The film takes place long before Mars colonization. An ordinary doctor of a local hospital, without any Sumerian plates, with a slight waving of his hand opens the portal to hell. This experience can only be repeated by Dr. Betrouger on Mars, many years from now. Short prequel to the duuma. Well, you can think of what the hell is going on there, because the plot does not explain it much :
I was fascinated by the dark forest around the hospital. Outback, and pines, somewhere beyond civilization, Massachusetts.
In the sky patted goats, figures in white robes create their coven, and the sky illuminates flashes. I like this world. Human reality rejects the miracle as a fact. But this does not mean that miracles do not happen, just they are not expressed in the way that sleepy guardians of the law are used to. The hospital wing was eaten by a nightmare, following Christ on the wall of the hospital room, reality itself descends into irrational planes. I had the opportunity to watch the plot proceeding with the concept of desher, but, by the will of the gloomy genius Howard Lovecraft, granting me a contemplation of the world of darkness in this theater of horror.
The dull evening of a law enforcement officer is overgrown with miasmas of secret knowledge, against the will of the latter of course. Constable, if he was smarter, would leave the state far away, but fetal temper, decency, and the honor of the uniform do not allow this. Conceptually very cool, except for references to the imperishable John Carpenter, the overwhelming atmosphere of despair, and the approaching furry animal. And also, cultists, cultists, cultists.
On the one hand, a typical showdown in the backwaters, and if you dig deeper, then a vivid example of vision of artist. The special view of the director on the process, and the love for authentic jokes add to the sharpness of sensations. For Void is rich in the panopticum, not only of traditional sectarians, but also of the unknown creatures in the style of the aforementioned Lovecraft, and with it the womb of Nietzschianism, with a pronounced denial of God, and other gloomy philosophy. Conceptually above all praise, and the spirit of the old school is present, and the parade of attributes creeps in an endless stream. In short, epic, dark, colorful.
Very interesting horror with a Lovecraft theme. Everything is as it should be according to the recipe: cultists are, monsters are, the abyss of chthonic horror is also present.
Yes, the plot of “The Void” is simple, and the script does not twist. However, if you plan to unload the horror of everyday life from your shoulders and not to soar over all sorts of smart-scary and scary-smart movies like “Reincarnation”, then “Empty” – right here is a super – the version of kintz for the evening.
Despite the plot, the film turned out to be interesting and integral. Heroes, though clichéd, but very charming, and unknown monsters turned out to be quite solid and creepy!
Naturally, in the “Empty” there are nasty moments, although I did not see anything directly sharp and hiccups leading to it (it is clear that the “frightening threshold” is different for everyone).
In general, I recommend this undeservedly deprived of attention (and rating on Kinopoisk) film for easy viewing and cool pastime!
Before viewing, there may be a reasonable concern about the quality of the film. More or less well-known studios unfamiliar duo directors did not support, among actors and actresses, one Ellen Wong pleased us ('Scott Pilgrim against all' Forev) whether there were enough opportunities and resources to create the promised monsters straight from the nightmares of Howard Lovecraft. The head is crazy, but among such crafts you can find something remarkable. Looking ahead, let’s say that it all happened. We got a very good job!
Many have already noted that for all the cheapness and cameramanship with the armed eye, it is noticeable that the directors Jeremy Gillespie and Stephen Kostansky really tried to squeeze something out of the not very remarkable plot. Squeeze thanks to an overly intimidating atmosphere and the most creepy creatures. Practical makeup just fights hard. With such a huge warmth, I immediately remembered our all-time favorite and creepy ' Something' John Carpenter. These unimaginable images turned out to be delightful, I did not even want to demand more.
One such and such a fat plus was enough to consider the film deeply liked. Yes, the script does not shine with striking originality, but this is not necessary, since the horror that is happening closely does not lend itself to consistent logical argumentation. In connection with 'Emptiness' still perfectly remembers the ridge 'Through the horizon' from the late nineties. There, too, was a noble devil in a closed space. Those Jeremy Gillespie and Stephen Kostansky, who did not perform any functions during filming. .
Due to the serious approach to the creation of the Movie and the serious situation within the Movi itself, the tongue does not turn to call ' Empty' a glorious cracker or a dissolute weakling. This is the message of the film: no matter how much you turn your mind to its fullest, it will be painfully difficult to achieve understanding. It is only necessary to accept chaos as a given, remaining in complete ignorance, like many characters of the same writer. If it gets boring, wait until the end to get a surprise. The heavens will unfold. Tentacles. .
If you look at this movie from a mass viewer’s point of view, it sucks. There is no romance, no long entanglement, no scrimers, no esoteric mud, no deep psychology. I mean, nothing at all. But if you look from the point of view of a fan of fantastic horror and Lovecraftian aesthetics, it is almost a masterpiece. ' Void' shot in the best traditions of those films that are indicated in the recommendations. This is a very brutal and heavy picture. Every hour and a half there is a tense action, there is no respite. Of course, this is a chamber horror, but the monotony and budget is not felt thanks to the competent rotation of the scenery. Monsters also look great, completely uncomic and terribly disgusting, the influence ' Feels very strong. Well, the topic itself is of course classic: a mad scientist opens the entrance to our world to ancient terrifying forces.
Yes, in general, this film is lame, but it is clear that both the authors and actors worked very hard and knew what they were doing. I especially note very competent lighting, which gives the picture atmosphere and style. The whole movie is eating and killing someone, which is pretty hard to watch, and the ending is very creepy and metaphysical, but cool. The film can be called meaningless, but in this context it looks even a plus, since the absurdity of what is happening seems to convey the idea that a creature from emptiness does not belong to this world and does not obey its logic.
In short, for connoisseurs of this specific subgenre, this is a great find. The picture is clearly not for everyone, and asks pepper even fans the theme of otherworldly monsters. Personally, I liked it, although of course the creators lacked the budget and professionalism to fully implement their ideas.
8 out of 10
I don’t understand the people who criticize this film. I’ve watched almost all the film adaptations and pseudo-lovecraft films that there are, I can say with confidence – this is perhaps one of the best. Why do people watch Lovecraut films? Rada suspense, atmosphere, jumping around the corner of monsters? No! For the sake of tentacles, cosmic despair and portals to other worlds from which the abyss itself looks at you. Is it that hard to understand? Why should I watch school for two hours on bikes, for five minutes, cosmic horror, like in "It." Fortunately, the director of this picture understands the material with which he works, and after a short introduction, brings to the viewer a sensory overload of the sick fantasies of Uncle Howard.
Separately, I want to praise the special effects - I have already forgotten what normal animatronic monsters look like. Fortunately, the creators coped with this topic with a hurrah - it is not a monster that scares, but the situation in which the main characters find themselves. So after the phrase "We're in hell," you can't help believing the character who said it. It is not recommended for people who do not understand what I am saying. And for those of you who are in the subject, my assessment is
“It was some abyss ... the abyss ... the embodiment of universal horror!”
Sit down comfortably, because you are in a horror attraction called the Abyss! Don’t forget to wear a button around your neck. Two chefs Kostansky and Gillespie have prepared for you a special dish in which: a little blood, a little dark shadows mixed with an alarming shimmering light, monstrous monsters seasoned with madness and a whole abyss of darkness. You will find an exciting journey through the damp and dark tunnels in one very warm place, where you will find a very cold reception.
