Revenge, redemption and the End of the World...what could possibly go wrong?
Douglas Aarniokoski (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Once Upon A Time in Mexico) takes the directing reigns for this end of the world sci-fi thriller. A group of five people wondering the earth after an unspecified event in a post-apocalyptic future discover an abandoned farmhouse where they mean to stay till a storm passes. They soon find themselves under attack by a gang of bloodthirsty predators. A cast including Shawn Ashmore (X-Men film series), Shannyn Sossamon (Knight’s Tale and 40 Day 40 Nights), Ashley Bell (The Last Exorcism) and Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Ring series). With such a stellar ensemble each actor brings much substance to the film and it shows.
When I heard about this film, I thought it was another post-apocalyptic zombie/vampire/ mysterious threat against a group of human survivors. Man, I was wrong, I love horror films where some or few of the settings take place during the day, because I believe it’s harder to scare the viewer when there's a certain safe mentality of nothing being scary in a well-lit environment. I give credit and respect to any director that could pull it off. The Day, starts off with a slow pace due to very little back story and some character development, but when the shit hits the fan you can tell...and it is amazing.
When things are good in The Day, they're really good and this film has a lot of good points. It does a great job utilizing the natural lights and darks of all the settings. Brief female nudity is always a plus and glad to see that it is still in horror films. The part that blew my mind wasn’t the event that caused the end of society but , rather, the group that is attacking our survivors. I won’t spoil it for anyone interested in screening it, which I recommend, but it’s crazy when you find out what the attackers are and great how the film shows the huge difference between everyone when the social norms break down and the basic instincts kick in.
The film hit on the reasons you really watch horror, and why you come to Film Deviant for all your horror needs. You’re here for the blood, guts and scares. The Day, delivers on the blood and it is awesome. The best death scene, hands down is the final few minutes of the film (will not go into details) but it hits almost all aspects. You get the blood, the shock value and badassedness. The character that stole the show was Mary (Ashley Bell). For a character that had the least lines, her actions spoke volumes and the levels of those volumes were intense!
The bad parts of the film (could be just me knit picking, it’s up to you) has to go to the editing. It wasn’t terrible, but it was a little jarring and, due to that the story, was a little hard to follow or took a second to understand what had just happened. While the story was inconclusive, there were aspects that seemed important to the characters but took a backseat to the events that were unfolding. Like the whole thing with Hope and Faith (watch the film, it will make sense). Above all these faults there is still a great and original film in a genre that is packed with monsters and plagues. Every now and then a story shines through and that has a fuck load of potential.
The overall quality of the film is very high. You’re engulfed in world of survival and terror. Your blood lust is quenched and treated with awesome death scenes. I can’t speak highly enough of the death scenes. The story does take a backseat, but that’s not always a problem. The editing and quick cut effect distorted the pace of the film, but it is still an awesome film.
Shannyn has eye tattoos over her bum.
Until the next film,
Johnny Deviant
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