Night of Horror, A – Volume 1 (2017)
Erik McHatton
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Starring Bianca Brady, David Macrae, Emily Wheaton, Tegan Higginbotham, Jessica Hinkson
Directed by Enzo Tedeschi, Bossi Baker, Justin Harding, Rebecca Thomson, Evan Randall Green, Goran Spoljaric, Carmen Falk, Matthew Goodrich, Nicholas Colla, Daniel Daperis
Since anthologies are my second favorite horror sub-genre (after slashers), I was pretty excited by both the trailer and the hype surrounding this Aussie release. Did it live up to my lofty expectations, or was it more like A Night of Boredom? Let’s find out as we grab our flashlights and shotguns and prepare for A Night of Horror – Volume 1.
The way I usually review anthologies is by breaking the segments down into separate entries and giving each an individual rating. This way I can give each part a fair shake and judge it outside of the rest of the feature. This is especially important in a movie like this that is made up of various short films plucked from a film festival. I want to make sure each filmmaker gets equal time. So let’s get to it.
“Life Imitates” (dir. Enzo Tedeschi): This is the wraparound segment that holds all the others together. It tells the story of a woman who wakes up in a creepy, abandoned art gallery full of exhibits containing objects relating to each of the shorts.
While it’s not much more than bare bones, this is an effective wraparound. Bianca Brady does a fine job silently conveying her character’s disorientation and growing dread. The cinematography, lighting and music all serve the narrative well in making the viewer feel as uneasy as the unnamed woman. The only complaint I have is that the transitions between the wraparound and the shorts are a bit sudden. I would have liked for them to be more clear, but this is a minor complaint. 4 out of 5
“Hum” (dir. Bossi Baker): A woman is plagued by a humming sound she can’t find or stop. Despite her best efforts and those of her building’s maintenance man, the noise continues to drive her to the brink of insanity and beyond.
I was a bit frustrated at the lack of answers found in this short, but I’m pretty sure that’s the point. The surreal atmosphere grows and creeps up your spine as the noise gets steadily louder and louder. Enhanced by excellent sound design and some interesting special effects, I found this to be one of the stronger entries. 4 out of 5
“Point of View” (dir. Justin Harding): A beleaguered morgue attendant is menaced by a corpse that only moves when she isn’t looking.
Those familiar with the Weeping Angels of “Doctor Who” or the more obscure SCP-173 will already understand the type of villain we’re dealing with here. It would have been easy for this one to be merely derivative, but what Justin Harding was able to do with the concept was exceptional. Full of wonderful atmosphere, tension and excellent camera work, I was delighted at how scared I was watching this. Definitely my favorite of the bunch. 5 out of 5
“I Am Undone”(dir. Rebecca Thomson): A heavily plasticized nurse administering syringes full of body enhancers is stricken when her own body begins to reject all the changes she has made to it.
This one is bizarre. It does everything required in order to get across its message, almost obnoxiously so, but I think the end result is just what it needed to be. Over-the-top, gross and appropriately preachy, this one made me squirm uncomfortably several times. It could have used a few more in-camera effects, but with the budget they were probably working with, it’s hard to fault them too much for that. 4 out of 5
“Dark Origins” (dir. Evan Randall Green): A woman who has been institutionalized since childhood tries to make her therapist see the truth about the things that lurk at the edges of her vision.
I liked the concept of this short but not the execution. The acting is pretty bad, the music is bland and the ending is too easy to see coming. I was even kind of offended when the director chose to include a “recap” of clips right before the ending as if I somehow could have forgotten something that happened less than 10 minutes ago! This one’s a dud. 2 out of 5
“The Priest” (dir. Goran Spoljaric): A cheating wife takes the wrong subway ride home and finds herself sharing a car with both the damned and the perverse priest who judges them.
I had to watch this one twice. At first I found it too loud and chaotic, but the second viewing brought more clarity to Goran Spoljaric’s unique vision of damnation. This is a short that works on several different levels, and I appreciated its nuances. Special mention should go to David Macrae’s icky presence as the titular priest. He’s awful in all the right ways. 4 out of 5
“Ravenous” (dir. Carmen Falk): A young girl is trapped in a house with her grandmother, who has become obsessed with eating fresh, raw meat. When grandma’s tastes start to escalate, the girl begins to fear she just might be next on the menu.
This one I didn’t get. If there was an underlying meaning I must have missed it. The editing is confusing, and the lack of dialogue subtracts more than it adds. The sound design is its strength, focusing on the disgusting sounds of the grandmother eating with a score dripping with growing dread; but there’s not much else worth saying about it. It’s just kind of there. I think it would have benefited from a little less “artfulness” and a little more attention to the characters’ motivations. 3 out of 5
“Scission” (dir. Matthew Goodrich): An unknown force comes to the farm of a troubled Australian family and assaults the mind of their father, showing him terrible visions and driving him slowly insane.
This was the one short I had to think about the most. It is an amazing piece full of jaw-dropping cinematography. The score is excellent, the editing sharp and the acting is near pitch perfect. Why did I have to think so hard about it then? It’s confusing. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be impressionistic or literal or both, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of most of it. In the end I concluded that I should think of it as more of an experience than anything else, and that’s what I decided to go with. As an experience it’s incredible. 5 out of 5
“Flash” (dir. Nicholas Colla and Daniel Daperis): A group of friends go to a cabin in the woods to party. Their reverie is interrupted, however, by spirits trapped in the forest around them.
This one is bad. The worst of the bunch. Uninspired, insipid and not scary in the least. The acting is annoying as well. I really, really didn’t like it. It’s extremely out of place in this group of films. I’m amazed it took two directors to make this. Oh, and on top of everything else, I had to look at some annoying frat guy’s pasty hide parts. Not a good time. 1 out of 5
In conclusion I can solidly recommend A Night of Horror – Volume 1. The filmmakers all set out to make films that were different from everything else you see in anthology films today. They definitely succeeded. Avant-garde is the most apt way I can relate the tone of the film to you. It’s appropriate that the framing story takes place in a twisted art gallery because that’s exactly how the film feels. Like walking through the most nightmarish art installation you’ve ever seen. I say check it out.
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