ColdWater (2013)
Steve Barton
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Starring Ivan Djurovic, Sanny Van Heteren, James Duval, Rick Irwin
Written by Dave Parker and Ivan Djurovic
Directed by Dave Parker
Dave Parker has been a staple on the indie horror scene for some time now, delivering film after film and all the while carving himself out a spot as one of the directors in the genre you should be keeping a close eye on. His latest film, ColdWater, illustrates perfectly why that is. This, my friends, is a psychological horror film done right. Very right.
In ColdWater we meet Andre (a white hot Ivan Djurovic, who carries the weight of the film effortlessly upon his shoulders), a young dude who’s been tasked with housesitting for one of his good friends. Sounds relatively simple, right? What could go possibly go wrong?
Within moments of Andre showing up for his should-be-a-breeze type gig, something appears to be kind of “off.” You see, it becomes extremely apparent that Andre is not alone in the house, and the question becomes exactly who… or what… is in there with him. One thing’s for sure, for us it’s gonna be one hell of a night.
To tell you any more of the plot would be to spoil things for you as ColdWater is the kind of film that the less you know going into it, the better and more fulfilling an experience it will be. Parker displays a keen eye behind the camera and really knows how to give you the impression that the house in and of itself is a character within the movie and you aren’t just a viewer… you’re more of a voyeur. We feel how alien Andre’s surroundings are to him, like we’re discovering each room of the house and taking each step with him. The only hitch? We see what’s going on around him more than he does. There are times when you’re going to want to scream out loud, “Dude, just turn around!” Don’t let that fool you, though… Just because you can see things doesn’t mean that you’re going to be any more ahead of the game than our protagonist. ColdWater will keep you guessing the entire time, and once everything is revealed, you’re going to want to watch it once more just to make sure you caught it all.
This is easily Parker’s most mature film to date as he relies firmly on fright and suspense and less on gore and shock. In fact, I’d hazard to say this is also his most restrained movie. Everything seems very deliberate and calculated as if he’s having just as much fun messing with the audience as the events at the house are screwing with his protagonist. The only things holding the movie back from a bit of a higher score are some minor pacing issues that do not detract too much from the overall experience.
In a sea of indie films that aren’t worth their salt, Parker once again triumphs over budgetary constraints and delivers one of the better films you’re likely to see this year. ColdWater is an unpredictable terror tale that delights in delivering the shivers.
Now please… can somebody get this guy a budget and take notice? As stated above, he’s certainly one to watch.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
