The Void (2017) Review!!!

Synopsis – Shortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures.

My Take – If somehow the idea of a mash up between Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing excites you, this Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski written & directed film is the kind of horror you should be watching this weekend! This love letter to practically all of John Carpenter‘s filmography; which also contains elements from films such as Prince of Darkness, The Fog, and even a little bit of Hellraiser is reminiscent of old-school 1980s horror, right down to the gore, the gross-out monsters and iffy acting. As a fan of the 80s B-film horror scenarios, it’s a delight to see how this horror film goes gloriously off the rails, remains unhinged, and goes absolutely bonkers that to not by accident, but on purpose, to provide you the sense of a ride films nearly three decades ago used to have. Growing up as a fan of the wonderful 80s Horror, I can honestly say this film made me as comfortable as it does uncomfortable, which in a weird way is a delight. Yes! there are some very strong Clive Barker influences also running throughout the film, but I think that’s what kept me hooked throughout, that with a dash of Lovecraft themed fantasy here that really gave this film a lot of (albeit dark) charm. I think the last time I saw something this twisted was probably the remake/prequel of The Thing (2011), with which it shares a lot of similarities, just that this one tends to push the boundaries a bit further, mainly as the landscape and atmosphere are nightmarish, imaginative, and gleefully sinister and foreboding. And yet, while some may call its pastiche outright plagiarism, the overall result of this hybrid, even though not totally satisfactory at times, is entertaining enough to justify the investment of our time.

The story follows Sheriff Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole), who during a quite night of patrolling comes across James (Evan Stern), a wounded gibbering junkie, covered in blood that may or may not be his own on a lonely road and takes him to a hospital nearby. As the night shift is on, the hospital has only Dr. Richard Powell (Kenneth Welsh), the nurses Daniel ex-wife Allison (Kathleen Munroe), Beverly (Stephanie Belding) and Kim (Ellen Wong), a trainee. Among the few straggling patients are a pregnant teenager Maggie (Grace Munro) and her grandfather Ben (James Millington) at the waiting room. However, the moment James wakes up, a gun-toting redneck and his mute son (Daniel Fathers and Mik Byskov) arrive demanding James for in exchange of everyone else’s lives. Yet, things aren’t getting weird just in the hospital as outside a crowd of people wearing white hooded capes with black triangles are gathering. They don’t speak and, once they’re in place, they don’t really move and it dawns on someone: They’re not trying to get inside; they’re trying to keep everyone inside from getting out. And “escape” is precisely what’s on the survivors’ minds, particularly when some of them begin experiencing disturbing mental – and physical – transformations. The film is at once familiar, yet unlike anything you’ve seen before. Sure, the premise of this film at first feels like a simple creature feature or a standard horror fare set in a hospital, but this film goes a little higher concept in its aspirations, as there is a lot here just below the surface. On paper it sounds like a gonzo-mix of unworkable elements, but the genius of the film is how it all just makes total thematic sense in context and just how bloody wonderful it all is. The nods to other horror films and books are plentiful, but they never feel derivative. It’s a supremely confident blending of cosmic horror and human carnage that forces you to question all sorts of terrifying matters beyond your tiny existence, and yet ultimately makes you glad of the human connections you’ve made. The story starts off intriguing and had me guessing as to what was going on from there. The pacing kept up the momentum so I felt there was always something interesting happening. The scares and the practical effects were executed very effectively. The characters while nothing groundbreaking or even that entire deep, serve the story decent enough. The direction is always tense and the editing knows how much or little to show at all times. There are some twists and turns that I legitimately didn’t see coming, plus the film is mostly very well shot. The abandoned hospital setting is just as important to the film as the monsters and terrifying soundtrack. With the characters forced to stay there, it’s more than just a location. It was a clever decision by Gillespie and Kostanski to keep the action in a stationary location. In many of the recent indie horror films, there is usually something glaring that needs to be overlooked in order to make the film enjoyable, whether it be poor acting, loose plot lines, or an over abundance of things that attempt to shock, many recent indie horror titles have been held back by mediocrity. Luckily, here the sustained doom and gloom of the film is complimented admirably by the film’s ghastly third act, which all but gives up on its mundane plot to give us something new. Well, maybe not new, but definitely something mainstream audiences haven’t seen since Silent Hill (2006) and haven’t seen done well since Hellraiser (1987).

The film establishes an interesting mystery whose gradual development generates continuous questions throughout the film: Why is the hurt youngster scared? Who are the hooded people observing the hospital? Why does Nurse Beverly behave in such a strange way? The screenplay barely reveals the necessary, appropriately handling the suspense in order to create a good atmosphere of paranoia. Yes, where the film falters the most however, is in its lack of atmosphere. The film feels as if it should be claustrophobic and isolating, but for some reason, I was unable to connect with these themes. I am usually an advocate for a film telling less to the audience, in order for the viewer to create some of the more frightening aspects in their mind, but with this particular film, I was left wanting more exposition. Plus, some details of the mystery degenerate into clichés and arbitrary rules which cause inconsistencies in the story, while snatching the dramatic potential of some characters in order to make them become cannon fodder i.e. easy victims of the horror infesting the hospital. Unlike the original Hellraiser film, the film did not leave the origins of the monsters creation completely unexplained, but the origin story was a little too vague, and it made it difficult to connect as deeply to the conclusion of the film as I may have liked. Fortunately, the film is still able to hold the audience’s interest, mainly due to the ability from Kostanski and Gillespie to orchestrate tense scenes; but when the gears of the screenplay start to squeak, we notice its elementary tricks. The creature effects were some of the best I’ve ever seen which is unsurprising when you find out that the two directors were respectively a makeup artist and an art director for many years before. All the effects look like they were done practically and if there is any CGI it’s unnoticed except for one unfortunate green screen scene. The action was explosive and cathartic in nature. Mostly this film just gives a sense of dread, a sense of insignificance. It doesn’t feel like there is any way that these people will survive what is being thrown at them. I’d call it the best Doom film we will ever get because it does give a good sense of what our collective imaginations have decided hell is like. The triangles and the cult aspect were also welcome additions and the aesthetics it adds subtly changes your reaction to the film in a way I would not have expected. The performances here are satisfactory, I was especially impressed with the performance that Daniel Carter put on throughout this film & really carried the film quite well. Kathleen Munroe also steals every scene she is in as Allison Fraser. Her traumatic past and fractured relationship with Carter provide a rich tapestry trying into the overall story. She is a character you can’t help but root for and despite having some of the more traumatic scenes in the film. There is never any doubt in her character’s motivations and more importantly, you care about her. It was a shame that Kenneth Welsh didn’t have more screen time in the film, because he could have borough a lot more to the film than he was allowed to. The supporting cast comprising of Daniel Fathers, Ellen Wong, Mik Byskov, Art Hindle, Stephanie Belding, James Millington, Evan Stern & Grace Munro are alright. On the whole, ‘The Void’ is a bloody, gross, and fun film which despite its story-line mishaps is worth a watch for it’s over the top gore and monster effects.