In October 2024, I believe I met the writer/director of an indie horror flick that was filmed right here in Michigan. I said I’d be happy to review it for CHC and now, nearly nine months later, I’m finally getting around to it.
I am so sorry I’m a lazy asshole, Anthony!
Anyway, let’s get to it! I’ll try not to spoil anything as it’s a relatively new film and someone out there might not have had the chance to see it yet.
Personally, that might be for the best…
Let Us In is basically some kind of zombie film that takes place in the middle of petty squabbles between rival motorcycle gangs. The film jumps around a lot between the gang members, some guy hiding out in NOT his house with a sick wife, a random dude whose car breaks down, and some chick who…I don’t even know her fucking issue.
That’s about it. There’s not a lot of depth going on in this movie. I admit Anthony tried to make a more interesting flick than just your standard zombie trope-filled celluloid. It could have worked if the sound was even, or if the acting was better, or the special effects looked more convincing, or it made any sense at all.
The story arc jumping was too much. Each character group/story had about two minutes of screen time – if we were lucky – before switching to another. It’s mostly difficult to keep track of the story because the audio is absolute GARBAGE. Maybe that’s why the opening title screen says, “This film should be played LOUD!”
Fuck my life…
The “special f/x” are pretty bad, which is not uncommon for indie horror. But when the neck flap of the mask is clearly visible on the zombie, and there aren’t more guts on a victim after a chainsaw attack, it makes it a little difficult to become immersed in the action.
But I have to say the most implausible scene that really pissed me off was a character with a SHOTGUN acquiesced to a character with a CHAINSAW who threatened to saw off their hands if they didn’t put the gun down. I mean, what the actual fuck? He’s standing two feet away from you. Blow that fucking asshole’s head off and move on.
*ahem*
Anyway…
It’s not a total loss here. The film is only 57 minutes, which helps a great deal, even if some of it feels like filler to pad the run time. And while character development was obviously not a priority here (the biker chick, Meg, was introduced via her bare tits and I don’t think she had any dialogue at all) the character of Chris is actually kinda fun. He’s got a fight scene with a zombie that pretty fucking cool. I’m not sure if he’s supposed to be some kind of bad ass or former Green Beret but I’d believe it if that was the explanation for his bad-assery.
Also some of the cinematography is great. Many of the shots needed to convey that sense of emptiness that comes with a global infectious event and this flick delivered where needed.
They did put out a goofy gimmick with the movie, a la William Castle. Barf bags were included inside the DVD case. I wouldn’t say this movie had that much gore in it but I get the idea behind it. Nice little throwback to the tamer days of horror presentation.
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| Adorbs |
While I wouldn’t recommend this film at all, I won’t judge anyone who’d like to support Anthony and any of his future projects. I think there’s a lot of potential there. Maybe not the next Tarantino or Roth, but it might be fun to see where he goes from here.
1 hatchet (out of 5)
I have no links or site where you can get this flick so if you're really interested, maybe email or call Anthony!
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