City of the Living Dead (1980)

I picked up City of the Living Dead (aka The Gates of Hell) on my last jaunt to my favorite store, Second Spin. I was convinced I already owned a copy or had at least watched this Fulci flick, but I was delighted to find I had NOT seen it.

City of the Living Dead has pretty much been slammed by critics, much to my chagrin. Why this sweet little supernatural/zombie flick packed to the teeth with gory goodness has been so lambasted is simply beyond me, for I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In the town of Dunwich a priest (Fabrizio Jovine) commits suicide in a cemetery and opens up the gates to hell. Meanwhile, a psychic (Catriona MacColl) has a vision of this priest and the hell on earth that will ensue after his suicide. This psychic seems to die from fright during the séance, but awakens after she’s been buried alive. A newspaper reporter (Christopher George) poking around her grave for a story rescues her. She then convinces him the world will end in 48 hours unless they find this mysterious town of Dunwich and stop the undead priest from unleashing hell on earth. Back in Dunwich, the undead priest is hard at work and zombies are rising from graves and killing people. When the psychic and reporter finally find Dunwich, they team up with a few others, including a psychologist (Carlo De Mejo) and a young child (Luca Venantini), to fight off the impending zombie apocalypse. Can they stop it before it’s too late?

I am really surprised more people didn’t dig this movie, because I thought it was abso-fucking-lutely fantastic! When you go into a Fulci flick, you have to realize that you won’t get a very well-developed story or even one that makes sense. What you will get, however, is a highly atmospheric and stylized, gore-filled treat! City of the Living Dead is no different, packed with eerie shots of a fog-filled cemetery, a creepy, undead priest and some cringeworthy gore!

The visuals are outstanding, with Fulci creating some seriously nightmarish images. Characters keep seeing the creepy priest appear and disappear, zombies begin stumbling around the nearly-deserted streets and the city of Dunwich begins to take on a very apocalyptic feel. Fabio Frizzi’s dark score helps to heighten the atmosphere and kept me on the edge of my seat!

Besides the sinister visuals, Fulci gives us a heaping plateful of his trademark ooey gooey gore. Once the priest puts the impending apocalypse into motion, people start behaving a little…oddly. In one very memorable scene, a father catches his daughter hanging out in the garage with a guy and suspects the worse. He punishes the man (who in earlier scenes we see is a disturbing sexual deviant, played by none other than Italian horror icon Giovanni Lombardo Radice) by drilling right through his skull in a fantastically shot scene! In another legendary scene, the priest appears and makes a girl cry blood tears and slowly regurgitate her own intestines. Truly a sick, sick sight, but oh so worth it!

Now, no matter how much I enjoyed this flick it still has some very serious flaws. The most glaringly obvious is the poor storyline. The story itself is pretty nonsensical and there are plenty of plot holes to jar your enjoyment of the film. Believability MUST be suspended quite a bit to believe the sequence of events portrayed in the film. Example – without any explanation, the zombies in this film, including the undead priest, can teleport. Pretty handy for freaking people the fuck out! Also, the psychic coming back to life after nearly being buried alive is pretty implausible…didn’t they stuff corpses with embalming fluid and whatnot back then?

The dialogue is pretty horrendous as well, with the characters endlessly babbling about Dunwich being built upon the remains of Salem, going back and forth on how they must stop the priest and on and on. The film gets a lot better towards the end when there is more screaming than talking. Yet, I found myself being able to overlook the bad dialogue and just enjoy the action happening on-screen.

While City of the Living Dead certainly has its flaws and isn’t the best Fulci flick around, it still has a certain charm that made me love it. For those that haven’t experienced Fulci’s unique style of filmmaking (shame on you!) I would NOT recommend this film. It’s a little too all over the place for a starting point. Instead, I’d suggest first checking out Zombi or The Beyond. Still, those that haven’t yet peeped this gorelicious treat are truly missing out on an atmospheric and grue-filled flick!

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Night of the Living Dead (1990)

I had never gotten around to seeing Tom Savini’s remake of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Maybe I had better things to do (doubtful), maybe I was lazy (probable) or maybe I just thought a remake of THE great zombie film could never live up to its source material. Whichever the case, I’m glad my boyfriend turned me on to Savini’s fantastic remake of the original or I might never have seen it!

