The Void [DVD]

The makers of this film did a great job with a very small budget to create a truly scary and original horror experience. In the traditions of great horror they keep the lighting dimmed throughout leaving the full horror to your own imagination, but showing just enough to scare the wits out of you. It's very rare I think about stopping watching and waiting for daylight to see the rest, but this film pushed me close. In recent times only  Kill List [DVD ] came as close to creating a truly terrifying atmosphere of dread in a genuinely rare tribute to the great Lovecraft whose horror is clearly the inspiration for this film. I place it among a select group of films that do a great job of bringing Lovecraft's vision of a world of cosmic abominations and their worldly servants praying on human fragility. To this I would add Carpenter's  In The Mouth Of Madness (1994) All Region DVD (Region 1,2,3,4,5,6 Compatible)  and  Dark Waters [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC ] and some of the Brain Yuzna/Stuart Gordon collaborationsIt won't be to everyone's taste as it's full-on horror and certainly not for the squeamish. There are some disturbing pregnancy, birth-giving scenes that may offend and revolt some people so keep it away from pregnant wives and girlfriends. The lack of smartphones or even mobiles or the internet and the presence of old-style computer monitors indicates the film is set sometime in the 80s and clearly the makers are paying a homage to some of the great creature/horror movies of that decade most memorably Alien, The Thing and the Reanimator movies.It's a refreshing revival of those authentic old-style special effects we rarely see these days but which make the horror so much more visceral and real than the terribly fake and unscary CGI effects we see in today's film. The ending leaves it open for a sequel and it would be interesting to see a big studio pick this up or they get more money

When it comes to cinema, I think people have lost touch with what makes a fun film. As an example what I mean, just look at how people perceive horror films in 2019. The movie industry is moving with the times and trying to please the mobile phone generation. A generation (or two) of people who can't keep their focus on something unless it is plastered all over their little smart phones. To compensate for their non existent attention spans, we have hundreds of movies about ghosts with huge gaping mouths and predictable obnoxiously loud jump scares every two minutes. There's no longer any creativity or mystery in these films.Thankfully, there are people out there like Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski who remember how fun movies were back in the day. When the films were not necessarily about the quality of the acting or the script, but it could have been the combination of dialogue so bad that it's fun and outstanding visual effects. There of course were the exceptions thanks to makers like David Cronenberg and John Carpenter who always tried to do something more unique with their films. They didn't necessarily explain what was going on, instead they did a great job of shocking you with horrific gore and visuals as well as great tension building. This is the kind of film making you can expect from The Void.Despite the fact I enjoyed this movie, I will go on record to say that The Void is by no means a classic of the genre. It is however a great homage to what we have seen the past and something we don't see in the current movie world. The film is pretty basic and easy enough to follow for those who pay attention. A lone police officer picks up a random drug user who has escaped a slaughter in some abandoned farm house. He takes him to a local semi abandoned hospital where he is locked up and disturbing events start to occur. Think of it of crazy cult activity featuring some Lovecratian tentacle work and creature design that would make Clive Barker proud.The story quickly devolves into madness and confusion, the kind of thing you'll find in a lot of H.P. Lovecraft's best books. Because the characters are disorientated, confused and being mentally manipulated, it leaves us viewers with no basic plot to follow. It instead expects you to use your imagination, something sorely lacking in the horror industry in 2019. This aspect of the movie I loved as it was a nice change from the usual Annabelle possession nonsense and the 5,000 Paranormal Activity sequels and prequels. These moments involve spooky dark corridors, dimly lit medical wards, a morgue and a set of stairs that would give anyone the willies. Each set is creepy and oozes with as much brain matter as it does atmosphere.The highlight of the movie is without a doubt the creature and gore effects. I haven't seen anything on this scale in a horror movie for a VERY long time and quite frankly, I thought it was beautifully done. There is little to no digital effects used in the film and it gives the film this very real quality. Each monster (or demon) looks juicy and so life like that you could reach into the tv and sink your fingers into their bloody stumps. Gorehounds who like me, enjoy movies by Lucio Fulci or '80s classics like The Blob and The Evil Dead will be right at home here. It is worth the price of the Bluray alone, in my honest opinion.The acting through out the movie is a bit hit or miss but it never got to the point where I thought it was bad. It is a low budget horror movie and I would never expect the acting to be top quality. I will give the actors some credit, when they need to put their emotions through, they do it with much success. Just don't go expecting any of them to win an Oscar for their performances, or the screen writer for that matter.My overall opinion on The Void is that it is a great homage to the horror films of the '80s. It's a disgusting confusing mess and I wouldn't have it any other way. This is a film for people who enjoy proper horror films, enjoy a bit of atmosphere, suspense and mystery. If you want endless jump scares, go look somewhere else. Fans of The Thing, Hellraiser or the previously mentioned The Blob should definitely consider picking this thing up.

Its a sad day in the horror world as a new generation of horror fans do not know what a good horror movie is these days, fans of old school horror and fans of Hellraiser will absolutely love this movie, to see some so called horror fans give this movie 1 star and then give 5 stars for other horror crap out these days is just sad

I'm a huge Lovecraft, nihilistic horror fan and my expectations for this film were high. Unfortunately, I'd heard some reviews that were fairly negative. However, I'm glad I ignored them. I absolutely love this film. The practical effects were superb, as was the acting. The story leaves some things unanswered, but that's to its credit. That's why I like Lovecraft and Ligotti. I hate having everything spelled out and the mystery taken away. And for the first time in an age I actually found my heart beating somewhat faster than I'm used to whilst watching a horror film.It's gory and messed up in places, but there's also humour. Plus, a lot of characters you'll actually care about.Don't try and rationalize this movie. It's Lovecraftian madness with more than a dash of Clive Barker.It's one of my favourite films. May not be for everyone, but if you like Hellraiser, Nightbreed, The Thing, Event Horizon etc, this might be for you.Gets my recommendation anyway.

Very good horror that depends more on the psychology of the unknown than gore and slash. It falls vey much within the Cthonic area such as H P Lovecraft and Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions and Guillermo Del Toro. To me this is what Horror should be. Questioning our miniscule place in the universe, not the usueal rinse and repeat of endless cycles of same old slasher/gore/possesion stuff. I definetly hope the director continues with similar projects without falling into the trap of "The Void 2", "The Void 3" and 4 etc.