...for
this ardent viewer of cult and genre films...well, sometimes it almost seems that he's seen it all. Heck, are there
really any more original ideas, out there?? It's gotten to the point where this devoted auteur of oddball cinema can spot a concept film, coming from miles away. It's no wonder, one cannot help but think that all of the great core concepts have been used up, and all that there's left, is a
melding of concepts
....'this', crossed with
'that', with a smidgen of 'this, over here'. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I
truly wish that I was a fly on the wall, in one of those darkened studio executive board rooms, watching some young and enthusiastic writer, wildly acting out a concept, in front of a gaggle of stiff-suited, stogie-puffing, poker-faced executives...trying to convince them to invest their interest and monetary resources, in what the writers believe is a great idea for a movie (...and to be quite honest, being an aspiring writer myself, I would genuinely want to be on the writer's end of this scenario, as for the most part, they're on the deckplate level, like all of us, and as such, they seem to have a finger on the pulse of what audiences would want to see; most studio execs, given their opportunity to put in
their two cents worth, idea-wise, seem driven foremost by money, and as such,
think that they know what movie watchers want...coupled with what they believe will bring in the big bank...and for the most part, time and time again,
both motivations fail to mesh as irreadily as their mis-matched concepts, and in the end, more than often, they tend to be wrong)...
...ahem!! Meanwhile, back in the studio exec board room, that young, pimple faced writer is jumping up and down, acting out the concept, which he's oh-so excited about...the stone-faced executives, unmoved...but heck, at
least they're listening. "It'll be great, I tell ya'..balls to the walls!! It's aliens...and Armageddon...and mutants...Oh My!! It's death, and destruction, and other-worldly mayhem!! It's "Night of the Comet", crossed with "The Thing", but with a generous dash of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's "Wicked City"!! It's be great...it'll be phenomenal...they'll love it!! We're calling it, "Dead Shadows"...wha' da' ya' think??" Hmmm!! Well, what do
you think, folks...Let's take a look for ourselves, shall we??...
...despite the rallying hoopla, all around him, regarding the flyby of a rogue comet, due to arrive soon, Chris is very much put off, and relatively unexcited about the whole nationwide celebrative affair...not all too surprising, considering that over a decade previous, his parents were killed, as Haley's comet, making it's return trip, was passing overhead. As dusk announces the dark of the evening...much to Chris' dismay, as he harbors a dreaded fear of the dark...and everyone & their mother are out in the streets, gazing overhead, awaiting the arrival of 'the visitor', Chris attempts to shut himself off from the 'end of the world' festivities; however, in the course of the evening, in encountering many of the local citizens, including those whom he knows, Chris is quite taken aback at the increasing level of chaos, disorientation and violence, which is assuming reign in the city...and that chaos, disorientation and violence gives way to changes in the local populace...the people are slowly mutating and transforming into monstrous, other-worldly creatures, hellbent upon taking control of the city...nay, even possibly assuming superiority and reign over the planet itself. Dragging with him, his slacker, drug-dealing, gun-toting neighbor, Chris finds himself force out of the safety and comfort of his home, into the streets...fighting desperately for his life...and onto...uh, where?? When the world has gone to hell, and everyone around you is becoming, or has become something monstrously inhuman, where are you going to go?? Where are you going to hide?? Who can you trust, and where is it safe??...
...and does all this work for the viewer...even those of the jaded and seasoned variety?? Let's see...shaking up the Magic 8-Ball, here...turning it over...and it says...Well, how 'bout that, folks?? It reads, "it is
decidedly so". Seriously though, the aforementioned melding of inspired concepts, does genuinely work, here...though, the overall atmosphere is far from campy, or even the slightest bit funny, as might be suggested by some of the film's clear inspirations. Grim. Creepy. Bizarre. Surreal. Grotesque. An Overwhelming Flavor of Frenzied Doom. First time director David Cholewa affords the viewer, a most surreal and out-of-control experience, replent with grotesque and visceral imagery, not soon forgotten, even well after the credits have scrolled. If there appears to be a hint of embrace by Cholewa, with regards to seasoned genre director John Carpenter...no, you're not seeing or hearing things. Along with inspired winks toward Carpenter's "The Thing", as well as a quick shot of the classic "Escape from New York" poster, there's a most familiar soundtrack, which hearkens to some of Carpenter's earlier work...not all that surprising, when one finds out that composer Alan Howarth, a frequent collaborator with Carpenter, keenly assumed sound editing chores, with "Dead Shadows"...
...actor Wolfrom Fabian is the wholly relatable standout persona, as Chris, in these ghastly and other-worldly proceedings. A character, suffering from 'dark-a-phobia' (...ok, I could have looked that up, but you get the idea), who finds himself force to face his fears, and engage his survival instincts...not because he wants to, mind you, but because he has to. With reservations, resisting an egotistical fervor, and totally unwary at what he'll run into next, he gets in there, and get it done. The only problem is, much like a quicksand-like quagmire, it seems that the more he fights his way through the gauntlet, that is the inner city turmoil of alien infiltration, the tougher is seems to get, to actually blast, slash and bash through it all, and in the end...well, the question invariably arises, as to whether or not there's actually any baskin of solace, safety and security to forge onto. Just what is there to 'win'??...
...of course, if one is looking for the
utmost 'winners' (...presents viewing company included, of course), in the vast and overwhelmingly embraceable creepiness, that is "Dead Shadows", one should look no further that the special effects team, behind the making of the varied and eclectic creatures, in these icky proceedings. Melting faces...righteous body blasts...grotesque sheddings of the 'old body', in favor of sprouting Lovecraftian tendrils, tentacles and other slimy alien vestiges...including a surrealistic 'cuddling' scene, involving a human/spider hybrid...and much much more. An outstanding, amiable and reciprocative melding of practical effects and CGI...something that's happens, seldomly...
...
this is one of those films where so much is going on, the overall effect is not so much overwhelming and exhausting, per say, but enough to make one stand back, once the credits rolled, and wonder, "...damn!!
That was 75 minutes??" A film that clearly makes the most out of what seems like so little. Shout/Scream Factory, once again breaking from their thus-far flawless record of classic genre releases, has given this 'little flickage that could', as equal fervor, as any of their other showcase high-profile releases, with the prerequisite trailers, deleted scenes, and two great behind-the-scenes shorts, exuding the dynamite special effects, as well as producer/director David Cholewa, himself...
..."Dead Shadows"??
This one's an unstoppable juggernaut...a deliciously out-of-control freight train, folks. Need I say more??...
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