You witness an incident in which Patrolman Daniel Carter discovers a bleeding stranger crawling along a deserted forest road. Carter takes the victim to a nearby hospital where Carter's wife, Allison, works as a nurse. Most of the staff were evacuated after the fire. And the remaining staff and patients of the clinic are direct participants in the current extraordinary situation, in which they are all hostages.
Meet the local hospital wards and their crazy residents. But be careful, because right next door, there are convinced sectarians - ministers of the cult, demanding new victims for their bloody rituals. And you seem to have caught their attention. But first, say hello to the tentacle of unimaginable ugly creatures, because the next station is Terrible Metamorphosis. Beautiful music of darkness pours into your ears, from Lustmord and the company, who, whistling their monotonous drilling “dancing”, dance with Morricone and Carpenter, immersing you in a dark and oppressive atmosphere, that other world, from the abyss of which ugly tentacles of horror of the unknown, so real that you can disappear without a trace.
Writers and directors Steven Kostansky and Jeremy Gillespie made a stunning film. Canadian independent film The Void was created with the help of crowdfunding – voluntary donations through the Internet. However, the translators gave it a number of other names: “Empty” and “Nothing”. Let these titles sound as capacious and spectacular in Russian, but do not convey the information that the authors of the film wanted to convey to the viewer. By the way, one-voice translation is a ridiculous triumph of unprofessionalism.
The film “The Abyss” is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Despite borrowing individual templates from classic horror films, this film is absolutely unconventional. Do you know a lot of movies that use so many templates and don’t look ridiculous? That's what I mean. Even just to combine all the elements together, not everyone is given, and only a few can make something original out of it. The authors of the film are among them. Using a dark atmosphere of horror, musical accompaniment in the style of dark ambient, they created an action-packed journey into the Lovecraft universe. A movie with an unpredictable plot, the open finale of which, with its oppressive understatement, leaves many questions, among which - What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of a loved one?
Randolph Carter
In fact, this anthem is not so much for horror films of the end of the last century and for Carpenter in particular, but rather for the hero of Lovecraft’s works – Randolph Carter! And everything else serves only as a beautiful entourage, in the form of an attraction for fans of cult horror films. And this attraction is extremely good, as a tribute to the classics of the genre, and the creation of a collection of the best things in its unique performance. But this is just an addition, and the basis is the story of Randolph Carter, to which the authors of the film unequivocally hint to the viewer with the name of the main character - Carter. Throughout the film, there are parallels with many works by Lovecraft, the main character of which is Randolph Carter: “In Search of Kadat the Unknown”, “Gates of the Silver Key”, “Unnamed”, etc. Moreover, the character of Carter is displayed both in the image of the main character and in the image of his antagonist. By the way, the phone conversation scene is a reference to Lovecraft’s story “The Randolph Carter Testimony.” And the story of the writer-visionary was a free retelling of a terrible dream that Lovecraft dreamed, as he reported in one of the letters to his friend. The cool thing is that the authors, using this scene, praise Lovecraft, and suggest that the whole concept of the film is one big and terrible nightmare. So sticky, so attractively mysterious, and at the same time so confused and vague, but such a real and such a terrible nightmare. These are the moments of awakening from sleep, when you do not yet realize what is real and what is not. When consciousness is most defenseless. When you wake up in sweat with a silent cry on your lips, was it a dream? A real nightmare, in which unimaginable creatures appear, without any explanation, where the behavior of the characters (father and son) is not always clear, as if part of their relationship history was cut out during editing for the sake of preserving the dynamics of the narrative. Using such an amazing concept, the filmmakers manage to hide all their shortcomings and small financial opportunities, creating something beyond the limits, in terms of visualizing the irrational horror that is beyond the edge and using classic special effects, in the form of makeup and animatronics, which are more realistic than any computer graphics. It is not clear whether any mistakes were made or whether everything was done intentionally. And if such questions arise, then the whole nightmare illusion has succeeded.
The Abyss
Kostansky and Gillespie managed to walk along the razor blade, bringing together all the images and developments of eminent authors and, at the same time, add something of their own to them, thereby developing these ideas, taking them to a completely new level. With the help of creating an oppressive atmosphere of mystical horror, paranoid psychosis and the constant presence of something alien from this world, the filmmakers created a genuine premonition of the impending and imminent Abyss, which has already opened its mouth to absorb everything that comes into contact with it.
Moreover, the filmmakers, putting all this eclectic horrors together and showing footage of the heavenly vortex, create an impressive image of Yog-Sotot himself! Yes, it is he who is beyond the edge (Hidden on the Threshold), the all-knowing Yogi-Sothot at the same time embodying the All-in-One and the One-in-All, containing space, time and the entire boundless universe. And this is a new word in the genre of Lovecraftian horrors! The authors surpassed the classics of the genre. More precisely, they received the banner of “Terror and Fear” from their teachers, and, singing praises in honor of their mentors, walked over their heads (climbed their skulls), reaching the mountain peak, to the top of the unknown Kadat – the source of all inspiration. And with cosmic sincerity and incredible reverence played the anthem with the help of an improvised shuffle instrument, paying homage to his unimaginable tribute, the writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
A film that no one can beat for a long time. Over time, the film “The Abyss” will become a cult in a narrow and secret circle of limited people who are not people at all, but alien crustaceans, who put their terrible claws the highest ratings for this film.
10 out of 10
As always, everyone looked, but almost no one saw or understood what they saw. Including translators who gave us the humongous title 'Empty' or even ' Nothing'.
Dear ones, The Void is not some emptiness, it is the Abyss. This is the dwelling place of the Great Ancients, whom I heard from the corner of my ear, and what I heard in horror was recorded by the unforgettable H. F. Lovecraft. Thank goodness he was mentioned here.
This is a prophecy film about what can happen if the lid is knocked out at the bottom of the worlds and its inhabitants rush here. If so, this film will be considered a documentary.
The abyss has thrown many grains here into our world. If you take the cinema, then the best samples will be such masterpieces as 'Something', 'In the mouth of madness', ' True Detective Season 1', ' Event Horizon', ' Cabin in the Woods', ' End of the Way', 'Dagon', the list can be carefully supplemented if desired.
' The Void' will also occupy a worthy place on the shelf, where for the time being the breaths of another world, alien to everything we know, are stored.
Take care of yourself, loved ones and your small cozy world. It's safe here for now. .
Given the fact that in our time really high-quality and interesting horror films come out much less, movie lovers with nostalgia remember the horror of the 1980s. Then there was a real dawn of the genre. Every year, filmmakers surprised the audience with original paintings. And here on this nostalgia for low-budget horror films and try to play two aspiring Canadian directors Jeremy Gillespie and Stephen Kostansky.
The picture from the very beginning bribes with its stylization for the cinema of the 1980s, it is felt literally in every frame. I must pay tribute to the authors, they are trying to take the viewer a terrible atmosphere, and not the usual in recent times, screamers, which except irritation and do not cause anything. I can't say they're good at it, but it's not a bad attempt. The film is shot the old-fashioned way, with minimal computer graphics. Artists and make-up artists did their job well and presented many images of creepy monsters, disgusting and disgusting.
