Change Your Image
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTY1NTQ5MTgwNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTA2NDgzNzE@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
ScreamQueer
Reviews
Hideout (2021)
This is what indie cinema is all about!
Hideout is an indie offering that boasts focused, calculated direction and a hell of a script. Writer/director Kris Roselli managed to bring the vision to life with a modest budget, turning out some unexpectedly impressive moments of cgi that play nicely off the array of expertly handled practical effects. The majority of the finale features a fantastic effect involving a facial injury inflicted upon one of the major players and let me tell you, the visual of this wound is pretty jaw dropping!
Roselli's overall vision is elevated by an array of surprisingly impressive performances from his talented cast. One or two of these portrayals may stray into over the top territory here and there, but never to the point that it becomes distracting. It merely seems like a bold character choice, and more often than not it translates appropriately. Special mention goes out to performer Chris Wolfe whose internalized journey is weekly interpreted, even when the actor isn't speaking a single line. His eyes and facial expressions alone tell a complex and evolving story, and following a performance as strong as this I can only hope to see more from him in the very near future.
Huckleberry (2018)
An unexpected surprise! Nuanced, evolved, and emotionally mature!
Going into watching shoestring budget indie such as this I tend to hold my breath. I love em, but I also anticipate lowering the bar a bit when considering the the limited funds at an independent crews disposal.
Thus, upon seeing just how advanced this piece of cinema is, both with the material it's tackling as well as in the level of skill that's put on display whilst tackling it, I was only that much more impressed with it. Thought-provoking and unabashedly human in every way, this is the kind of all-inclusive cinema I yearn to see much more of!
Bold choices made on behalf of director Roger Glenn Hill pay off in most every regard, and he navigates the at times delicate material with a loving approach and an obvious respect that truly resonates. The fact this didn't instantly become an indie darling, especially with the LGBTQ+ circles, is beyond me.
Deserving of your attention (and significantly more recognition), "Huckleberry" needs to be acknowledged and applauded! I can't wait to see what Hill brings to the table with his next endeavor, no matter what it may be!
Berkshire County (2014)
Just another genre ripoff.
I had high hopes for this film, honestly. I went in after hearing a recommendation from a friend whose opinion I usually trust. I don't know if he was playing a joke on me or what because this film was so bad I found it hard to watch. The storyline is a lazy blend of "When A Stranger Calls" and "You're Next", and it never once brings anything new to the genre. It's about as cookie-cutter and predictable as it gets. Confusing plot twists and irrational decisions made by the female lead whom, in my opinion, wasn't strong enough to carry the entire film on her own. She reminded me of Ali Larter only even more boring on camera. That and she was blatantly too old to be playing a 17 year old. I mean, Jesus guys... You really expect us to buy that? You've got to be kidding me!
On the technical side of things, the audio through-out the entire film seemed very flat and awkward as though it was never leveled properly. Almost all of the dialogue sounds hollow which leads me to believe the entire film was dubbed over. I suppose that can give some sort of explanation for the lack-luster performances? The location was pretty cool, but the footage looked a bit flat and blah and at times looked over-exposed. I feel like that may have been an artistic choice for certain shots but it looked cheap to me.
I would say the worst part of the whole thing to me is that there really seems to be no explanation for the events of the film. None at all! I'm sick of this whole "killing to kill" trend in horror cinema. At first it seemed creative but now it's just over-done and to be honest it just comes off as lazy! I'm not going to give away what happens at the end, who the killer is, or who survives but honestly... this ending had to be one of the absolute LEAST satisfying finales I've seen in the last ten years. I mean, come on guys! Do you really think the viewers are that stupid? Give us something that makes us think. Surprise us for once! Personally, I'm getting sick and tired of the same old story with the same old plot twists and the same old shots of a masked killer stalking through a house while a hot young female hides out of sight with her hand over her mouth. We've seen it all before. Give us something new, dammit!
Night of the Living Dead (2014)
A great effort from an up and coming indie crew!
Let's start this off by saying Night of the Living Dead is my absolute favorite film of all time. I'm really open to the idea of remakes because, if they're good, they're merely paying homage to the original material while also drawing well-deserved attention to the original source material. If they're bad, they merely make the original feature seem all the more awesome. I love seeing different artists interpretations of classic cinema but also have the tendency to be very honest with my feelings toward the final product.
Savini's '89 remake was pretty good, but some of his choices downplayed the intense sense of claustrophobia exuding from within the farmhouse, as well as the ever-developing suspense that develops throughout the film. And let's be real here... some of the acting was a bit over the top. ("DAMN YO-YO'S!!!") Night of the Living Dead 3D is an insult to the classic. End of story.
Let's start THIS review off by acknowledging the fact that THIS take on Romero's masterpiece is EXTREMELY low budget. Let's just get that out there. We are talking Blatantly no budget. From the acting to the actual house to the camera work, it's very VERY indie. BUT, these guys took on a mighty task. They attempted to remake a groundbreaking piece of cinema. That's admirable (and downright friggin' ballsy) and you need to at least tip your hat to what was clearly a LOT of hard work, passion, and dedication.
First off, there are some OBVIOUS improvements in their craftsmanship after their first feature "New Blood Rising". That should always be the goal of the indie film-maker. Improve your craft. These guys definitely achieved that. While the camera-work in this is still rough (lots of focus issues and almost every rule of standard film-making is broken at one point or another), it still doesn't look at all as basic as their last attempt. That's an awesome achievement.
The acting is certainly indie, with a lot of stumbling over lines and confusing dialogue that at times appears to be improvised. That may not be the case but merely due to the actors inability to memorize, but the muddy deliveries often take away from what could be rather suspenseful moment. The female lead is probably the strongest of the performers due to her ability to display convincing emotions. She's also very pretty, which (lets be real) is important in this genre. She has a great look on camera and, with a little more experience, could probably take on a bigger production. There are a few truly weak performances but, when working with such a small budget, this is to be expected.
One of the bigger issues I had with the product is (and I've mentioned this a few times but I feel it needs to be directly acknowledged) the blatant lack of budget. The costuming on all of the leads as well as the zombies appears to be provided by the actors themselves which at times looks cheap and uninspired. Also, the gore effects are really quite amateur. Toward the end of the film there is a fake bullet-hole effect in which the entire seam in the prosthetic is blatantly obvious. When dealing with such a classic, people will have HIGH expectations in these areas and can be EXTREMELY judgmental if you don't pull them off. You can't just go at this material and not expect criticism. Tis the nature of the beast.
Where I DO offer some MAJOR kudos is in the direction. The writer/director made some really risky choices in adjustments to the original storyline and I think that's pretty respectable. When viewing a remake, unless it's initially a scene-for-scene re-imagining, you should still want to be surprised and frightened. You don't want to see the EXACT same thing you did in the original. That's pointless. There are a lot of twists and turns here that should really shock even the most die-hard fans and leave them wanting to view up through the conclusion of the film.
At the end of the day, indie film is a tough field. When working with no budget, you have to make exceptions in certain areas to compensate for things you simply cannot pull off. These guys really put a LOT of hard work forward and, while the final product really wouldn't appeal to much of a mainstream audience, fans of indie cinema will probably really appreciate their efforts! I can't wait to see what these guys can pull off in the near future and ideally they can raise some proper funds to help expand upon their visions.
As I said, indie cinema is a ROUGH business. But, if you have enough drive and passion to not just take on a project but to FINISH IT as well... THAT truly deserves recognition and some genuine respect.
Good job guys. Keep on doing what you love and expand upon your budding talents!