The remake follows almost the exact same storyline as the original Night of the Living Dead, with a very different ending. It all begins with Johnnie (Bill Moseley) and Barbara (Patricia Tallman) driving to a cemetery in the middle of nowhere to visit their mother’s grave. Before you can say, “Barbara, they’re coming to get you,” they are attacked by the newly risen dead. Barbara flees to a nearby farmhouse and is soon joined by survivors Ben (Tony Todd), Tom (William Butler), Judy Rose (Katie Finneran), and the Cooper family, Harry (Tom Towles), Helen (McKee Anderson) and little girl Sarah (Heather Mazur). Can the group survive the growing numbers of zombies that appear outside?

Tom Savini sure did a heck of a job remaking one of the most revered zombie films of all time. He stuck close enough to the original to keep the same terror-filled atmosphere of Romero’s movie, but added a new ending that seemed like a very appropriate update.

This version moves quickly and when the action begins with the first zombie attacking Johnnie and Barbara in the cemetery, it doesn’t relent. The action after that comes fast and furious. Chaos, bickering and bloodshed all take place once the survivors take refuge in the farmhouse and the zombies slowly surround the place. The suspense and terror really start to build, even though most of us have seen the original Night.

The film’s characters are all pretty similar to the original, with the exception of Barbara. This time around, Barbara is much stronger and tougher. I appreciated the make-over of Barbara’s character and really enjoyed seeing Patricia Tallman in her take-charge role. The rest of the cast do a fantastic job, though Tony Todd could never live up to Bill “Chilly Billy” Cardille’s performance as Ben. Tom Towles does a fantastic job playing the highly unlikable Harry Cooper and you’ll be clapping when he meets his surprising demise.The remake does a great job at recreating that claustrophobic atmosphere that is so prevalent in Romero’s version. The farmhouse is spectacularly spooky and very dark and depressing. Everything from the basement up to the attic is dank and you never know what might be waiting for you in the shadows or around a corner. The gore is limited (surprising with Savini behind the scenes), but is still effective for a Night of the Living Dead remake.

Now, the ending is completely different but it is still shocking, though perhaps not so much as in the original version. Of course, it attempts to go the politically correct route, though the rednecks still love their guns and their zombie huntin’. Even so, I thought it was a nice 90’s update and it definitely added to the film instead of spoiling it.

Tom Savini’s 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead is definitely worth checking out, whether you are already a fan of Romero’s Night or if you’ve never even seen the original. This zombie movie doesn’t deserve many of the negative comments that it has received and really should be placed alongside another successful and entertaining remake of a Romero Dead film – the Dawn of the Dead remake.

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What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)

What Have You Done to Solange? is a prime example of a giallo done right. It is brutal and unflinching, but also takes the time to build up a very suspenseful story filled with memorable and believable characters. Its murder mystery stands out as one of the better stories of the giallo genre and is expertly executed by director Massimo Dallamano.

On the banks of the Thames in London, a Catholic schoolgirl is brutally murdered. A handsome Italian teacher, Mr. Rossini (Fabio Testi), and his pretty young pupil, Elizabeth (Cristina Galbo), are engaging in some extracurricular activities when Elizabeth sees flashes of the murder through the trees. The next day, Mr. Rossini finds out via the news that a girl was indeed murdered on the banks and the murderer is still at large. Even though Elizabeth was witness to the murder, he begs her not to come forward lest their relationship be revealed.

As more girls from the Catholic school where Mr. Rossini teaches are killed, suspicions fall on the good-looking and flirtatious foreign teacher. He and Elizabeth reluctantly come forward to tell what they have seen as Elizabeth remembers more and more what she saw. Mr. Rossini, with help from his German wife Herta (Karin Baal) who is also a teacher at the school, uncover more and more about the secret lives of schoolgirls and learn about a girl named Solange (Camille Keaton, who would later star in I Spit on Your Grave) who might be the key to the hideous murders.

This is seriously one of the best giallos I’ve ever seen and I can’t believe I haven’t seen it until recently. What Have You Done to Solange? does what many giallos and horror films don’t; it focuses on a well-developed story instead of splattering the screen with senseless grue. The mystery of the murders is the focal point for the film as the audience is taken through many red herrings and twists and turns. The horrifying murder scenes are not explicitly shown, which I think was a very wise choice. The murders are very graphic, brutal and hard to look at AFTER the fact, much less while it occurs. The young age and vulnerability of the victims makes the murders that much harder to see, even if just the aftermath is shown. Though the murder scenes are not shown, they still had a very strong lasting impact on me.