The sophisticated viewer easily recognizes the sources of inspiration for the directors who guided them in the creation of their film. The picture is made in the best traditions of Lovecraftian horrors. It directly quotes the work of John Carpenter. The film not only contains a bunch of references to the works of the cult director, but also directly copies some scenes from the films "Prince of Darkness" and "Something". In addition, there are references to the tapes "The Fly" David Cronenberg and "The Risen from Hell" Clive Barker, as well as to the story Stephen King "Fog". It is evident that the directors are big fans of the old school and try to imitate more eminent authors.
Unfortunately, the film has too many problems. The most important thing is the script. Apparently, the authors decided to fit all their ideas in an hour and a half of screen time, because of which a strange mess of everything and everything came out. Everything is too confused and poorly worked out. After viewing a huge number of questions, the answers to which we have never received. It's very damaging. If the film has a deep meaning, it is completely justified not to give the viewer the whole picture of what is happening, but in low-budget horror this technique does not work.
The acting game doesn’t stand out either. Actors try, but in places terribly overplay, although it does not cause irritation. The picture cannot boast of famous names. Small timekeeping does not allow to reveal the presented images, and there are many of them in the picture. Because of this, it is difficult to worry and sympathize with the main characters.
The void is a nostalgic immersion in the world of old-school horror films. Magnificent stylization for the eighties, eerie atmosphere and cool visual solutions, significantly distinguish this project from the general background. But the lack of originality, unfinished script and ragged narrative does not allow the film to become something special.
5 out of 10
“Emptiness” is a love letter to all film maniacs, horror lovers of the 80s, when the directors of these very horror films could do truly extraordinary things. Inspired by the works of John Carpenter and David Cronenberg, as well as adding a pinch of Lovecraft, the creators of this tape pay their respects to the masters. And I confess, despite some mistakes, my fanatic soul rejoices at what he saw.
During a night patrol, police sheriff Daniel Carter stumbles upon an injured stranger who urgently needs medical attention. He takes him to a nearby hospital, but the doctor reports that the blood on the man's clothes belongs to someone else, so the sheriff stays overnight to question the suspect when he recovers. And from that moment, inexplicable, terrible things begin to happen - mysterious people in white clothes surround the hospital, and one of the nurses cuts off her face and scissors the eyes of patients.
The main thing that nostalgic horror boasts is, first of all, the atmosphere of a nightmare and madness. This is a bloody brutal movie, where the tension grows with every moment, the psychosis of what is happening is fascinating, and the operator and the scenery kindly present the viewer with the most juicy shots. Special attention should be paid to the practical effects of the film – there is hardly no computer graphics, everything is done by hand, and how nice to see it again. Of course, this is not the level of “Something” and sometimes cheapness catches the eye. There’s even some charm to it.
The main disadvantage, in my opinion, is the development of characters. Characters try to characterize with exposure, so there's too much dialogue in the first act about the characters' past lives. It just doesn’t work, because it’s just words and doesn’t really affect reality. Actors try, do not give anything exceptional, but cope with their task. But again, the people they're portraying are not empathetic because of the cardboard.
This picture, like a time machine, returns to the past and causes the warmest feelings for the wonderful era of VHS, the classics of masters. However, it has enough originality and charisma to fall in love with its efforts.
Entering the basement, know that the first step can lead not just to the imagination played out, but to the embodiment of forgotten nightmares.
The content of this film is a tribute to the classic horrors, but not to those where the emphasis was put as much on the plot part as on the disclosure of the characters, but to those films in which life boiled only in actions, sometimes devoid of any logic, but filled with a fascinating style, kind of frightening in places with its terrible mince, creeping under a dull lifeless light, foreshadowing the sounds of the last breath. What is good about the fact that the creators ignore the plot, which is meaningful to the very bottom, using only old-school practical effects, various kinds of metamorphoses and skillful play on light and shadows, is that we do not have to connect our gyres, we are offered simply to enjoy the otherworldly world filled with all sorts of frightening evil spirits, and in this case, these two categories of horrors are able to attract the viewer, someone is able to chain the viewer to the screen with only one intriguing action, and someone with charismatic characters and a sharp plot. Immediately from the first minutes it is felt that the creators did not care about how to explain the events, it was important for them to immerse the viewer in the nostalgic atmosphere that the films of Carpenter, Raimi, George A. Romero, Craven and others give us for a long time and so on, as well as films based on the manuscripts of King and Lovecraft, referencing us to such films as “The Fly”, “Something”, “The Faculty” and “Rise from Hell”, sucking in the “protane” style into the visual nerves that are not completely constricted. The task was clear and accomplished with due feeling, resorting to some fresh moves in terms of mysticism, going beyond understanding, beforehand providing behind dense doors and only a little glimpse of intriguing shades.
There are a lot of horrors and not all are able to cope with the goal, someone is trying to scare a tired suspense, someone is fascinated only by the characters - and then there are mistakes, as well as attempts to surprise with a two-way plot, and someone does not get anything at all, because there are dark examples when the desire to turn off appears in the middle of the viewing. And so this film, no matter how empty it may seem, molded in a similar way with old creations, stands out from the rest, thanks to the impressive points outlined above.
I’m not going to repeat what I said about the film “Empty”. I will only note that this is a representative of the now rare genre of horror without Boom Moments, without a rushing camera and with honest, non-computer monsters. It is shot soundly, vividly and without unnecessary moralizing or digging into the subconscious of the audience. This is pure water “Lovecraftian horror”, and from a rare genre of Lovecraft. Usually, Howard Philipps has a hero-researcher who purposefully goes to meet all sorts of mysterious events or even himself to some extent is their catalyst. In this case, the characters are literally in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are, with the exception of a few characters, people who have accidentally fallen into a maelstrom of events. In this case, they are even more like the heroes of some of the stories of Robert Howard, the literary “father”. Conan. Well, where the random sheriff or cowboy is one on one with a supernatural horror and try to defeat this horror with revolvers, knives and dynamite. Here and here the heroes are fighting cultists and the creations of some foreign force with firearms, fire axes and fire. That's great! Monsters are just so good that it is scary, but not nauseous: Pictures of another world, similar to the hell of Biker and Lang Lovecraft, are also good.
Anyway, look at your health.
The film is worth watching a sophisticated viewer, the ordinary, very likely – will not appreciate.
Since the movie as a whole is not very well sewn, then the opinion about it in my head is formed as a list and in no other way.
I liked that it was trained here good from everywhere a little bit:
- Lovecraft in a known, but unfortunately small way. For some reason, it seems that everywhere where it is added, they are afraid to go into the wrong wilds, and it always looks as if it is unfinished.
- The similarity of GG with GG Walkers is striking, but not completely.
- Spice's grandfather is a little bit.
- Carpenter’s achievements are there, and here, what is pleasant – they are more developed.
- Twinpeaks, you know what (no spoilers: see).
- The film is like two drops similar to the manner of shooting and playing on Spanish cinema.
In general, impressions
- Very good / pleasant / worked out backwoods.
