Short Film Review: STRUCTURE KILL (2012)

If you’re a horror film fan then you are very familiar with the scene in the film where a lone woman is walking through a parking garage at night to her car and something awful happens.  This is the basis for the short film Structure Kill (2012) which describes a masked killer who is just having a really bad day. 

A young woman (Genevieve Farrell) walks through a parking garage to her car.  She is spooked by the eerie silence and can’t wait to get into the safety of her car only when she fills gets into her car she is suddenly spooked by the masked killer (Jake Nordwind) waiting to stab her.  All does not go as plan for the killer as he fell asleep in the back seat while waiting for the woman and now must explain his actions to her before he kills her.  What follows is a farce of killer clichés.

For the most part some of the jokes actually do work but the Samara references from The Ring (2002) seem a little out of place and neither Farrell nor Nordwind and pull off the comedy when the jokes fall flat.  This being said it is an interesting concept for a short film.  Directed by Stephen Vitale (who is also the cinematographer and editor) the film looks good as it is confined to a single location for the most part and it moves at a brisk pace leaving no fat on the bone so its short comings are slight at best.

You can watch the film on FearNet here - http://www.fearnet.com/shorts/structure-kill

Book Review: THE RING COMPANION by Denis Meikle

There are good horror films and then there is phenomenon known as Ringu (or more commonly known as The Ring in the US).  What started as a trilogy of novels by Koji Suzuki (i.e. Ringu, Spiral, and Loop) became a Japanese television surprise hit and then the series of feature films (both based on the original first two novels and an extension of the original film) before becoming the Korean hit The Ring Virus and the American version The Ring (and its sequel The Ring Two).  Denis Meikle delves into all aspects of the Ring phenomenon in his book The Ring Companion.

Meikle’s book is not just a breakdown of all the films that are associated with the Ring phenomenon but his book also delves into its place in the larger spectrum of Japan’s history in horror cinema most importantly in the way in which Suzuki’s novel changed the face of the  wronged woman who returns to seek vengeance for her death (and birth of the long black haired ghost made famous in the first theatrical film).

For those who did not know there are two Ring television series (Ring: The Complete Edition, Ring: The Final Chapter), three Japanese theatrical films (Ringu, Ringu 2, Ringu 0: Birthday), the Korean remake – The Ring Virus, two American films – The Ring and The Ring Two, and the two films based on the sequel novel Spiral (Rasen and the television version of Rasen).  The films have grossed over $200 million worldwide and jump started the American remake of Asian films which continues to this day.

Meikle’s book is most effective when it draws parallels from past films and novels while delving into what made Suzuki write the book in the first place.  In fact, Meikle spends the majority of the first third of the book explaining the history of Japanese horror cinema (and its most influential films) in order to put the success of the Ring franchise in perspective for the reader.  For those who love the Ring films this book will be an eye opener as Meikle puts all the films into perspective as well as takes each of them apart both for the good and the bad.