has someone or something locked up in the basement.  As Ed and Lyla try to bring reason to Martin’s crumbling world they start to see and experience things that are abnormal and have them believing that Martin may not be as crazy as he first seemed and the thing in the basement is something unlike anything they’ve ever encountered before.

Written and directed by Mickey Keating, Pod is an interesting concept built around a family intervention and a possible alien and sci-fi premise.  The problem is that it’s just not an interesting film which is surprising considering that it comes from the Larry Fessenden camp who is reliable with indie horror films (he makes an appearance in this film as well).  The problem with the film is that the characters just aren’t interesting, which is a problem with a film that relies on its three main characters to carry the whole thing.  The biggest travesty is that Carter is under used in this film.  She’s such a commanding presence in The Woman (2011) and Jug Face (2013) that it’s a shame all she does in this film is wine and cry and play scared throughout the entire running time.  

Pod is a film that had potential but instead ends up a mediocre time waster of which you will have seen better.

Film Review: BIRTH OF THE LIVING DEAD (2013)

There is nothing that hasn’t been said about director George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968).  It is one of the most successful and influential horror films ever made especially in terms of forever changing the zombie genre.  Its influences can be felt in the modern day zombie culture (i.e. AMC’s The Walking Dead) so it’s no surprise that there is yet another documentary on the making of the film.  Birth of the Living Dead (2013) is written, directed, and edited by Rob Kuhns and chronicles the genesis of Romero’s film through the chaotic and Vietnam war-torn time of American History.  

 

Kuhns’ film focuses on Romero’s inspiration for how the film was made as well as the economic reasons for why it was made.  He takes care in his interview with Romero to get at the beginning of Romero’s career before embarking on NOTLD as his first feature.  This is key for many audiences who have never heard of the story of how Romero and company cobbled together the funds to produce the film.  There were so many things working against Romero and his crew that it was a miracle the film was ever finished much less saw theatrical release.

Kuhns does tread over a little info already made available to the public through the plethora of other documentaries on NOTLD but he stays more towards the political climate of the film as well as how it informed and was informed by the period of history in which it was made.  It was the time of the Vietnam War and there was social rights upheaval (the film was being shopped around to distributors right after the announcement of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.) that would forever be associated with the meaning of the film due to the uncommon conventions on display in the film.  The film’s main lead Ben was an African American, he slaps a Barbra (a white woman) at one part in the film, and Ben is shot by a posse at the end of the film mistaken as a ghoul.  These are but a sampling of the interpretations put upon the film which has had a lasting effect on its legacy.

At a brief 76 minutes Birth of the Living Dead does an excellent job of covering the genesis of NOTLD not only from Romero but a large sampling of people associated with the film and people whom were influenced by the film most notably producer Gale Anne Hurd (of The Walking Dead), director Larry Fessenden, and many, many more.  This is a welcomed addition to the legacy that is NOTLD and zombie culture in general.