- There's no need for too much pathos.
- Everyone is playing very well.
But
- The beginning of the movie is extremely high quality, but unfortunately there is no escalation of the narrative.
- The lack of backstory of all the characters is almost completely empty.
- Someone may not like: the core of intimidation is based on the fear of childbearing almost 100%, so political strategists may have had a hand.
(to myself: . . . made lists, through measures ...)< /i>
I would love to see the series as a development of everything we have achieved here. I would have cut off the wooden ones for the game.
"Emptiness" filmed venerable "techniques" of Hollywood Jeremy Gillespie (who worked in the art department of the production of such films as "Suicide Squad" and remake "Remember everything") and Stephen Costansky (who was engaged in makeup when creating "Crimson Peak" and the second part of "Silent Hill" and the remake" film"), the company founded This clearly affected the general formula of this movie: with the technical side there is a complete order - the makeup is very high-quality, the monsters turned out to be extremely creepy and unpleasant; the melodic soundtrack from the Canadian band Blitz//Berlin, coupled with fragmentary editing and video sequence, deliberately shot at the level of the 80-90s, create an excellent atmosphere of sticky, murky and hopeless horror. At the same time, it is clear that the directors are not very worried about the script component of the tape: the plot is simple and slightly unfinished, the dialogues and characters, to put it mildly, are not well written, huge logical holes are gaping in places and after viewing a number of questions will remain unanswered.
As a result, it turned out quite a good, but strange mixture of styles and plots of classic horror films of the last century. The main emphasis is on the gloomy works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and horror of the mid and late 80s - when viewing here you can find huge traces of Clive Barker's "Rise from Hell" and John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness" and David Cronenberg's "Flies". References to earlier tapes are found in places: Carpenter's "Something" and Don Coscarelli's "Fantasm." Here there was a place even relatively modern horror: "Silent Hill" and "Mgle" Hence, unfortunately, the main problem of "The Void" follows - cinema is simply not able to offer anything new and original.
Thus, this film can be recommended for viewing to lovers of quality thrash, various abominations, a large amount of blood and, of course, those who experience warm feelings of nostalgia for a bygone era. The pleasure and sincerity with which the filmmakers play visually and technically on nostalgic feelings of horror classics is worthy of praise.
Emptiness is a creepy, atmospheric and rather dynamic, but strange and with a simple, unoriginal plot, an old-school fantasy horror film with a beautiful makeup, worthy of stylization for the 80s, but poorly written characters and a lack of new ideas.
6 out of 10
Fans 'Something' and 'Rebels from Hell' Tremble! There was a nasty, frightening and nasty horror movie in retro style. There's no computer graphics here. All special effects are made by artists. Monsters, creatures and all possible corpses will return us to the familiar format of horror movies of the 80s.
This is a low-budget movie, but it is made as beautifully as possible. Of course, half of the movie is boring, but then, when the characters are in the corridors of hell, all kinds of hell begin. Rivers of blood, torn entrails, cracking bones and rotting corpses. Giant monsters in the style ' Something' will please fans. I am sure that if such a film was made in the 80th year, it would now be considered a horror classic.
I can immediately warn you that ordinary fans of modern horror this film will not taste. There is a different format, a different rhythm of storytelling and style, a different atmosphere and not a modern and bright production.
Let’s consider that this is a tribute to the films that gave a powerful impetus to the horror film industry.
You can tell immediately whether you like the movie or not by looking at two camps of people who left reviews. The first say that there is nothing to do horror films in the spirit of the old school, with natural effects and makeup instead of computer graphics, but it is better to reconsider again ' Paranormal' a phenomenon where the doors of kitchen cabinets open under loud sounds - this is a real horror! If you think so, don’t watch this movie.
I belong to the second camp of old-school horror fans - natural effects, emotions and high-quality makeup, coupled with a good script and directory, is always better than another ridiculous ' Paranormal phenomenon' or ' Spells' who are already in the livers sitting with their idiotic screeners, well, what - more in such films and nothing.
'Empty' this is a quality, done with great care and love horror film. There’s no long-running (you know these movies, where nothing happens for 50 minutes and only the last half an hour is of any interest), there’s no long, stupid talk just to stretch the timeline, there’s no dummy characters who don’t do anything to save themselves.
But in ' Void' there is a real immersion in horror, there are several bright characters who are played by very good actors, for whom you want to worry and hope that they will be saved, and not vice versa - root for the local evil, so that it will soon cut off the glavheroes-kretins. The film is worth spending time on.
Exactly half a meter, except for the poster (it is interesting whether there is an official paper incarnation), the eye has nothing to cling to, since the authors scantily and hastily run over the heads of the viewer, without trampling or lingering on anything, hastily untied so much that exactly to the middle revealed the intrigue ' why and why ' at the same time managed to really show and not say anything; besieged and attacked the viewer under a pulsating noise, disarming the hulture, tearful screen time was not able to read the letter.
The entire tape-reproduction of already seen, passed through the generator, later uploaded to the aggregator, frames, the authors pretty pinched the pie of the genre, each viewer, by virtue of his discretion and memory, will note and create, if desired, his own list of primary sources, which will be more than a dozen films, mainly 'body-horror' The effect of the visible would be akin to the impression of watching a parody, with 'see, Boryan, and this one they are from 'Xtro' Davenport was pulled, ha-ha-#39; if not for the eerie and exciting descent down the stairs, but there, yes, of course, hounded, cut, but again not allowed to savor, rushing to the final.
The viewer is well known for the technique of whipping up sticky horror, often motivated by a lack of funds, by hiding in the dark, Dan O'Bannon in ' Resurrection' left behind massive doors most of the creatures, and that move was not a mockery, as in ' Empty' where the authors-droopers mishandled the developed, taking as their motto the saying- ' and ready, but stupid' It remains only to be like the writers-directors, and pour slime here, without writing anything specifically.
For the attempt and homage to the creators of apprentices-
It is sad to see the fate of horror films in our time. After all, there was a time when directors were ready to take risks, explore new horizons and just create, and not just repeat after their fellow genre or simply copying the content of individual successful films. Perhaps this is what formed the main image of modern horror films, which are either terrible at all or secondary in everything. Some semblance of “risky” creativity and represents this film by directors Jeremy Gillespie and Stephen Kostansky.
The first thing that catches the eye when viewing the picture is the magnificent visualization and directing of the picture, or rather, its magnificent stylization for horror films of the 80s. Allowing you to easily project on the screen memories and impressions of such paintings as “The Fly” by David Cronenberg, “The Thing” by John Carpenter, “Rebel from Hell” by Clive Barker and many others, which inspired the creators of the tape and which are quoted throughout the tape. Perhaps not so perfectly recreating the atmosphere of Sai Fai and the horror of the 80s as in the sensational series “Stranger Things”, but still.
I am also glad that almost all scenes of cruel violence and other tins are performed in the old-fashioned way, or rather with minimal interference of computer visual effects and maximum emphasis on “physical” effects. Creating on the screen no less “nasty”, repulsive and disgusting images of human metamorphosis and other creatures on the screen. Which certainly gives the picture some effect. However, all this and the main advantages of directing can be appreciated only in the last half hour of screen time. When, like all the rest of the time, the direction of Gillespie and Kostansky frankly lacks some dynamism, tension and smooth storytelling.