The story keeps building the entire time and there’s never a second to catch your breath. I was impressed how the story drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. This is a giallo, so yes, there are some slow moments but these still add to the story and tension. The suspense just keeps building and building and the ending was anything but a letdown. Unlike some giallos, the ending was entirely believable and shocking at the same time. Everything was tidily wrapped up, actually made sense and the revelation of the murderer genuinely surprised me.

The score by maestro Ennio Morricone only heightened the affect of the tight scripting. It helped create an even more mysterious and tense atmosphere. Morricone’s score in What Have You Done to Solange? is haunting and atmospheric; a perfect companion to the events unfolding on-screen.

The acting and the directing of the film were superb as well…even the dubbing didn’t bother me all that much. I haven’t seen any other films by director Massimo Dallamano, but I wish he had directed more giallos. I pretty much loved all the actors, especially the smoking hot Fabio Testi. For the guys, there are copious sleazy shots of naked girls in the showers.

If you are a fan of the Italian giallo genre, I highly recommend What Have You Done to Solange? if you haven’t already seen it. It is definitely one of the better-made giallos that relies on a solid storyline instead of just pretty visuals to entertain the audience.

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Interview with Author D.L. Snell

D.L. Snell is the author of the recently released Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines (read our review), a visceral tale of a post-apocalyptic world where a group of vampires and their dwindling human food supply face off against hordes of zombies who are evolving into something much more horrifying.

Snell has authored several short stories, his most well known probably being in The Undead anthology published by Permuted Press, but Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines is his first full-length novel. We were so blown away by his unique book and his different writing style that we just had to interview him.

Fatally Yours: D.L., thank you so much for doing this interview! I really was blown away by your excellent debut novel, Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines. How did you come up with this fantastical story? Why did you decide to write about vampires and zombies?

D.L. Snell: Glad you like the book! I came up with the idea for Roses and its short-story precursor, “Limbless Bodies Swaying,” after reading Richard Matheson’s classic vampire novel, I Am Legend. Matheson’s vampire apocalypse often reminds readers of a zombie outbreak, but it should be the other way around– I Am Legend allegedly inspired the zombies in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. I didn’t know that. And I thought it was cool to see zombie-like vampires. Then I thought how cool it would be to pit vampires against zombies; I thought it would make a great Darwinian struggle because they would fight over the same food source. Hence, “Limbless Bodies Swaying” and Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines.

I talk a bit more about the genesis of the story in the free reading companion, No Amount of Lead, available to download at www.rosesofblood.com.

FY: In Roses of Blood, I really enjoyed how you put a new spin on both the vampires and zombies. The vampires aren’t your typical romantic-types that you might find in an Anne Rice novel and your zombies aren’t your standard George Romero shamblers. What was your inspiration for your creations?

DS: The vampires AREN’T very romantic are they? They’re brutal–yet there’s something human about them. It’s not that they have pulses or that they breathe, which they do. It’s not that they are vulnerable to the zombie bite, which they are (not in the way you would expect however). It’s that no matter how evil they are, their hopes and fears are relatable and human: Shade wants to uphold her legacy, a barricaded apartment building surrounded by zombies; Frost wants to migrate to an uninhabited island where they can be free. So human worries and desires inspired me the most when creating them.

As for the zombies? I have no clue what inspired the tentacles and the mutations–other than an obsession with everything macabre. Circus freaks have always engrossed me, so I’m sure they partly inspired the deformities. And the tentacles? Well, what’s monster horror without tentacles?

FY: Did you base any of your characters from Roses of Blood on people in your real life?

DS: My friend pointed out that two of the minor characters, Thomas and Liam, share names with his kids. I tried to convince him it was unintentional, but he’s still suing. Other than that, all my characters are a blend of people I know, a mix of quirks, habits, speech patterns, and physical traits.

FY: If Roses of Blood were ever turned into a movie, who would you cast in the lead parts and why?

DS: Hard question. I would cast relatively unknown (but good) actors because it would make the film seem more real; you wouldn’t recognize anyone. What would be really cool is an animated film or a highly stylized film like 300. I think the writing style calls for it.

FY: There is some fantastical artwork contained in Roses of Blood. Who designed the cover and the drawings within the book?

