Dark Awakening Review

I first heard about this little indie flick at the local Zombie Walk.  The film was filmed on locations all over downtown Graham and in Snowcamp, North Carolina.  It's premiere was fittingly at the Graham Cinema.

I honestly can't think of a better place for a horror movie than the venerable Graham Cinema.  It's got a unique atmosphere, and is in fact featured late into the film itself... so watching the film and seeing the same theater you're sitting in pop up was really fun.  (The difference being that the movie they had on the marquee in film was Corpse Baby I believe)

I mean hell, the ceilings alone in the GC are worthy of a brilliant horror atmosphere.  There's also a lot to be said for the smell of the place, a heady and unforgettable mix of decades of popcorn and soda that has permeated the place.  (I do believe I even heard some first timers commenting on it.  Trust me folks, I went to the Graham as a kid ONCE... that smell stayed in my brain until I moved here a few years back.  It is, quite frankly, the way a theater should smell in my very humble opinion)

 The Sunday crowd was actually a pretty good turn out, and several of the actors from the movie were in attendance.  One gentelman in front of us not only was in the film, but had attended the premiere the night before.

After a rather serene opening scene over water, the film begins rather creepily on a corpse holding a bible.  We then switch gears to sit in on a court case involving a man who's on trial for inappropriate contact and murder of a minor.  There's a rather fun and unexpected turn to this which I won't spoil, but it serves as a good way to introduce us to the DA (Jason Cook) James Thomas.  This is not a good day for him, and it's about to get worse.  That corpse in the opening, this of course is our main character's mother... who's death means his family must return to his home town to attend the funeral, fix up the house to sell, and advance the plot.  

This is of course actually Graham, you'll see the courthouse, the hardware store, and even some brilliantly creepy scenes in the Graham Soda Shop.  I see these on a daily basis, but they really are impressive on the big screen.  Most of it is close to 100 years old, and you really can't beat real world locations like this to get that old town feel.

What follows from there, without getting too spoilerific (trust me, this flick is best not spoiled) is an amazingly subtle narrative wrapped in what at first seems rather standard paranormal fare.  If you think that's all that is happening, you're missing out though.  The living and the dead are both advancing the plot in such a way that you might miss a lot of subtle hints if you are just a passive viewer waiting for the next thing to jump out at you.

In fact one of the most disturbing things about this movie is how the living respond to our main characters.  You'll note this in every scene, and it's really impressive how these little movements and ticks really add to the atmosphere of the film.  Director Dean Jones does a great job of making this very surreal tapestry of visual and story elements come together in a cohesive whole.

The sets are lavish in detail, and you'll find yourself chewing the lush eyecandy.  Vintage toys, antiques, and old photographs cover every inch of this film.  It evokes a real sense of this being a real place, with a real history behind it.

The real star of this movie is, however, the actors.  Our leads are very good, especially Lance Henricksen who plays a not so holy priest.  That isn't to say he steals the show, but he's having a blast with the material and there's a lot of subtle and intelligent humor that he slips in the performance.  And while Jason Cook and Valerie Azlynn make for a rather convincing couple on screen, the surprise performance was by their son, played by William Pifer.  There are in fact a lot of young actors in this, most of which are decked out in truly disturbing makeups... bravo to all of them as well, because they really did sell the whole ghost angle.

Be sure and stick around after the credits for a nice little addendum.

 

Dark Awakening Trailer

I don't believe in a number rating, but given the location and high production values shown... it's definitely worth seeing.  Creepy, fun, and very twisted.

Company of Shadows Review

So, let me preface this with a bit of history.  I love characters.  I love ideas.  I'm the guy who snatched up a bunch of those A Human's Guide to the Nightbreed flyers at the theater, detailing monsters and maidens (and sometimes both) with backstories that were never revealed in the theatrical cut.  Every few months I look back at that flyer, which I know pretty much by heart, because it evokes a real depth of character with me.

Who are these beings, what is their story, why do they exist?  If you've ever found yourself thinking these things, you owe it to yourself to check out Paul Gerrard's latest offering... Company of Shadows.

Inside you'll find quotes, poems, short snippets of fiction, detailed deconstruction of symbolism, and of course pure nightmare fuel.  No, not the kind of thing you should take lightly either.  This is the kind of stuff that permeates every single page... subtle things that you might miss at first glance that will awaken you from your deepest slumber.

In my desire to see the finished work, I humbly offered to review said book.  The first night I was all awash with desire to consume this... every image... every word.  I quickly rushed through it, but perhaps that's where I made my biggest mistake.  Something had taken root.

Now I've never been one to complain about nightmares, in fact I find them rather delightful.  Like a custom made horror film with an unlimited budget that your subconscious put together just to keep you entertained.  This was not that kind of experience.  No, this was that nagging sensation of something burrowing inside your consciousness.  I found myself lying awake half the time pondering all I had experienced, then I would slip into unconsciousness only to find a twisted version of reality melded with metal and flesh and alien eyes.

So, the next day I decided I needed to read this tome again... this time paying closer attention to the details.  Maybe uncovering the mysteries of this book would ease my mind, and allow me to return to that world I had foolishly left behind on reading it.  Little flashes of insight and understanding this time through, but as I said... this work is pervasive.  It invades your thought processes.  You begin to ponder things in a different way.

On the third reading I have come to the conclusion that this, much like my beloved Nightbreed flyer, is designed to entice you into a different reality.  Just enough information to whet your appetite... just enough story to make you start thinking about where things could go.  You see creatures and body horror and aliens with electric organs... but what sticks with you mostly is the ideas.  I can tell that this is a work that I will return to often, as it really does give you a new appreciation for not only design, but imagination.  Because a lot of what makes this book work is the fact it's not dictating to you... it's guiding you.  Opening up passages that otherwise wouldn't.  Pushing you, sometimes forcing you, into a world of ideas that are both wondrous and disturbing at the same time.

I would be remiss to leave out the elephant in the room.  The Hellraiser Origins section of the book.  For those of you who are completely insane for that world, much like Paul, it does not disappoint.  The behind the scenes on the short film are incredible, and it really is a compelling direction I wish the series would have gone in.  New and fresh and yet familiar without retreading the same stagnant waters.

All that said, that is but one part of a much larger and impressive whole of a beast.  As this is a limited run, collectors would be remiss to pass up this opportunity to own something this special.  You can pick up your copy, while they last, over at Company of Shadows.