As with most other representatives of the genre, the main drawback of the picture is the script itself. The creators of the tape tried to create quite confusing, multilayered and complex. However, overstepped the stick and mixed in their picture too much. Starting with various bloodthirsty creatures and ending with incomprehensible people in white “Kuklutsklan” robes. At the same time, leaving the nature of what is happening and these very creatures not disclosed at all.
The actors were quite tolerant. Some were outright overplaying. Others are the opposite. But to experience open hostility and negativity to any of them failed. Thank you for that.
5 out of 10
Emptiness is a vivid example of how outside the Hollywood walls, the participation of famous stars and an impressive budget you can shoot something quite not bad in a horror film. Although the picture did not turn out to be indicatively outstanding, but here is the immersion in the atmosphere of horror films of the 80s, it allows you to experience it precisely and thank you for this.
To write this review, I created a text file on my computer, I did it in order to polish it to shine, express everything I think about this film, do not miss anything, not a single detail, details, details.
I’ll tell you right away – I was waiting for this film, I didn’t have any hopes for it, but I was waiting. Well, six months ago, I saw the trailer and thought, 'Hmm, that might be interesting, wait, wait!' and I was waiting... So, a few days ago, I got a chance to watch this movie and -- I gave it one of ten possible points. Yeah, I didn't like the movie very much, it's really unbearable, right here to the trembling, that's bullshit, bitch! Fuck!!! D!R!I! N! b!
I love old horror movies, I love when modern filmmakers try to imitate the style of films of the 80s, some of it very well, and some not. ' Emptiness' according to various people, also tries to revive the traditions of horror films of the 80s, but this is only the opinion ' These' people. 'Empty' parasitic on horror movie classics, nothing more. We all remember the phrase Tarantino about the fact that brilliant artists steal, the creators ' Voids' decided that they were genius and stole everything, but they are as brilliant as a boy who catches a fly and sticks a straw in her ass, that is, in no way. Next, I will give a short list of films, watching that you will no longer need to watch ' Voids':'Something','The Prince of Darkness','In the Mouth of Madness' (Yes, the entire Carpenter trilogy about the apocalypse),'From Beyond','Dagon','Reanimator',','In the mouth',','Ebotho;,'', even from Emirace,'#39''''Emaccumaccumaccumaccumaccurror,',''Emacquo,',',','s,' Of all the films listed, not only ideas, but also specific scenes are borrowed, this, rightly speaking, is a bad tone.
Let me tell you about the movie itself. A film from the category of those that tells us the story of a group of people who were under siege - they can not leave and in their camp the enemy, I have no complaints about this. A distinctive feature of such films is the disclosure of the characters: they reveal their terrible secrets to us (closer to the final), tell about their personal tragedies of each of the characters, make us see in the actors exactly those whom, according to the creators’ idea, we should see, so they do in good films, in ' Voidness' everything is different. We are thrown into the hospital where a bunch of people, there comes another policeman with a bloody dude, and then run 2 more dudes, which we see at the beginning of the film. Well, actually, that's all you're going to think about this company - some dudes. Their stories are revealed to us in random phrases in dialogue. So, we suddenly learn, and pay no attention to it, that someone whose husband, and someone his wife, someone grandfather, and someone ' friend of the father, I know him since childhood' and someone, bang, and villain. It seems that the role and purpose of each character was invented right in the course of filming, the camera writes, and the actors come up with stories, but the film does not give answers to important and interesting questions. The actors’ play resembles a school drama circle: bulging eyes, open mouths, reduced to the nose of the eyebrows, inconclusive screams, but there are bright moments, for example, there is an Asian nurse there - she coped well with her role, there is a boy who did not say a word during the entire film, probably this brings him into the category of good actors, but only this film. These two people, at least something out of themselves, all the others are some kind of meat mass with faces. Further, the trailer of the film promised us Lovecraft, the title of the film promises us Lovecraft, the filmmakers were able to give us only tentacles, stupid dolls and episodic gloomy landscapes from the unknown distant, they could not concoct an interesting story, they made a banal fairy tale about ancient knowledge, they did not bother to tell us more about this knowledge, the authors of the film give us a mysterious cult, they do not tell us anything about this cult except that they wear hoods and serve some idea, the authors of the film do not tell us the very idea why it should work either. In ' Reanimator' the hero of the film was faithful to his idea of reviving the dead, because he was able to do it, they wanted to improve the serum, in order to later give the world a scientific breakthrough, the local characters did not hear about it, they do not even believe in what they say, just say the text that is written on a piece of paper, something mumble in the hope of appearing refreshed with ancient knowledge. In conclusion, I also want to say that the film is very boring, between the first appearance of the monster and the next, there are 30 minutes of boring trampling on the spot, empty arguments, unnecessary screams, some tinkering, you say:' Monsters are not the main thing in the movie!' and I will answer:' Well, not at the wooden play of actors and the same production I will watch, after all!'
The film ' Void' turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of 2016 - this is a poorly made, poorly played story, without fresh ideas and is not an almanac of good old ideas, a plastic craft concocted to show his ' love' to the horror of the 80s and the work of Lovecraft. It didn't work, it didn't work. I wish this movie had never existed.
Recently, the current directors have a very popular occupation, to revive the manner of shooting 80-ies of the last century. Some experiments are extremely successful, such as the same "Kung Fury", and some are standard crafts, clearly unworthy of any attention. Jeremy Gillespie and Stephen Kostansky are just such old-fashioned guys who try to return a piece of the old era to our TV screens every time. This time they decided to remind us of such works as “Reanimator”, “Living Dead” or even “Something”, but alas, it turned out not so unambiguous.
Police officer Daniel Carter is on night duty and guarding his small town. At this point, an unknown young man jumps out of the forest and almost falls dead in front of the burning headlights of Carter’s patrol car. The latter, of course, takes the victim to the local hospital, where it turns out that the guy will be fine, but he is clearly out of his mind. And all nothing, but the situation is aggravated by the circumstances that the hospital building is surrounded by a group of aggressive fanatics, and the medical staff turns into bloodthirsty monsters with the most incredible structures of the body.
Almost from the very beginning, it becomes obvious that “The Void” is indeed a kind of tribute to the horrors of the last century. Literally, the whole atmosphere is saturated with such elements of cinema, the film really wants to be like “Something” or “Reanimator”, but unfortunately this turns out with a very big stretch. The main problem is the meaning of what is happening. In my opinion, in places it is simply not observed here. There is some element in the plot, and that’s all, it is needed here just for the presence and no more. Yes, for those pennies that were spent on “The Void”, the picture is really not the worst design of monsters, they are very original and it is noticeable that they worked extremely meticulously. With a certain cruelty, there is also complete order, the characters die quite actively, but not in the most banal ways. The entire cast is kept at a level and there is practically no one to berate. Alas, as I said, all the good that is in the film, just completely eclipsed by an extremely incomprehensible plot, which does not leave the viewer even clear hints of what is happening.