DS: Stephen Blundell created the cover. He also did the interior art, originally separate concept sketches that I compiled in Photoshop; so Stephen drew them and I grouped them into a composition. Publisher Jacob Kier laid out the typography on the cover, with some harsh criticisms and doubts about his manhood from yours truly.

FY: When did you realize you wanted to pursue writing and why?

DS: I started writing when I was about seven. I wrote about time machines, monsters in the attic, and dogs from hell. I’ve always had a vivid imagination (in fact, my mom would find me playing alone quite a bit, despite that I had an older brother; I could always entertain myself); writing is a way to share my visions with other people. But I didn’t consider it as a career until high school.

FY: How did you start your writing career and what was the very first thing that you had published?

DS: My first published story appeared in my junior college’s literary magazine. The story was titled “Insanity,” and it wasn’t very good. It wasn’t even a story. It was just a barrage of violent images and really big words. They loved it! I had a few small acceptances after that, but my first sale was to PublishAmerica. They printed my dark fantasy novella, Hourglass. I barely promoted it and sold little more than one hundred copies (I’m guessing). It certainly didn’t launch my career. No, I would say editing and contributing to Permuted Press’ zombie anthology The Undead got me going.

FY: Can you tell us about some of your earlier short stories and where to find them?

DS: Sure. They were all pretty horrible, but if you really want to know… “A Story to Tell” can be found at the old DREAM PEOPLE (http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/thedreampeople/jun03/story.html), and a reprint of “Tooth Decay,” which first appeared in Cyber-Pulp’s Halloween Anthology 2.0, can be found on the “Free” page of my website, www.exit66.net. I don’t care to describe them. They, uh, they speak for themselves…

FY: In your opinion, which one of these short stories is your personal favorite or the one you would recommend the most to people?

DS: “Bullet Solitaire” is an older story recently published in Raw Meat, a signed limited-edition anthology from Wicked Karnival. I’m in there with the likes of Deborah LeBlanc, James Newman, and Michael Laimo (he wrote the introduction). If anyone’s interested, I posted a link at www.exit66.net.

FY: You have a very distinct, very visceral writing style. How did you develop this style and how did you find your own “voice?”

DS: I read and write a lot, and my voice just kind of developed with hard work and experience. And I really like the surreal and the fantastical, so I started to incorporate that into my writing style.

FY: You are also the editor at Permuted Press, where many of your stories have been published. How did your relationship with Permuted Press come about?

DS: I submitted a story, “Pale Moonlight,” to Permuted’s first anthology, The Undead. Jacob Kier accepted it and asked if I wanted to edit for him. So I edited The Undead with Elijah Hall, and we must have done a good job because Jacob kept offering me assignments, some with excruciatingly tight deadlines. I think I edited Kim Paffenroth’s novel Dying to Live in less than a month.

FY: Does your job as editor at Permuted Press ever come into conflict with your job as an author?

DS: Everything conflicts with my writing. This includes eating and taking craps. I can be at a friend’s house, eating pizza, watching Alan Partridge and having a good time and still think, “I should be writing.” I’ve actually quit Permuted a few times–or have tried to. Jacob keeps wheedling me back with handsome offers. He’s like Satan.

FY: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

DS: I play guitar. I use to play heavy metal, but I play hippy music now. I also read. I’m a slow reader though. About a page a minute.

FY: What authors do you look up to and which ones do you think have influenced your writing?

DS: The four biggest influences on my writing have been Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Robert R. McCammon, and Richard Laymon: King for the psychology, Koontz for the prose, McCammon for the vision, and Laymon for the simplicity–oh, and for the sex.

FY: What are your top 5 horror novels at the moment?

DS: Island (Laymon), Off Season (Ketchum), The Girl Next Door (Ketchum), Swan Song (McCammon), and I Am Legend (Matheson).

FY: What are some of your favorite horror movies?

DS: Slither, Dawn of the Dead (both versions), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (the original), and Hellraiser. Hell yeah.

FY: What is next for you, D.L.? Do you have any stories planned that you can tell us about?

DS: Permuted will publish two novellas: “Remains” in Elements of the Apocalypse and “Mortal Gods” in Headshot Quartet. “Remains” is apocalypse by fire (not the type of fire you’d expect though), and “Mortal Gods”…this is going to sound lame, but…”Mortal Gods” is superheroes vs. zombies. My next novel will be a free serial novel, Pavlov’s Dogs, co-authored with John Sunseri (www.werewolfnovel.com). It’s a zombie/werewolf concept, but I can’t say much more than that as of now.

