I gotta tell you, I felt a little bad for this flick. It seemed like it was getting the shaft from Lionsgate, as it got a limited release into second run theatres. But in retrospect, I’m glad it only cost me $3 to see it.
This is your basic ‘guy in the wrong place at the right time’ sort of story involving a photographer who thinks he may know who is behind a slew of missing people. It really doesn’t get much more complicated than that until the last 20 mins or so.
The pros of this film lie solely in the effects and gore. As sick as it may be, my penchant for horror films and the after effect of a slightly jaded sensibility when it comes to gore, I find myself often giggling in delight over how extreme some filmmakers go. It’s a profound appreciation for the work involved in creating those effects. How many times do you get to see an eyeball pop out of the skull and towards the camera, really? If gore is really the only thing you need from a film, this will satiate you.
However, if it’s strong plot and character development you need, you are sorely out of luck. This movie switches gears right near the end, which was a little tiring. Even more tiring was the absolutely lack in likability of the characters. I get it, he’s a photographer who wants to be edgy. That is about as deep as he goes. There’s a very awkward exchange between the photog and his woman. She’s tired of his obsession and says to him “Photograph what you love.” *cry, cry* He responds, equally sappy and looking like a strung out crackhead, “I love you”. Then she proceeds to remove her clothing and he attempts to take pictures, but alas…he can’t. So she runs half naked into the bedroom crying and slams the door.
My reaction was “What the hell?”
If there was an actual relationship built there, then maybe that scene would have played out better. Instead, it was just an uncomfortable moment in the film, trying to understand the dynamic.
I will also say that this film had some of the dumbest folks ever written doing things that you would hope normal people would never consider.
It is a shame as I was holding out hope for this one. See it for the visuals, but don’t expect anything beyond that.