Gillespie and Constansky clearly have talent. And if they continue to make their films in the same vein, they may well be able to give a pearl in the genre. At the moment, they lack experience in working on large projects. “The Void” for them is certainly a very large and significant project. In some parts, the film is incredibly good and atmospheric, but in some, in particular, as far as the plot is concerned, it is extremely verbose and in principle empty. The motivation of the local villains remained completely misunderstood for me. The ending raises a lot of questions. But people clearly tried and the film is quite worth watching.
6 out of 10
I decided at first that this film is not worth leaving a review, but I saw the very emptiness in the reviews section (which is already indicative), I thought that the viewer should be guided by something, so I will leave my humble opinion here.
1) Plot. The title of the film is not appropriate. Briefly it can be described as follows: a person learned something from somewhere, therefore creates all sorts of negligence. The necessities are not logically related to each other, the campaign of the film I was waiting for — when the general meaning will open, because the film is full of hints that in the end we will explain what is happening. But no, one word, emptiness.
2) Acting. Pretty mediocre, if not worse. Standard heroes from passing horror, suffering from imbecility, if you evaluate their actions. There’s no one to mention personally.
(3) Directing work. You can even call it good, and this is the only thing that keeps the left hand from clapping alt + f4.
(4) Visual effects. Rubber monsters from the middle of the last century, I did not think that this would still come out on the screen.
The film is built on absolutely meaningless and unrelated episodes, the main advantage of which, apparently, the authors consider the abundant amount of low-grade Guro. The last scene seems to hint at the presence of Deep Meaning, but nothing more.
I didn't expect much from "The Void." I didn't expect anything. However, i...
Even at the first minutes of viewing, I had the thought that if this horror movie were released in the 80s of the last century, it would be just the brightest representative of the genre, like “Something” or, say, “Rebels from Hell”, which these days would be kindly remembered by those who found the golden era of VHS tapes, and even video salons. But he appeared now, when the screens of cinemas and televisions are inhabited mainly by ghosts of all categories and suits, rotting zombies and various kinds of pseudo-documentary, and films about slimy disgusting monsters went to conquer the virgin thrash and low-budget junk.
“Emptiness” is like a hello from the past, as if I found an old cassette on the shelf in a battered cardboard box and decided to revise it with a smile.
The film is simple, the picture does not shine with any specially refined camera techniques, and the action, especially at first, does not please the eye with a change of places. Heroes do not try to philosophize or look multifaceted, but little-known actors cope with their play well. There are practically no special effects as such, and monsters – when they decide to appear to the characters – are made of rubber, latex and some nasty liquids in the spirit of the same “Something”. The plot develops systematically, pumping up an alarming atmosphere, which helps a successful soundtrack, driving the viewer into the abyss of some vague forebodings, and those who have read Lovecraft’s works will understand what it is about.
To draw a line, I can recommend this film to nostalgic personalities who miss old-school horror. Others will tear it to dust for nothing but cheapness.
To be honest, modern ' horrors' based on one single effect ' BU' in 90% of cases shot in pseudo-documentary style ' drunken camera' bored many years ago. Genre is clearly choking. The third breath of fresh air after the wonderful 'It follows' and 'Stranger things' for me it was this picture.
Everything's fine here. And an oppressive atmosphere from the first shot to the very end. With soul and understanding worked out ' horror of the unknown'. A lot of great references to the classics of the 80s. If computer graphics are used somewhere, then it is absolutely not striking, and the rest of the effects are made clearly by experts in their field. Excellent camera work. Very decent acting, and the characters are exactly as many as necessary, while the characters for every taste and color. By the way, the color palette of the picture in general is also very good. Also note the flawless makeup and movements of monsters.
Yes, you can see that the film was not shot for space money. But from the budget and resources, the creators squeezed the maximum. And that's very exciting. I really want more.
To me, it is so good that the picture tells very little, and does not chew half the film & #39; with what evil faced the main characters & #39; as is customary now. It turned out just in the spirit of the best works of Howard Lovecraft, with his oppressive understatement and real inexplicable horror.
In general, if you are a connoisseur of such films as 'Something' and 'Prince of Darkness' and in general other films of the great Carpenter, the first parts of Hellraiser'a, 'Flies' if you read the stories of Philip Howard at night, then this film is for you.
Well, if in your opinion it is better than ' Paranormal phenomenon of Astral 10' nothing was removed, it is better to pass by.
9 out of 10
The original name of the picture is The Void, which means the space between the galactic filaments, in which there are practically no galaxies, as well as other spatial filaments. In other words, it is the all-pervading Void, best suited to define the picture presented.
Once the horror genre was completely different from what it is now. The directors were not afraid to go on experiments, acted contrary to the opinion of short-sighted producers, from which in reality extraordinary projects appeared that managed to cut through the veil of time and gain a foothold in history, as bold and daring creative research that deserves to be cited and mentioned in textbooks. Staying in the early 80s at the peak of fame, the legendary director John Carpenter released a remake of the forgotten fantastic horror “Something”, striking critics and viewers skillfully inflated by the atmosphere of an enveloping nightmare that penetrates the cold to the bone. An extraordinary storyteller, a genius from the world of independent cinema David Cronenberg did not lag behind his colleague, revealing to the world the frightening and at the same time enticing “Fly”, perhaps the most naturalistic horror film about human rebirth into a monster that has ever been filmed. At one time, both “Something” and “The Fly” set the highest standard for the quality of a good horror with a scientific background, thereby giving rise to a wave of imitators who with varying success tried to comprehend the precepts of the masters, but in an adequate form this was not always possible for them. Tried to pay tribute to the classics and two Canadian production comrades Jerremi Gillespie and Stephen Konstansky, may not be the most eminent, but persistent connoisseurs of the genre, responsible for the creation of the almanac “ABC of death 2”. Having noted a number of more or less diligent works exploring the facets of human fear, Gillespie and Constansky went to the territory of true mystical madness, borrowing the ideas of Carpenter, Cronenberg and even Howard Phillips Lovecraft for a couple with Stephen King. However, the desire to capture in the production as much as possible all sorts of components played a cruel joke with the directors. What worked perfectly in short sketches, united by a common title, could not show itself worthy in a single whole story, turning out to be a confused, ambiguous spectacle, confused in itself.
So, the plot of the film unfolds in the middle of the night in a remote provincial area, where the local sheriff Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) is patrolling. As usual, driving around in a service car near forests and fields, the hero discovers a wounded man, from whom it is futile to find out at least some explanations, and the sheriff has no choice but to deliver the victim to a nearby hospital, which is on the verge of closure. Upon arrival, Carter discovers that there are only a few people in the huge building, while the rest of the staff and patients are transferred to other facilities. Thus, in addition to the sheriff and the wounded stranger in the hospital is the ex-wife of Allison (Kathleen Munro) and part-time doctor, senior shift, intern, pregnant lady and her father. It would seem that quite ordinary, mundane situation did not foreshadow anything out of the ordinary, but this night the mystical nightmare revealed itself in all its glory, leaving aside none of those who by the will of evil fate were in the hospital. Incomprehensibly, the monster that emerged from the body of one of the patients marked the beginning of a night of terror that lasted for long, endless hours. With the arrival of a couple of alarmed men with weapons and a whole sect in white hoods with a black triangle on their face, the situation only gets worse and it becomes clear that not everyone will be able to leave the hospital safely. But before death finds the last victim, the sheriff needs to understand what the hell is going on here and why.
