Starring Jonathan Sadowski, Jesse McCartney, Devin Kelley, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Nathan Phillips, Ingrid Bolso Berdal and Dimitri Diatchenko. Written by Oren Peli, et al. Directed by Bradley Parker.
Post the success of Paranormal Activity, Oren Peli braves another product by using the darkness and isolation to maximum effect. In Paranormal Activity, the isolation happens in sleep when we are isolated from the world beyond us and there's nothing much we can do to control whatever happens in vicinity, given it isn't too loud! In this film, the isolation takes place in a in forbidden town of Chernobyl, a decimated remnant of a horrific nuclear power plant disaster.
At the onset, I must admit the film was successful in providing some scary chills but I have my share of complaints and disappointments. Films like such do not solely work on screenplays but direction and cinematography play a big role (if not bigger). The film has a bigger production value in terms of graphics, sets and background score, however, this works against the genre that thrives upon instilling lasting fear in us by being as close to reality as possible.
The computer designed grizzly bear charging towards us from nowhere might provides a sudden chill but fails to make us realize that that a vicious and infected bear lurks somewhere around us. And that brings me to the dogs. One of the ingenious scenes (the only one I believe) is when the battered group sees a herd of vicious (and infected) German Shepherd like dogs appearing one at a time from nowhere to scavenge upon a carcass around fifty yards from us. Though the distance, this scene created much bigger sense of isolation and level of vulnerability than all those frenzied shots of the group running away from flesh hungry "infected things." I think the director should have used more original ways to stress upon the dangerous and mysterious premise.
One more aspect, a slightly more technical one, is the positioning of camera. I believe if the camera moved from a consisted P.O.V., it would have given that personal touch the film lacked so disastrously. At times, the camera is within the van, sometimes it follows the actors on the outside. Sometimes it's with us, sometimes ahead of us.
Such technical stuff might seem too picky, however, we must understand such films are based on consistency and a strict point of view. I believe Peli should have definitely handled the direction (as in Paranormal Activity). Alas, it's just another horror film.
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At the onset, I must admit the film was successful in providing some scary chills but I have my share of complaints and disappointments. Films like such do not solely work on screenplays but direction and cinematography play a big role (if not bigger). The film has a bigger production value in terms of graphics, sets and background score, however, this works against the genre that thrives upon instilling lasting fear in us by being as close to reality as possible.
One more aspect, a slightly more technical one, is the positioning of camera. I believe if the camera moved from a consisted P.O.V., it would have given that personal touch the film lacked so disastrously. At times, the camera is within the van, sometimes it follows the actors on the outside. Sometimes it's with us, sometimes ahead of us.
Such technical stuff might seem too picky, however, we must understand such films are based on consistency and a strict point of view. I believe Peli should have definitely handled the direction (as in Paranormal Activity). Alas, it's just another horror film.
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