Reviews From The Horror Chamber -- 30 Days of Night, Dark Chamber, Experiment

Welcome to Reviews from the Horror Chamber. I am your chamber keeper, Anthony Thurber.

Not much to scream about this week but there was an interesting article about Blog Talk Radio (home of Movie Geeks United) on portfolio.com. It was a good article but it failed to even mention one of its popular shows Movies Geeks United or the fact that the show has had actors and directors such as Brian De Palma, Joe Pantoliano, Adam Green, Kristina Klebe, to name a few, but it did decide to mention politics. Come on, this show has a cult following. So this is what I wrote in the comments section, to help get the word out about the show today on the site.

Posted: Mar 2 2008 4:39pm ET

Movie Geeks United is the best movie show on Blog Talk Radio and the web today. This coming from a passionate movie fan who doesn't listen to a lot web radio shows and is NOT one of the hosts. It usually on 6pm on Sunday and 10 pm on Wednesdays. Please check them out at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/moviegeeksunited to listen to past shows.

It's a really good show and I urge you to check them out. Now on to the reviews...

30 Days of Night

Year: 2007
Director: David Slade
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Ben Foster
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Running Time: 113 Mins
Review Rating: 5 Stars

30 Days of Night is the follow-up to David Slade’s 2007 breakthrough film Hard Candy. The movie is based the cult graphic novel written by Steve Niles, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film.

The film takes place in a small Alaska town where nobody usually visits the town, when the town goes dark for thirty days. But things change when a group of ruthless vampires make their arrival when they brutally murdered a group of attacking sled dogs. Then, they set their sights on the residents of the small town by feeding on them one by one as they bent on turning the quiet town into a feeding orgy that’s filled with blood and destruction. Soon, a small group of survivors begin to fight back, as led by the town’s sheriff (Josh Hartnett). Can the survivors survive the cat and mouse game that the vampires are playing on them or will they end up as victims of this massacre. Melissa George, Ben Foster and Danny Huston also co-star in the film.

30 Days of Night is a very intense vampire movie. David Slate is definitely one of the best up-and-coming horror/suspense directors out there in the genre. His direction was very good, as there weren’t any boring moments in the film. His carefully planned action sequences were intense and entertaining. The gore level in the film was very high for a studio film, but it was needed to make these vampires frightening and the action somewhat realistic. Also, he makes sure that the actors' performances are tense throughout and have a bleak tone to the situation. The film also has some very good vampire effects, which keeps the movie going for the gorehounds.

It helps most of the time, when the author of the horror story is involved in some capacity in writing the screenplay for the film version of his story. It proves here why Steven Niles was needed to help the screenplay. The screenplay was good for the most, as it is tough to condense thirty day into one story or film. He, along with screenwriters Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson, did a great job keeping the tone of the film dark and making the film suspense, on a high level that kept me interest in the film. I liked how they made vampires in the film, on the same level as the zombies in the 28 Days/Weeks Later films, where they come at you faster than the drawn out chase that happens in other vampire films. The screenplay also provides a lot of scares, while focusing on the survivors who are trying to survive and the victims of this massacre. It gives you an emotional investment in the story and the characters in the film, which is not seen in many studio horror films these days.

The acting was also good especially for the bleak tone of this film. The performances didn’t feel dull, as the actors were good in being tense and frightened by the events that occur throughout the course of the film.

30 Days of Night is has bite in the action department as it’s one of the most ultra-violent and blood curling vampire film ever made. I highly suggest, you check this blood fest out on DVD.

DVD Extras:

Audio Commentary with Producer, Rob Tapert and Actor, Josh Hartnett and Actress, Melissa George
8 Behind the Scenes Featurettes:
Pre-Production
Building Barlow
The Look
Blood, Guts & the Nasty
Stunts
The Vampire
Night Shoots
Casting
“Blood +” Episode 1
Trailers:
21
Sleuth
Boogeyman 2
Rise: Blood Hunter
Zombie Strippers
Black Water
Resident Evil & Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Across The Universe
The Grudge
The Grudge 2
The Messengers
The Tattooist

Dark Chamber

Year: 2008
Alternate Title: Under Surveillance
Director: Dave Campfield
Stars: Eric Conley, David Rigg, Felissa Rose
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: Shock-O-Rama Cinema
Running Time: 90Mins
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Official Website: http://us.davecampfield.com/

Dark Chamber has been getting critical acclaimed from a lot of various horror websites and is finally being distributed for release by Shock-O-Rama cinema. The film has won some awards including Best screenplay at the 2006 Terror Film Festival and the Best Dramatic Feature award at the Long Island Film Festival and was the runner-up for Best Suspense Feature at the 2007 Indie Gathering Film Festival.