It's hard to take seriously a story that tries to surprise you while forgetting common sense. Jeremy Gillespie and Stephen Kostansky, who, in addition to working in the director's chair, were also noted for writing the script, tried to build a multifaceted, confused description, in order to eventually reduce it to a common denominator, showing the audience some interdimensional revelations designed to tell us the answers to the questions of life and death, the emergence of new life, the causes of cruelty and torture. At first, "The Void" tries to seem diligent thrillers with a fair share of "The Thing" by John Carpenter. And although it was not possible to outdo the masters of horror Gillespie and Kostansky at all desire, “The Void” looked diligent and even spectacular low-budget horror, honestly pleasing to the eye. However, the directors clearly did not want to repeat word for word the precepts of their senior colleague, which led to the ideas of Lovecraft and King, supplemented by the creative research of David Cronenberg. I don’t know where people in white appeared, who took the hospital into a silent blockade, were the first sign that something genius or frankly crazy would be waiting for us soon. It is a shame that the scales are leaning towards the second indicator.
Of course, we can not say that “Emptiness”, is frankly thoughtless work completely devoid of common sense. On the contrary, there are a lot of deep ideas that provoke a reasonable process in it, only they are somehow completely confused, precipitous. The creators of the picture tried to veil the problems of occultism, science and logic behind a spectacular attraction, but they periodically let the thread of the narrative out of their hands, which will make it difficult for viewers to understand what Gillespie and Kostansky meant when they took on such a non-standard story. The idea to erase the boundaries between parallel spaces, to show the world an extremely dangerous and unpredictable cult that awakens nightmare monsters from hibernation does not fit well with a sane mind. But still, such elements are perfectly combined in the pages of the works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, which in turn means that Gillespie and Constansky have not yet reached the level of venerable storytellers capable of building a work of genuine art out of frankly insane philosophy. Although for all the numerous logical shortcomings, "Empty" has an inexplicable appeal, which discourages thoughts to end the acquaintance in the first third of the view.
What happened to the creators at the proper level without any reservations, is to maintain an atmosphere of inexplicable mystery, similar in style to the best genre works of thirty years ago. Excessive impulsivity of the characters, periodically slipping stupidity and out of place pronounced panic phrases evoke serious nostalgia, for which "Empty" and its creators can be forgiven much. Do not take the directors on too many semantic duties, their picture could claim wide fame and even run around the world. However, the desire to go beyond, to bring a dual meaning to the horror, split into dozens of branches, this time had the wrong place. Instead, the creators should grab the main of a couple of sources of inspiration, and bring the reasoning of predecessors to the necessary mark, without jumping on other topics.
In the end, I want to say that "Emptiness" is both everything and nothing. And this leaves a feeling of acute dissatisfaction, because on the available material there were all chances to make a truly extraordinary movie.
5 out of 10
One quiet night, a cop, played by Aaron Poole but somewhat reminiscent of Aaron Paul, is sitting in a patrol car on the side of the road when a young man literally falls out of the woods. Going up to him to ask if the mushroom season has already begun, the cop was horrified: the young man was not only bleeding, but also turned out to be a hipster in an advanced stage. Naturally, it was the duty of the police officer to take the victim to the nearest hospital. But the service at the local clinic was at the level of free Russian medicine, so the horrors had just begun. . .
It seems that one of the main sources of inspiration for the film was the filmography of the cult John Carpenter. So, almost the entire first third of the picture I did not leave the feeling that I was watching the remake ' ' Attacks on the 13th Precinct ' See for yourself: a police officer arrives at an institution — in this case, a hospital — which has effectively curtailed its activities. Almost all the equipment has already been removed, only a few personnel remained on duty. And then the building is surrounded by a crowd of angry citizens, and our heroes have to join forces and try to survive. The parallels are more than obvious.
The next work of Carpenter, which immediately comes to mind - ''Something''. There are monsters in this movie. And it's not the squalid computer models that are somehow concocted in Paint, as is usually the case in low-budget horror movies with a budget of three boxes of vodka. No, every monster here is a mini-masterpiece of badi horror. No special effects, just makeup, animatronics and hardcore. Well, and liters of red liquid oozing from the screen, where else without it.
The second major source of inspiration is our beloved Howard F. Lovecraft. This is expressed not only in the tentacles sticking out of the most unexpected and piquant places, but also in the general concept of the film, unfolding closer to the finale, so it is silent about it. By the way, the ending of the film may hint at a sequel. Or maybe not. But I certainly wouldn’t refuse to continue the banquet. Largely because of the main problem of the picture - understatement.
Yes, Stephen King used to say you shouldn't explain the horror, because then it wouldn't be so scary. But local understatement refers rather not to otherworldly things, but to everyday life. For the relationship between the characters is quite difficult to sag: everyone turns out to be someone’s brother, matchmaker, godfather or five-second cousin uncle on the grandfather’s maternal line. Perhaps it’s a bad translation (no good), but I still don’t understand what happened to the couple '' zombie hunters'' during '' arrival'': who blamed whom for what? Who died? Who's to blame? Who didn't watch who? Why do we need this information?
I am glad that it is not necessary to delve into the relationships of the heroes. And you can just enjoy the mush on the screen. Good picture allows. Seriously, the camera work here is very good. Not Emmanuel Lubecki, but nothing. But especially happy to work with light and color palette, because it is beautiful. After a huge number of low-budget horror miscarriages shot on an iPhone, the local picture is just a balm for the soul.
Actors play more than tolerable, people are frightened quite plausibly. I was glad that the heroes are not stupid meat for the local monster, they think logically and give a decent rebuff to evil spirits. That's all right - shooting heads from Shotgan, cutting off limbs with an axe ... That's all, actually. Unfortunately, the film can not please the variety and ingenuity in battles with monsters. The action is sluggish. Separately upset by the lack of recoil from the gunshot. Gun's not felt. Little change, but it hurts. You can also find fault with sometimes too fragmentary editing. Sometimes it is not always clear who shot whom, who hit whom, who tentaclitis whom. But this has only happened a couple of times in the film.
Music? What about the music? Well, the background plays something electronic, with a twist to those same horror movies of the 80s, although I would not call it a full-fledged retrowave. Mood creates and fine. Some people might like it, though.
Bottom line: old-school ground from horror films of the 80s, the work of Carpenter and Lovecraft. The dish looks appetizing, but the taste was slightly undersalted and with a specific taste. However, we would not refuse the supplement, too little is being prepared recently. To all fans of inspired personalities, I recommend. The rest, if they wish.
The first who will be insanely happy with the release of "Empty" will be fans of "Flies" and "Something", this fantastic horror without any doubt falls into the genre of the mentioned cult paintings of the last century. And do not even hide the fact that the directors clearly saw this goal in front of them.