Click to buy Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines.

Vacancy (2007)

I had skipped Vacancy in theaters, partly because I was sick of slick Hollywood horror and partly because I just felt “meh” about it. When it was released on DVD this week, I decided to give it a shot because I had heard some positive reviews on it. Big mistake…now I’ll know to trust my gut instinct on horror releases in the future, because, as I suspected, this movie was just “meh” bordering on bad.

A soon-to-be-divorced couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) is driving late at night when their car starts having trouble. A friendly mechanic (Ethan Embry) helps fix it, but they only get about a mile down the road before it completely breaks down. Of course the husband of this less-than-dynamic duo took a shortcut off the interstate and now they are stuck in the middle of nowhere. They grumpily trek back to the gas station, but the mechanic has left for the night. Lo and behold, there is a questionable looking motel right next to the gas station. When they decide to spend the night, the odd motel manager (Frank Whaley) upgrades them to the honeymoon suite, complete with unwashed sheets and a serious layer of dirt covering the place. The bickering couple decides to pop in a few unmarked VHS films for a desperately needed distraction and end up face to face with snuff films that were filmed in their very motel room.

Soon, they are being terrorized by masked killers and they discover that they are also being filmed by hidden cameras. To paraphrase the film’s tagline, how can they escape if the killers are watching their every move?

Now, while this movie wasn’t a complete waste of time, I still felt underwhelmed by what I saw on screen. I appreciate that director Nimrod Antal tried to do something different with the horror genre, but the whole movie just felt so damn familiar that it failed to deliver any thrills.

Let me start by saying, Wilson and Beckinsale – not their best work to date. Now, these two aren’t known for their Oscar-worthy performances but their whining and fighting really took its toll here. Their characters weren’t at all likable or well-developed here, but that wasn’t a problem for me. I believe that it was Antal’s intention to keep us so detached from them. It’s like he wanted us to view them as if they were in an actual snuff film – with just a whiff of a backstory and no emotion towards the two. No, my problem wasn’t with the character development but rather how the characters were played and the unbelievability of their actions. I’m not sure these two downtrodden schmucks could face off against some backwoods snuff filmmakers. It just didn’t seem all that believable.

Next, the whole premise was, well, pretty boring. When the couple first arrived at the motel and the banging and rattling on the doors began, I was intrigued. But from there it all went downhill and fast. The next hour consisted of the couple running in and out of the motel room, trying to evade their attackers. And this was the point where I decided to do a little light housework and even bake a cake.

Yep, folks, I was that bored.

The constant musical cues that tell you something big and spooky is just around the corner made me role my eyes and keep reaching for the mute button. Egads, is it too much to ask to actually be surprised at a scare for once instead of being TOLD I’m about to be scared?? It was obvious from the opening credits that director Antal was trying to mimic some Hitchcock-style suspense, but, let me tell ya, Mr. Antal, you failed miserably.

Vacancy comes off staler than the air in a seedy, roach motel.

Available from Amazon!

Duel (1971)

I finally dusted off my copy of Duel, Steven Spielberg’s first major film, at the request of a friend who had fond memories of the killer semi-truck driver flick. Let me tell ya, I had reservations about watching a film that basically took place inside a car (bad flashbacks of watching Penny Dreadful) but Duel pleasantly surprised me. It was a rip-roaring, gas-guzzling good time!

The premise is very, very simple: A middle-aged business man named David is driving on his way to a business appointment in the middle of Nowhere, California and pisses off the wrong truck driver who is driving a souped-up but very rusty and old gas truck. From there on out it is a game of cat and mouse as the dangerous driver toys with the man.

I was always curious about this movie and after buying it a while ago, I’m glad I finally sat down to watch it. From the cool opening credits that show the point of view from the driver’s seat of a car to the explosive finale, Duel is definitely an entertaining film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Dennis Weaver does a fantastic job as the business man who unwittingly picks a fight with a semi and its driver. He is the embodiment of a middle-aged man. He’s not heroic or courageous but entirely believable as he becomes angry, then panicked, then paranoid and eventually decides to stand and fight against his harasser. We never see the truck driver, and besides a few patrons at a café, The character of David is the only one we see or is developed. The semi-truck driver is never seen, and because of this the actual semi takes on its own persona. Every time the semi is seen in a rearview mirror, barreling down the road or stock still at a gas station, it fills you with a foreboding sense of dread.

