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 see something. You don't know what the hell it is or what was going on the entire time, but you still enjoyed it. That's how I would describe the experience I just had called, 'The Void'. It was a visual feast for the eyes and a creature features lovers wet dream. Now, I've never put myself in the category of creature feature lover, but I can't deny a certain affinity for films like 'Splinter'. This one, however, was in a different category. Much more akin to something like 'Hellraiser' and 'Baskin' than anything else. Mix in some elements of 'The Sacrament' (minus the found footage angle) and a bit of Cronenbergian body horror and you get a general idea as to what you're in for. As you can tell, the film defies a genre classification, which is a good thing. Far too often, as a lover and reviewer of horror movies, you tend to see the same things repeated over and over. It can make you jaded and apprehensive in undertaking yet another film. However, the love of the genre, keeps you coming back for more. Hoping that with each journey you take, that the next one might be the next modern masterpiece. I don't know that I'd put 'The Void' into that category, but it certainly stands head and shoulders above the majority of what's out there these days. Something that we don't see very often: bold, unflinching, non-CGI based horror, that isn't afraid to take risks. There was so much going on, that I can't really single out any one thing to talk about. Yet, there was such a simple story line that it's almost stupid at how it begins and ends within a 12 hour period. (I assume) If you haven't had the chance to witness this modern day throwback, then do yourself a favor and go watch this now. I'll wait. But be warned, if you have a tendency to get queasy, this may not be the one for you.
As I just stated, the story is fairly simple. A police officer (played by Aaron Poole) finds a man by the side of the road. Realizing he may be injured, he takes him to the nearest hospital. Upon arrival, we see that this particular one is rather run down and abandoned, after a fire had occurred. With only two other patients, including a pregnant girl and her father, the skeleton crew of a staff begin to assess the situation. When one of the nurses murders the only other patient, the police officer tries to stop her. After she removes her face and is shot, we soon realize there may be more going on than we originally thought. The police officer is soon joined by another law man. He goes out to his car to radio in what's happened and is attacked by a hooded figure with a hunting knife. He runs back inside and everyone realizes that the entire hospital has been surrounded by these hooded figures. The dead nurse then is reborn as some kind of hell creature and the trapped survivors are joined by two men, who seem to know what's been going on. They also realize that the figures aren't trying to come in, they're trying to keep them from going out. Everything quickly spirals out of control, as what started as an evening of chaos, decends into a hellish nightmare, that they may not wake up from.
Written and directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski, the duo behind 2011's 'Father's Day'. They've pulled elements from several of their favorite 80's genres to create a tale of ancient evil and dark creatures. John Carpenter would be proud of the creature effects, as they're on par with the special effects magic we saw in his classic, 'The Thing'. They also created incredibly memorable visuals, with the hooded figures and the transformed Dr. Powell. Not too mention that the sequences near the climax of the film and the closing shot, are some of the most impressive I've seen in a non-Hollywood based film. It makes you wonder how they achieved so much, without the aid of big budgets and big pockets. That's a credit that they should be given, as far too often, we see films that promise things that they never seem to pull off in the end. 'The Void' not only wrote several checks for large amounts, but had the audacity to cash them and pay us all back, with interest. I have had too many movies, like this, where it started out strong, but ended with a pitiful groan at the end. This started out simple and slow, but built to a fever pitch and made your jaw drop at the end. Maybe it's a bit ambiguous with what happens to our main characters and how it ends, however I don't see that as a negative. The only thing that could cheapen my feelings on this film, would be if they made a sequel. This needs to remain as a stand alone monolith to all the things we love about horror. Yes, it's that good.
I'm continuing to add more titles to my ever growing list of 'The Top 13 Horror Films of 2017' and this one just earned a spot. I don't know how it will hold up to repeat viewings, but I have a feeling that I'll just find more things in it, that I missed on the first go around. Why do I say this? Because I was simply trying to keep up with everything that was happening, as it was happening, while holding my breath. It was intense. Let's put it that way. 'The Void' earns a very strong 4 out of 5 stars and is something I would recommend to any fans of real horror. This has already made it's way onto many critics top 10 lists for the year and deserves all of the love and adoration it's been given. Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski have contributed something unique and original to the lexicon and built a world that I don't want to live in, but would enjoy visiting again. I still, even after writing this review, am trying to puzzle out all the things I saw. It was a visceral film going experience that threw me for a loop. If you have the time to sit down and watch 'The Void', do it uninterrupted and with the lights off. Turn the sound off, make sure it's dark out and finish your dinner first. This one is something that has to be seen to be believed.
If you like 'The Void', check out: 'Hellraiser', 'Splinter' and 'The Thing'
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