I also recall buying tickets for the film "Wicked Little Things", because in my hometown they weren't showing the full cinema-run of all eight films. I went with a few friends who were also horror fans, in the mindset that 'Oh, this film involves creepy, possibly-possessed children'. As any horror fan will tell you, creepy kids rank up there with mongoloids and unmarked shortcuts on the Thrill-O-Meter; if they're in the film, you're in for at least a mediocre good time.
Usually.
I remember that film being a complete waste of time, a total piece of schlock, and I walked out of the cinema not even angry, just... disappointed. I felt misled. That film wasn't 'too extreme' for theaters, it was too crap and was unable to find a distributor willing to shell out the bucks to promote it. Still, I remained optimistic and rented the rest of the run of those first films... And every single one fell short of its promise. The second run was better, but still a long way from good, and the third... well, it included a direct-to-DVD sequel to The Butterfly Effect, if that gives you any inclination.
However, despite my inherent and oft-vocalized dislike for the Twilight phenomenon, I am indeed a firm Jackson Rathbone fan. If the Twilight films included a single five-minute shot of Jackson sitting there playing with a straw wrapper, I'd go see every one of them in theaters, probably twice. It isn't just his good looks, which are considerable, or his acting chops, which ironically outshine everyone else in the lackluster cast; there is a charisma about this young man that calls to mind a male equivalent of someone like Thora Birch. Jackson sticks to independent films with controversial subject matter, and he can command a shot and eat up scenery like nobody's business. So when I found out that he was the star of the film Dread coming out in this latest batch of '8 Films to Die For', I decided to give it a go on my Netflix queue.
What can I say about Dread without turning into a rabid fanatic?
...it's everything a horror film SHOULD be.
And it may easily be the best psychological film I've seen in years.
Part of this can be accredited to the concept, which comes from the second volume of Books of Blood by Clive Barker. Yes, Clive Barker, the sick fuck who brought us such delights as Hellraiser, Candyman, Lord of Illusions, The Midnight Meat Train, Nightbreed, and a whole slew of other brilliantly-conceptualized stories that've been adapted into films. Dread is no different; it has the same sly, cunning wit that is trademark to Clive's work, yet is brutal enough to make even the most steel-hearted audience member cringe. The terror is not merely a freak with a hacksaw or a businessman who slays hookers by night; this is more carnal, more primitive, getting to the root of mortal fear by addressing the actual cause of the sensation 'dread'.
Still, I've seen films with brilliant scripts that were hard to sit through. So then let's discuss the director, Anthony DiBlasi. Checking out his IMDB won't do you much good; everything else he's done is tied up in post-production, and every single project, interestingly enough, links back to Clive Barker. The two have formed a very tight partnership, and DiBlasi is also helming the Hellraiser remake as well as an upcoming Tortured Souls project. I will say that before Dread, it would've taken me a lot of resignation to see my beloved Hellraiser remade... but if this man is behind the lens, I'll be there opening night. That should speak volumes to the powerful directing in this film. The movie is shot beautifully, with powerful scenes that are well-lit, with immaculate set design and perfect choices for transitions. You honestly cannot tell that this film was an independent feature; it is lovely, and looks better on a screen than some recent big-budget Hollywood-backed films I've seen in latter days.
Now let's move on to the special effects. One word, or possibly two--- 'cringe-inducing'. In the good way, not the 'we can see the wires' way. The few CGI scenes in the film are very few and far between, and tastefully done; they are blended with a real FX artist's work to make a seamless transition, and you could almost swear they aren't CGI at all. Most of the effects used involve an actual layman with prosthetics, squibs, gallons of blood, and peeling latex; this is a dying art in the technology age and it's beautiful to see. The film isn't especially gory throughout, which is actually a nice change. Most films these days that call themselves 'horror' think that if they throw a few buckets of red corn syrup on someone it's 'scary'. DiBlasi understands that fear is much more than gore, and he uses that to the utmost of its potential. Still, the effects are phenomenal, and completely believable. At no point did I call bullshit, and I'm a sucker for a good makeup job.
Perhaps the most important part of any film is the cast, so let's discuss. I've already professed my love for Jackson Rathbone, but allow me to expand and be more diplomatic. In this film, Jackson plays a young college filmmaker named Stephen Grace. Stephen is shy, painfully awkward, and yet completely endearing; his Robert Smith hairdo and trendy college goatee make us believe that he is the quintessential odd-man-out who is trying to fit in and find his niche in the social heirarchy of his school. One day in his psychology class, Stephen encounters an intense young man named Quaid who invites him out for drinks to discuss their upcoming class project. Quaid is portrayed beautifully by Shaun Evans, who channels a younger and much more psychotic Jeff Conaway--- I've never seen Shaun in anything else, but he has a rare smoldering ferocity in his delivery that sells you on anything that comes out of his mouth. Rounding out the cast are the females--- the cynical and sexy Cheryl Fromme is played by Hanne Steen, and Laura Donnelly is cast as Abby, the beautiful and sweet girl who is disfigured by a dark birthmark that runs the entire length of her body and causes her daily distress and social problems. This cast delivers in a way that is so RARELY seen in current horror cinema; every single one of them brought their 'A' game to this film with flying colors.
The film follows Stephen, Quaid and Cheryl as they embark on a quest to interview people around their campus to find out what they're most afraid of. It is learned through these interviews that Stephen's older brother died in a drunk driving accident many years before, leaving Stephen afraid of losing control, and Cheryl was molested by her abbatoir-worker father, which caused her to become a hardcore vegetarian who can't even stand the sight or scent of meat. The darkest secret by far belongs to Quaid, who witnessed as a child his entire family slaughtered by an axe murderer who remains at large to this day. As the interviews progress, Quaid becomes obsessed with finding the 'true' nature of fear, getting to the most base instinct that causes people to feel true dread; he calls it 'facing the beast', and he decides to take matters into his own hands and force others to face their fears in an attempt to see how far their psyche will allow them to stretch before it snaps under the terror. This begins a series of impossibly brutal, horrific experiments on the people whose stories impacted him the most, and ends in a breathtaking finale that will leave the audience sitting there with their jaws on the floor.
Honestly, I have no idea how this film didn't get wider buzz, particularly with Rathbone tied in; his Twilight connection alone probably guaranteed this a high number of rentals. However, I'd pay money to be in the room when any number of those sweet sparkly-vampire-loving girls puts in this DVD and is treated to the terrifying twists and turns of this psychological thriller. Dread is everything a horror afficianado can come to expect and hope for from a scary movie, and yet it's not specifically targeted to a demographic the way many films in this genre are. There are no wink-wink-nudge-nudge insider jokes, no recurring tropes, no played-out cliches. The most stereotypical thing in the entire film is Quaid's fear of the rogue axe murderer, and the subsequent hallucinations he sometimes suffers; beyond that, everything in this movie is fresh, original, and put together incredibly well.
All in all, go rent Dread. If you want something that'll make your pulse pound and your stomach twist, this is the film for you. THIS is horror too extreme for theaters; THIS is something not for the faint of heart. Finally, After Dark Horrorfest lived up to their promise.
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