By Quin
Allow me to pull back the curtain just a little on film criticism. It’s been my experience writing film reviews for a website such as this – since we love the genre so much – most of what we review are things we seek out ourselves. For me, I would have seen these films anyway, even if I didn’t have an outlet for my opinions. Since I do, I get the added bonus of sharing my thoughts and just maybe somebody will take what I say to heart, thus making their filmgoing experience a little more efficient. I don’t mean for that to sound as self congratulatory as it probably does. After all, it is entirely possible that things could go in the other direction and a reader will ultimately feel I steered them in the wrong direction. I hope this never happens. As for the rest of what we review, it consists of DVDs and links to screeners sent to us by distributors or even the filmmakers themselves. This can be a great way to find something that would otherwise be totally off the radar. These screeners almost always come with press materials that have info about the film as well as a synopsis. What I’ve come to realize, is that in these synopses comes a thinly veiled review of the filmmaker’s own movie. This could be designed to appeal to the lazy critics that are just looking for a hook to latch onto. All you need are a few buzz words and comparisons to other films – just fill in a few more blanks and boom – your review is complete. When I got the screener for Infernal, the press materials made a point of comparing the film to The Omen and Poltergeist. This creates a sigh and an eye roll that I can not help. It’s obviously a muscle spasm created by my BS meter switching on, but I remained open minded and began watching a film that was ultimately quite satisfying.
Infernal is the second film from Bryan Coyne. He previously did a documentary about a baseball park in Los Angeles, so this is a bit different. The press materials I mentioned seem to want me to include that there are a few producers of Infernal who were also involved with producing Freddy vs. Jason, Snakes on a Plane, and Cowboys & Aliens – I’ll let you decide if that’s really a necessary selling point. This film follows the typical found footage format, consisting of stationary and portable cameras set up in various rooms to capture the goings on inside the house. Nathan and Sophia are a couple who live with their daughter Imogene. She is a quiet girl who is obsessed with constantly running a comb through her long blonde locks. When she doesn’t have her comb, she is asking her parents where it is. Frustrated with her behavior, her parents seek professional help from a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist suggests that it could be autism, but thinks that it would be a good idea if they did an “exercise” to chart the progression of Imogene’s behavior. In this “exercise” they are instructed to set up a camera to document her actions. They do this by giving her a teddy bear with a camera inside – one which she names Brandy, “Because that’s what Mommy drinks every night.” It’s subtly suggested that the reason we see the psych sessions with the parents is because the doctor is secretly taping her patients.
Imogene’s behavior continues to grow more bizarre. She wanders off regularly and ends up in odd places, and she also has the interest of every canine in the neighborhood. Eventually a priest gets involved, but I won’t say how or why. Infernal has everything you would expect out of a movie like this. Where it exceeds my expectations is in the way it goes from formulaic to intensely dark over the course of its roughly 100 minute running time. You might notice in the credits, Imogene is played by two different kids. This was a pretty clever way to get a certain effect. I also, must mention that it’s one of the most visually stunning found footage films I’ve seen. Every shot is very well framed with incredible lighting. It’s almost as if Gordon Willis had a side business where he set up security cameras and web cams for people. Watch for a scene where Sophia is drinking alone in her room. It’s silent and deep and gorgeous to look at with green light and darkness.
I suspect Infernal has a broad reach and will interest all types of horror fans. It has so much in common with Paranormal Activity. Its look, tone and story are similar. But for those of you looking for more, it has a payoff at the end as well as others along the way. There is a figure that looks like it came from the mind of Henry Fuseli or William Blake. After a slow start and a setup that includes a ton of unnecessary drunk characters; and a pre-credits supernatural effect featuring a crucifix that will probably make you laugh; and the quickest courtship, wedding and human gestation period ever – my BS meter stopped. The movie gets going and really goes after what it wants to say. Mentioning The Omen or Poltergeist may be helpful, but there is certainly enough here to describe without evoking either. Although, if I had to pick one, I’d go with The Omen – for obvious reasons.
Infernal comes to US theatres and VOD on April 10th, from Uncork’d Entertainment.