The Movie Waffler Dublin Horrorthon 2013 Reviews - Antisocial / Delivery / The Borderlands | The Movie Waffler

Dublin Horrorthon 2013 Reviews - Antisocial / Delivery / The Borderlands




Antisocial
Directed by: Cody Calahan
Starring: Michelle Mylett, Cody Ray Thompson, Adam Christie, Ana Alic

Movies set around technology rarely work and this Canadian effort is no exception. A bunch of college students gather for a New Year's Eve party as the outside world succumbs to a mysterious virus, turning the population into murderous fiends. It soon becomes apparent the virus is being spread through a social networking site and our protagonists soon fall victim themselves.
The film is an odd mix of tedium, unintentional humor and the odd clever idea. Much of the running time is a crushing bore, as characters argue in the usual spam in a cabin manner, but there is one very effective scene in which our heroine (Mylett) begins to receive status updates from rejuvenated corpses.
We also get a few moments that are so ludicrously dumb you'll be in stitches with laughter, such as a newscaster who informs viewers of their impending doom, only to sign off with "Happy New Year".
5/10

Delivery
Directed by: Brian Netto
Starring: Laurel Vail, Danny Barclay, Rob Cobuzio

While found footage may have run its course, I still feel there's potential in the 'Lake Mungo' style fake documentary format, as evidenced by this mildly effective thriller.
The film purports to show us footage collected during the filming of an unaired reality TV show that followed expectant parents Vail and Barclay through their pregnancy. The twist is that Vail's little bundle begins to bring anything but joy as the mother to be experiences all manner of horror.
Director Netto does a great job of replicating the look of those all too numerous reality shows that fill the airtime of networks like the 'E' Channel. Kudos must go to the ensemble cast for pulling this off without ever looking amateurish.
'Delivery' struggles to fill its feature length running time with enough interesting happenings but it's superior to most of its contemporaries and does provide a bit of tension as we await the results of nine months of horror.
6/10

The Borderlands
Directed by: Elliot Goldner
Starring: Sarah Annis, Lee Arnold, Drew Casson

As soon as I heard this UK feature was a found footage flick, I pretty much mentally wrote it off, so sick of the format I find myself now. While director Elliot Goldner does nothing to justify such a gimmick, he's made a movie that I found, for the most part, highly entertaining.
It's the subtle comedy that really distinguishes this film from the many cheap as chips found footage efforts that pile up on the lower shelves of DVD retailers.
Featuring an Irishman, a Scotsman and an Englishman, all constantly bickering over matters spiritual in their investigation of spooky occurences at a remote Catholic church, the movie gives us a bit more to chew on than you might expect.
Low budget movies often live or die by their locations and this highly profits from the medieval Church and its catacombs, providing an extra level of creepiness that would be absent from more modern locales. There are a couple of genuinely tense moments, especially a late night drunken trip to the church that plays nicely on our fear of the dark.
6/10


Eric Hillis