By Forris Day Jr.
I really enjoyed Chemical Burns latest release “Bane”. It has elements from several genres including sci-fi, horror and psychological thriller. It starts off a little slow, but hang in there, because it’s got a good payoff and a really well written twist ending. “The Surgeon” is one creepy killer as he wreaks terror on four people who are held captive for some unknown reason to them. Lots of gore and blood set the scene and leave you asking what the hell is going on…and why? What did they do to be chosen? Why are they being put through this emotional roller coaster? All these questions are answered by the end of this clever movie.
The setting is in a nondescript warehouse with divider walls made of electrified wire with semitransparent plastic. These walls, although very flimsy looking, are quite effective at holding the prisoners from escaping. It’s a maze like structure which adds to the confusion as the “prisoners” are brought to different areas throughout the complex to be interrogated and tortured. Pretty creepy effects too, as the walls of the cells are backlit and we see the shadows of faceless workers walking back and forth behind these simple yet effective dividers.
At first glance you may think this is just another gratuitous torture movie but no, it isn’t that at all. Yes it has torture aspects, but that is not what this movie is about. A very well written script, some very good acting and wonderful camera work all combine to make “Bane” an independent film worth watching.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10…“Open up and say aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!”…
Greetings,
I was wondering if you would like to review a 1 minute horror movie that was written and directed by myself? It’s available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBt3QI_KqNw
I know what your thinking!!! Another bloody zombie movie! Well the good news its not really a zombie movie in the traditional sense as the zombie is more of a symbol of media control of the masses.
Heres the synopsis:
A zombie sits in a dark shed watching TV. He is content with life; smoking cigarettes and drinking booze, while mindlessly flipping through the television channels. However, what happens when the media stranglehold on him is broken and the mindless garbage being played on the TV turns to static?
Anyway I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to pass it on to whomever you may think may appreciate it.
Cheers
Hi,
Thanks for the comment. It’s really not possible to give a fair review to a minute production. I’m defineitly not opposed to reviewing low/no budget movies or shorter tales. I reviewed The Red Balloon which is only 12 minutes long but they were able to create character development, tension, and fear within that timeframe. If you end up making a longer production I’d be happy to review it. For your own knowledge, I did watch it but in the 1 minute it’s impossible to know what was happening. Without the synopsis you offered, I wouldn’t have been able to tell. The Grim Reaper style-creature that touched him outside of the shed was very interesting. You definitely need dialogue, more characters, and depending on what you’re going for (horror comedy or straight up horror) you need to add that to it. I think horror-comedies are the hardest because writing comedy is extremely difficult. What one thinks is funny many think is lame. Shaun of the Dead is the exception to the rule. Generally, we end up with low-budget wannabes which just annoy rather than entertain. To ensure yours doesn’t fall into that category, unless the writer is confident in his comedic skills, I wouldn’t go that route…I’d stick to straight-up horror. You are right that zombies are really overdone – I’ve seen every type of zombie film including the horror-comedy style where they are normalized. I’m personally not a fan of the genre. I know you posted this under Forris – and his answer may be different than mine but as I just put a review up and saw your post, I wanted to make sure you received a response.
I hope you don’t take offense to anything I wrote. It is simply my opinion and I wish you all the luck in the world with all of your endeavors. – All the Best, Melissa Garza