Having now altogether viewed five of the After Dark Horror Fest films (which includes BORDERLAND, CRAZY EIGHTS, TOOTH & NAIL, and NIGHTMARE MAN) UNEARTHED is the one I’ve enjoyed the most (I’m saving the most praised ones – MULBURY ST. and THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE for later). Forgiving the fact that the CGI monster is not all that original nor believable, it is the story which captured my interest the most.
The film concerns Sheriff Annie Flynn (Emmanuelle Vaugier in another great performance) who has been emotionally and psychologically scared by recent events that have made her into the town drunk and in fear of loosing her job when the next election for sheriff comes around. So what drives this woman to get up in the morning and continue to do her job no matter who gets in her way? This question is put to the test when an archeological expedition unearths a legends old creature that wants nothing more then to kill everything around it. This is a simple enough plot that plays in the same manner as the 2005 hit FEAST in which a group of unrelated people are holed up in one place while a monster lurks just outside the door. This format continues to work if the monster is interesting and the death scenes are plentiful. Whereas, FEAST relied on these methods to entertain (because the characters were pretty 2 dimensional), UNEARTHED works because you care about the main characters and even though the monster is less-then convincing there are a lot of nice death scenes. I’m sure if the film had gone with a prosthetic creature it would have been more effective.
Also the story plays more to the Native American myths and legends with the nature of the creature which is a welcomed relief from the aliens and man-made monsters of most recent monster films. The film also works because it focuses on Sheriff Flynn’s character and is about her journey from disillusioned drunk to town hero with an ending that is suited for the character rather then have a clichéd and truncated finale.
Writer/director Matthew Leutwyler did an excellent job on the film which is fast paced and always moving leaving little room for fat yet always never playing down to the audience which is good for a monster film in one genre of horror films that always feels the need to play down to the lowest common denominator. UNEARTHED is one of the highlights of the After Dark Horror Fest and I hope that for 2008 they continue in this vein during their selection process.
The film concerns Sheriff Annie Flynn (Emmanuelle Vaugier in another great performance) who has been emotionally and psychologically scared by recent events that have made her into the town drunk and in fear of loosing her job when the next election for sheriff comes around. So what drives this woman to get up in the morning and continue to do her job no matter who gets in her way? This question is put to the test when an archeological expedition unearths a legends old creature that wants nothing more then to kill everything around it. This is a simple enough plot that plays in the same manner as the 2005 hit FEAST in which a group of unrelated people are holed up in one place while a monster lurks just outside the door. This format continues to work if the monster is interesting and the death scenes are plentiful. Whereas, FEAST relied on these methods to entertain (because the characters were pretty 2 dimensional), UNEARTHED works because you care about the main characters and even though the monster is less-then convincing there are a lot of nice death scenes. I’m sure if the film had gone with a prosthetic creature it would have been more effective.
Also the story plays more to the Native American myths and legends with the nature of the creature which is a welcomed relief from the aliens and man-made monsters of most recent monster films. The film also works because it focuses on Sheriff Flynn’s character and is about her journey from disillusioned drunk to town hero with an ending that is suited for the character rather then have a clichéd and truncated finale.
Writer/director Matthew Leutwyler did an excellent job on the film which is fast paced and always moving leaving little room for fat yet always never playing down to the audience which is good for a monster film in one genre of horror films that always feels the need to play down to the lowest common denominator. UNEARTHED is one of the highlights of the After Dark Horror Fest and I hope that for 2008 they continue in this vein during their selection process.
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