The film is packed with suspense, much due in part to the fantastic camera work. There are some truly stunning shots in the film, many of them coming from within the car that David drives. There were some great shots where the semi can be seen in the rear view mirror before David sees it and it took all my strength not to scream out, “Look behind you!!”

I thought David’s interaction with the few other characters in the film ratcheted up the suspense even more. There is one scene in particular that involves a broken-down school bus and little kids milling around the road. Whew! Was I gripping the edge of my seat on that one! I also enjoyed the scene in the café where David’s paranoia gets the better of him and he believes anyone inside could be the truck driver.

Duel does tend to drag a bit in some parts and others have complained of the rather abrupt ending. The ending seemed fitting to me and didn’t bother me too much. The film does get bogged down a few times, but it’s only for a few minutes and didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the film.

Duel was released in 1971 and it is considered Spielberg’s first major film. The budget may have been slim compared to his other endeavors, but even with his first film anyone could tell this guy had talent. Duel is packed full of action, suspense, great performances and stunning direction.

Available from Amazon!

Beneath (2007)

I saw the film Beneath just a few nights ago, but it is already rapidly fading from my memory. There have been many mindless straight-to-video releases in 2007, and while this new release is significantly better than many of those, that doesn’t necessarily make Beneath a good movie.

After causing the crash that burned her sister Vanessa (Carly Pope) alive, Christy (Nora Zehetner) has had psychic visions. Though her sister survived the crash, she was badly burned and horribly disfigured. Soon after Vanessa began home treatment, she died. At the funeral, Christy became convinced that her sister had been buried alive. Now, years later and after lots of counseling, Christy is 20 years old and returns to her hometown determined to find out what her visions mean and to find out what exactly happened to her sister.

She visits her brother-in-law John (Matthew Settle) in his creepy old house. Her young niece, Amy (Jessica Amlee), tells her that a “dark thing” stalks the house and lives in the walls. Also living in the house is John’s strict and stern mother, Mrs. Locke (Gabrielle Rose). Christy’s visions and suspicions intensify and she becomes even more convinced that something was very fishy with her sister’s death. Does the dark thing that Amy sees have anything to do with her sister’s death? Why are John and his mother so secretive and protective of the house? Is Christy going crazy or is something more sinister happening at the Locke estate?

Beneath wasn’t a bad flick and it certainly was better than most brainless horror movies released direct-to-DVD, but I found it very unmemorable. It lacked that certain something (like a cohesive, solid plot) to be considered a well-done horror movie. This was disappointing because I found the beginning to be completely engaging. After a while, though, the movie just began to drag and become repetitive. Story lines were vaguely explored only to be dropped. For example, it is lightly touched on that the Locke’s are closing their mine and many workers are pissed off at them…but this plot point isn’t followed through and ends up just feeling useless. The inclusion of a hunky police officer (Warren Christie) got my hopes up, but his relationship with Christy is standoffish and unhelpful (and ultimately boring). There are many other plot holes or awkward, underdeveloped plot points that really bog down the middle of the story, and even an impressive finale can’t make up for the lackluster chunk of the movie.

Despite the film’s pitfalls, it still boasts great performances from its actors. Nora Zehetner is impressive as the unwavering and determined Christy. She makes her character likable and you really want her to succeed in the end. Jessica Amlee as the young Amy is also a standout and gives a strong performance. Even though she has a very short time on screen, it was still fun to see Carly Pope, whom I remember from the TV show Popular. Every one else in the cast does a wonderful job as well and the acting might be the only thing about this movie I didn’t have a problem with.

Director Dagen Merrill (who also penned the script) does a pretty impressive job directing. I loved the very end of the film and the chase through the labyrinth-like Locke estate. The mansion looked amazingly dreary and spooky. There were quite a few good scares, just not quite enough to please me. Still, Merrill’s directing is much better than his writing, which I really think hurt the film.

Beneath is a solid movie if you only watch the first and last halves of the film. The middle is just too convoluted and messy for my liking and lacks tension or scares. If you are scouring the aisles looking for a horror rental, I wouldn’t make this your last resort but I also wouldn’t recommend it too highly. Put it at the top of your straight-to-DVD flicks list and at the bottom of your theatrically released horror film picks.

Available on Amazon!