By Melissa Ann
Back in 2013, Alec Gillis (co-founder of special effects company StudioADI) launched a Kickstarter campaign for a movie that was promised to be “in the spirit of two of the greatest sci-fi/horror films of all time, Alien and The Thing” by using only practical effects. Fans went crazy over the idea of a 80s style sci-fi/horror monster flick and made the campaign extremely successful. The concept has come to life and is now available in select theaters and on VoD. Gillis wrote and directed, Tom Woodruff, Jr. (also co-founder of StuidoADI) produced and Lance Henriksen was cast in the starring role. Considering the amazing work StudioADI is known for, plus Henriksen’s vast experience in sci-fi/horror roles, this should have been nothing short of amazing, which is why I’m wondering what exactly went wrong.
The movie begins in 1982 as a Soviet space shuttle comes crashing down to earth in the Arctic Circle. The inside of the shuttle is dripping pink goo and the cosmonauts appear to have something on and under their skin. Skip ahead to 2015, the story follows a crab boat in the Artic ran by Graff (Lance Henriksen) and his crew. Also on board is a group of graduate students, including Graff’s granddaughter Sadie (Camille Balsamo), studying whales for a global warming project. While watching the whales swim below the boat one night, Sadie discovers a large frozen object with a blinking light. The crew brings the object on board and discovers that it’s a Soviet shuttle from the 80s that still holds the deceased cosmonauts. Unsure what to do with it, they lower it under the ship with their crab supply. As luck would have it, the boat gets stuck and the shuttle thaws out, only to let mutated creatures escape and wreak havoc on the crew.
Harbinger Down was meant to be homage to The Thing, but instead feels like a cheesy made-for-Syfy remake. Almost every time a monster came on screen, the lighting was too dim and it was hard to see any defining shape or characteristics. When you did see the effects up close, it was a jumbled mess and nowhere near frightening or interesting. I am beyond disappointed at the lack of gore, especially considering the film’s inspiration. I recently watched The Thing (1982) yet again and I’m still blown away by the practical effects. It was one of the first films that helped release my inner gorehound. I felt like the entire premise of Harbinger was watered down.
I adore Lance Henriksen and I’m always happy to see him on the screen. He brought the gruff attitude and acting that was expected and I did appreciate his character. Sadly, he was the only one I enjoyed throughout the movie. The inexperience among the cast was obvious and I didn’t find myself connecting with any of the characters other than Graff. If the acting and dialogue had been cheesier, it may have been a “so bad it’s good” flick, but it took itself too seriously.
I would love to know opinions of fans that backed the film via Kickstarter. But for this horror gal, it was watchable but didn’t live up to its hype.
Rating: 5/10
