SiREN (2016)

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Starring Hannah Fierman, Chase Williamson, Justin Welborn, Michael Aaron Milligan

Directed by Gregg Bishop

Screened at FrightFest 2016


Taking the concept introduced in V/H/S segment “Amateur Night” and running with it, Gregg Bishop’s SiREN eschews found footage in favour of the conventional feature film as a group of partying friends find themselves neck deep in an underground world of supernatural oddity and danger.

Jonah (Williamson) is due to marry his fiancée, Eva (Lindsay Garrett), and so his wild child brother, Mac (Milligan), and friends Rand (Hayes Mercure) and Elliott (Randy McDowell) whisk him away for what promises to be a raucous night of bachelor party excess.

When the allegedly first-class strip club they drive to winds up being hilariously poor, Mac is told of the existence of a hidden club by a shady individual at the bar – a place where the guys’ dreams of the perfect night will be realised. Once they arrive at the secluded location, they’re introduced to the club’s owner/operator, stylish occult expert Mr. Nyx (Welborn).

Things in this particular club have a strange, Vamp-like vibe to them, including drinks containing leeches that seem to transfer extracted memories to those who drink them. As part of his special night, Nyx hooks Jonah up with a treat – a peep-show at the end of the labyrinthine back rooms of the venue.

Through the glass, Jonah is mesmerised by the appearance and song of the titular siren, Lily (Fierman, reprising her role from the V/H/S short). So infatuated is he, in fact, that he becomes determined to break her out – resulting in violent confrontations and a hurried escape from the club, the perpetually nude Lily in tow.

Unfortunately for him, her true monstrous nature quickly comes to light. She sees him as a ‘forever mate’ and will kill to have him. Jonah, on the other hand, just wants to get as far away from the situation as he possibly can – something that seems wise given the events of a particularly comical (if not for poor Jonah) sex scene between the two.

On the trail of the guys is the no-nonsense Nyx, who will go to any lengths and utilise as many connections as possible to retrieve Lily and teach the boys a lesson.

From the opening sequence, featuring Nyx’s discovery of the young Lily, the lighthearted nature of SiREN stands out. Bishop relishes in his The Hangover-esque setup, throwing constant gags and snappy wit around with abandon… and it makes for pretty regular laughs throughout the film’s runtime. This does come at the expense of the horror, however, as Jonah’s often comedic (if, admittedly, realistic) reactions to Lily’s advances continue to lessen any threat she poses.

It tends to feel more like a Saturday night (mis)adventure movie than a horror film, running along on a comic book vibe rather than anything more serious – and within the confines of what SiREN sets out to do, that’s perfectly fine. It remains cohesive in its tone throughout, never feeling like it’s unsure of what it wants to be.

Of course, when Lily cuts loose, there’s enough violence and gore to go around (and the practical effects used on Fierman are superb), so creature feature fans will feel right at home with a dose of carnage to go along with the laughs. Expanding on Lily’s character, Bishop offers her much more depth than we ever got to see in “Amateur Night,” building an added layer of vulnerability to her beastly nature that makes for a sweet – if still deadly – connection between her and Jonah. This is ably realised by Fierman, whose puppy-dog eyes can be heartbreakingly helpless one moment and filled with rage the next.

On the human side, the core cast across the board are perfectly natural and likable with a solid dynamic among them. It really does feel like a spin-off from The Hangover thrown into another dimension. Welborn’s smarmy Mr. Nyx may be too far into the moustache-twiddling zones of the nefarious scale for some, but his scenery chewing does work within the comic book context that the film presents.

Some sub-par CGI and compositing sadly tend to stand out, especially when it comes to the monster action, and after the upbeat, comedy-filled first act, the film begins to feel like it’s running out of steam later in the game… but against the odds, SiREN winds up being a thoroughly entertaining popcorn flick.

Inventively expanding on the shallow inspiration of the short on which it is based, SiREN is a much more satisfying experience than expected and more than worthy of a night in alongside a nice big pizza. Enjoy.

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User Rating 3.11 (9 votes)
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