The duty of the sheriff was simply incredible - picking up a guy running away from someone on the road, he threw the poor fellow in the hospital on duty in the district. But the appearance of some fanatics completely changes plans, and now, in addition to the problem that one of the doctors has turned into a kind of monster, the hospital is also surrounded by these strangers in hoods who came here not to get visitors to the hospital, but to prevent them from leaving.
"Something" and "Fly" were mentioned for a reason for comparison, because the whole twist consists precisely in the fact that something or someone carries out incredible metamorphosis of the body over people. And now, the main character, knowing that there is no way out of the hospital, can only go further into this hell and find out what is really happening that night.
Atmospheric and stylish under the 80s horror movie, but it could be much brighter if the writer worked on the logical conclusion. And so it turns out that the film seems to look good, but leaves a lot of unanswered questions and inconsistencies that ultimately do not allow you to take "Empty" as something serious.
This Canadian horror film I have been waiting for with impatient and unquenchable interest. The film did not disappoint me, although it did not meet all expectations. As the authors of the film pointed out, they were inspired by the films of John Carpenter, and in particular the film “The Thing”, but the influence of other horrors of the 80s is also noticeable, and not only the films of Carpenter, but also David Cronenberg and even Dario Argento. In general, in my opinion, “The Void” can be regarded as a tribute to the horror films of the 80s, which he tries to be like.
The atmosphere of “The Void” resembles the works of Howard Lovecraft, in which the main theme is usually the fear of the unknown. So in "The Void" you can feel this cosmic Lovecraftian horror. A significant plus of "Empty" is practical effects and makeup, they look great. But, in my opinion, it would be possible to make them in more numbers and with better lighting.
The film’s directors, as well as the writers, Jeremy Gillespie and Stephen Kostansky did their job with great dedication and fanaticism. Before that, they worked on the low-budget horror films Manborg and Father’s Day, which were shot with a strong bias towards humor, unlike their new film. Comparing with the previous works of Gillespie and Kostansky, “The Void” shows a clear professional growth of directors. The tension in the film comes from the first minutes and does not disappear until the end of the film.
The script is not bad and quite simple, but in some places the film looks unfinished, unsaid and clumsy. There are parallels with "Key of the Underworld", which the same producer - Todd Brown. The main scene in The Key is, oddly enough, the underworld and in The Void there is a scene that takes place in a kind of hell. This scene reminds me a lot of the aforementioned movie, but in "The Void," it's done much better and really looks scary.
The cast, although it does not consist of stars of the first magnitude, but still play all convincingly. It was pleasantly surprising that during the course of the film we see the development of characters, especially the main character, policeman Daniel, performed by Aaron Poole.
Sammy Inaya's camera work is to be commended. In general, the picture in the film is very pleasant, and surprisingly professional. This complements the hyped-up soundtrack performed by Canadian band Blitz//Berlin.
"Empty" is filmed with love, devoted fans of their cause. As I said, this movie is a big reference, a homage to the horror movies of the '80s. Despite the fact that the film lacks originality and a well-developed script, it is very atmospheric and has a high-quality technical side. Directors improve their skills and each time make more and more high-quality films, and this can not but please. Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie, although I expected more from it.
How long have you watched a worthwhile horror movie that seems like a demonic genie trying to please you? With the current development of filmmaking, films appear at breakneck speed. But the quality of the majority leaves much to be desired.
What did I expect from The Void? I’ve been following the news about this movie for a long time and I’m curious to see the result. Directors Jerimi Gilespie and Steven Kostansky initially stated that they are fans of the work of John Carpenter and therefore their work will resemble his best films. And I must say they didn't cheat! The film is imbued with the spirit of the work of John Carpenter. Almost from the very beginning of the film there were references to various horror films. There were so many references that I stopped counting them as the word 'FAK' which is mentioned countless times in the film. I want to note that, as promised, in addition to the similarity with the style of Carpenter’s work in the film, there is indirectly and barely a hint of the mythology of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Including his ancient gods.
I don't really like the BU effect in horror movies. Because I think it's an attraction. Pumping up the atmosphere is another thing. The pumping is in order here. Yes, of course, before the super horrors of James Wan, the picture of Jerimi and Steven is a long way off but they succeeded!!
Both directors made a name for themselves by creating makeup and special effects for very cool Hollywood movies. Some viewers may know their Manborg directorial work and Father's Day. By the way, it is worth mentioning that Stephen Kostansky worked on a short film with a similar theme Portal in Hell with Rodi Piper in the title role. The Void will not surprise you with any famous actors. They're not very famous, but that doesn't mean they're wooden. Not at all. Each of the actors copes with their role. In fact, you do not have to waste time on empty dialogue and the dramatic component of the film.
The tape is saturated with otherworldly horror. I even thought that the directors were eager to scare me with scenes of transformation into monsters. Yeah, transformations into monsters. It's been a long time since I've seen such a feast of practical old-school special effects and makeup. And since both directors are super pros on makeup and effects in films of the highest level – here they turned to the fullest. The film is a kind of requiem in the genre of horror 80s early 90s. Even in the makeup of the main villain, you can notice a deliberate resemblance to the famous character from the Clive Barker film. Directors skillfully mask practical special effects with the play of light and darkness. The confrontation of light and darkness is a classic of the genre and here to some extent it is also present. Evil tries to take possession of any flesh that turns up, mercilessly transforming the skin of muscle and bone into something unimaginable. There are many bloody and unpleasant scenes in the tape, but the directors still approached the process with a certain degree of tact and some scenes were veiled with camera angles or objects in the frame. I think the alternative scenes are still in the snare!
As I watched it, I wondered why they had the film, and the special effects studio Amalhamed Dynamix had the film ' Fallen Herald' failed in terms of direction and script – even though that film was also staged by make-up artists and effects masters. Apparently, the art of writing good scripts has not been canceled. In addition, John Carpenter and Howard Lovecraft will always be in the trend with fans of horror – which Jerimi and Steven also successfully played. We watched the films of course and on fences and more expensive, but the Void keeps to the very credits. Because the story is really interesting and it was very interesting to see how it will end and what kind of trick will be the final chord. I am not telling you the film dear audience, as I highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with this work. I don't think most people will be disappointed. I remember a rare case when a tape can attract attention, the whole action of which is reduced to fermentation in the walls of one building. There were no exceptions, of course, such as the metamorphosis of the alien factor or grave seekers. Of course, the tape does not cause claustrophobic feelings, but the horror of all the gloomy corridors of the hospital, coupled with the events of the film, undoubtedly deserves attention. I think this is the case when the creators found a middle ground and perfectly balanced guide the viewer through the universal horror of the hospital nooks.
Whether I was scared, of course not. I was very interested, interesting and pleasant to know that somewhere I have seen it, but it is not the feeling that it is just clichés and cliches. Everything you see and remember will be a pleasant reminder. A really worthwhile work of countless amounts of slag and sludge that has been dumped on the heads of horror lovers lately.
I recommend this tape to those who know the work of John Carpenter, love the work of Howard Lovecraft, those who will not turn away from learning that the tape does not have advanced computer graphics. This is such a strong fantastic horror film. A comeback for an hour and a half in the universe of familiar tapes. The directors left a rather open ending, giving ourselves and all of us the opportunity to decide whether we want to continue this terrible story or leave it as it is.