The film is based on the “Say You Love Satan” case back that happened in 1984, which was the basis for the film. The premise is about a religious cult known as “The Black Circle," who turn to be the most probable suspects when a dead body turns up. In order to find the person responsible for these crimes, a criminal student named Justin and his friends begin to spy on his neighbors by putting them under 24-hour video surveillance. Justin starts to get apprehensive and begins to fear for his life when he starts to get closer to the truth that might get him killed. With no one to trust, he must stop the killer before the killer gets him. Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) Desiree Gould (Sleepaway Camp), and Raine Brown (Darkness Surrounds Roberta) also co-stars in the film.

Dark Chamber is a character driven psychological thriller that keeps you in suspense. Dave Campfield, who co-stars in the film, does a very good job making this a psychological piece than a slasher film. He allows the story and characters to develop without going into slasher or stalker mode. He does a great job, in using surveillance type methods when cutting to each of the characters that are living in the house. It gives off a film noir and hidden camera look that help makes it eerie and creepy to watch. He also does a great job with his actors, as he made sure he had great chemistry with one another. His screenplay was also very good. I liked how the screenplay doesn’t focus mostly on the killings. Instead of that, he focuses on the characters and the occupants living in that house. The suspense in the film is done very well, as it’s very methodical and layered out very well so there no confusion.

There were also good performances in from Eric Conley, David Rigg and Felissa Rose. They did a very good job with the interaction with each other and the other actors that were in the film. Also, David Riggs was very menacing as Justin’s father/troubled police cop. His performance also really helped set the tone for the film.

This definitely a film that you should check out if you are fan of David Fincher’s Zodiac or love mystery films then you should check this out. Dark Chamber is a suspense mystery that keeps you gripped in suspense.

DVD Extras:

Audio Commentary with Director/Actor Dave Campfield
Alternate Audio Commentary w/select cast members
The Story Behind Dark Chamber
3 Mini Documentaries:
“On the Set”
“Turning 1 Room into 4”
“Inside the Black Circle”
Conversations with:
Felissa Rose
Desire Gould
Raine Brown
Bloopers
Alternate Scenes
Music Video:
Addiction by Blue Moon Harem
Trailers:
Shock-O-Rama
Chainsaw Sally
Skin Crawl
Sinful
Bacterium
Creature from the Hillbilly Lagoon
Millennium Crisis
Dark Chamber
Easter Egg

Experiment

Year: 2005
Director: Dan Turner
Stars: John Hopkins, Georgina French, Clive Ashborn
MPAA Rating: R
Studio: MTI Home Video
Running Time: 95Mins
Review Rating: 4 Stars

Please note that this is an advance review. DVD will be in stores, this Tuesday.

Experiment has played in many film festivals across the world including Shriekfest, Winnipeg International Film Festival, and Shockerfest and now it's coming to DVD.

The film is about a young woman named Anna (Georgina French) who has no idea where she is or no memory of who she is. She then meets another person named Morgan, (John Hopkins) who is in the same situation as she is. They then begin to form a bond with each other. But they begin to find out that some unknown force that lurks in the shadows is directing their actions. They soon find out that they are part of someone’s sick experiment, which may have horrifying consequences for both of them.

Experiment is an intense and suspenseful sci-fi/psychological thriller, as it twenty-four meets A Clockwork Orange. The direction of the film from director Dan Turner was good. He does a good job in keeping the action moving while trying to develop, the two lead characters. He also makes his lead actors give very intense performances. I thought the camerawork in the film was also very good, as in a couple of scenes in the film, where you get to see from the character’s perspective which shows you their state of mind through their eyes. The screenplay, which he co-wrote with John Harrison, was very interesting. I liked how they manage to develop the two main characters amidst the action in the film. It really made me be invested in the two main characters. The film also has a political subplot that helps drives the film to its shocking conclusion that made the film more interesting. Also, it really does focuses on the main character’s state of mind, which helped the intensity level for this film.

Experiment is an intense sci-fi film that will keep you glued to your screen until its shocking end.

If you’re a filmmaker, interested in having your horror film reviewed in the horror chamber, you can reach the Chamber Keeper himself at Anthonythurber@filmarcade.net or the head of Film Arcade TonyD at TonyD@filmarcade.net

Also, don’t forget to add the official myspace home of Reviews From the Horror Chamber at http://www.myspace.com/reviewsfromthehorchamber.

Well that’s it for this week’s edition of Reviews Form the Horror Chamber.

Until next week, have a frightening week.