| Overall Grade: |
C |
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| Story: |
B |
|
|
| Acting: |
C |
|
|
| Direction: |
D+ |
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|
| Visuals: |
D+ |
|
|
As you sew so shall you reap...
by Michael (movies profile)
Jan 23, 2008
1
of
1 people found this review helpful
Somewhere in here lurks high-caliber film. It just got lost on presentation. The flaws don't lie within the story, as the story is a pretty standard, yet effective, backwater ghost story. Well, zombie story, in this case, which usually (not always) knocks quality of a storyline down a hefty grade. The film quality, texture and lighting were on par for the big screen, as was the sound editing, save the cheesy rock tune at the credits (why, God, are they still doing this? Ugh! Its not 1989 anymore!!). The biggest miscue lies in the direction of visuals. One early, seemingly trivial, yet detrimental err happens about a half hour in, and the whole story loses quality and credibility. If you're the director, you probably know where this is going... Why the close-ups of the baddies so early? The make-up was disappointing and the whole effect afterwards just kinda fizzled kinda like a made for T.V. miniseries rather than a theater-quality release. I mean, its really hard to fear their cute little faces and chubby cheeks (and they blinked, for cripessakes! What zombie still needs to blink?! Uh boy. We're in for another dud from the After Dark Horrorfest.)! After that point, I was trying to find reasons to like the film, rather than sifting a pretty good scary movie for bad points. Just like in 'The Descent', but much worse here, after the creatures (again, zombies, in this case) the tension just pales to what it was the very minute beforehand. They should have left the baddies shadowed up until the end, ala the original 'The Fog'. The flashing lightning in the barn rafters at the end I believe would have made an excellent way to deliver this final effect...both chilling and stark, but concealing the meager makeup. Another thing while I'm at it, the first distant shots of the zombies running through the foggy woods was great! Why not keep them like that? As a pack, the baddies were more noticeable, and thus more avoidable. I think the fright factor would've been greater if they were peppered throughout the hillside. My opinion. Some aerial shots would have aided the seclusion factor nicely, too.
This is my last of seven films released on dvd recently from the 2006 '8 Films To Die For', and in retrospect, the whole thing is definately a scam. Not a single one of these films was too shocking or too disturbing for general audiences. They aired for a weekend only so to avoid criticism and rejection. Frankly, I'm dissappointed. At least I know where I WON'T be for the 2007 Horrorfest Weekend. |
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