As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
Sometimes you hear the premise for a film and, for some reason, you know that it's going to be something you enjoy. I stumbled across 'It Stains the Sand Red' by pure accident. I'm not even 100% sure now, where I even saw it? All I know, is that it spoke to me in a way that demand it to be watched. I knew little to nothing about who was in it or who made it, all I knew was what the story was about and that it involved zombies. The problem with this method of film watching is that you never know whether your instincts will be correct or if you'll end up wanting the last hour and a half of your life back. In this case, I most certainly did not want my time back. Actually, I couldn't stop thinking about it, after it ended. Something in the story line, just jumped off of the screen and made me want to talk about it. The need to share it with others, was very great. The thing was, I wasn't sure if anyone else would feel the same way about it, that I did? It could be a film that spoke to me on a personal level, that wouldn't translate to others. Either way, I've been dying to talk about it, ever since. Now, with all of that being said, the time is quickly coming upon us, where we'll be releasing our 'Top' lists for 2017. I can already tell you that this film will be on my list. At what place will it land? That remains to be seen. I still have quite a few contenders to watch, before the end of the year. But it's safe to say that this one is nowhere near the bottom and will surely have a spot along side the others on my ever growing list.
The plot is incredibly simple. A man, Nick, and a woman, Molly, are on the road, trying to get to an airfield, in order to take a plane to Mexico. A zombie apocalypse has recently happened and everyone is seeking safety, wherever they can find it. The car gets stuck and they're soon fighting for their lives from a single, solitary zombie, that happens to be wandering down the road where they get stuck. Molly, eventually, finds herself alone and being pursued by the lone undead man. She's about 30 miles from the airfield, only has limited supplies and is under a very short time frame to get there, before the other members of the group, will be leaving. As she's racing for her life, the zombie is continually on her trail. Trapped in the middle of the desert, all she can do is keep going, in the hopes that she'll make it in time.... and alive.
Now, don't let this minimal plot lead you to believe this is a simple film. There is so much more going on. Most of Molly's backstory happens in flashbacks. As she's wondering the wasteland, we learn about the life she had, before this all began. As a character, Molly isn't very likable. One of the great things about this film, is that she goes through a major arc during the second and third act. By the end of the film, you care about her and what she's been through. She also learns a lot about herself. Even big budget Hollywood films, don't have this much character development. Maybe that's why this seemed so smart to me. Because the writer and director didn't have as much to work with, they had to use what they had to make this into something more. Granted, this is far from a perfect film. It still has a lot of flaws and things I could have done without. There's a very unnecessary rape scene, that could have been changed, to still be as effective, but without going the distance. It was a major turning point in the film, but one that could have been done just as effectively without the actual rape taking place. There was also a moment involving a tampon, that was unique (I'll give it that), but that felt a little forced. However, within the context of the character, was not out of place. It actually made sense, that she did what she did. Some of the positives of 'It Stains the Sands Red', involved using the single zombie as a metaphor. Primarily as a way of making Molly realize what it means to be a mother. I know this sounds strange, but once you see the movie, you'll understand. There's also some fun interactions between Molly and 'Smalls' (the nickname she gives the zombie, eventually).
Directed and co-written by Colin Minihan, the man behind 'Grave Encounters' and 'Extraterrestrial'. He's grown a lot in his film making prowess. I've enjoyed his work in the past, but it was fairly obvious that he was still learning his craft. This film is much more mature and shows that he's taken what he's learned and applied it to creating a more complete film. There's also some amazing shots, including some aerial scenes that show the vastness of the desert and remind the viewer what the real danger may be, within the story. It's not only the zombie, but the environment itself. It's hard enough to survive the conditions, in a normal situation, but when you factor in the unstoppable killing machine.... you raise the level of tension and terror. But wait, why doesn't she just kill 'Smalls'? In order to find out the answer to that, you just need to live the experience with her. In the beginning, it's a bit more forced, that the zombie doesn't die right away. However, the reality is that if a normal person was in this situation, they might not turn into the undead killing machine that seems to appear in every other film in the genre. It's a bit more believable than you'd think. 'It Stains the Sands Red' was a really pleasant surprise. I had an inkling that I'd enjoy it, but no where near the amount that I ended up feeling about this film. It's smart, well made, has a good script/story line and the main character has an obvious development that requires kudos for the lead, Brittany Allen. This is a solid 4 out of 5 star film, that I hope will garner a following, in time. I'm also hoping that Colin Minihan continues to make films like this one. The horror genre is growing. It's no longer about cheap jump scares and the desire to create a franchise. With the 'Deathwave' movement, leading the charge, audiences are hungry for stories with more substance. I don't think Hollywood will ever understand this, but one can dare to dream.
If you like this, check out: 'The Battery', 'Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead' and 'Spring'
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