Hellacious Acres: The Case of John Glass (2011)

John Glass, wakes up in a desolated barn from a long cryogenic slumber, to be informed that not only the planet has been devastated by a third world war, but reduced to little habitability ... See full summary »

Director:

Pat Tremblay

Writer:

Pat Tremblay

Stars:

Jamie Abrams, Paula Davis, Navin Pratap

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jamie Abrams	...	James Walker
Paula Davis	...	Recorded Voice (voice)
Navin Pratap	...	John Glass

Storyline

John Glass, wakes up in a desolated barn from a long cryogenic slumber, to be informed that not only the planet has been devastated by a third world war, but reduced to little habitability by a subsequent alien invasion. He also learns that in order to reestablish a livable atmosphere for what's left of humanity, he'll have to go on a solitary mission to retrieve important codes dispersed in remote locations. Soon enough, he'll encounter more than he bargained for: aliens, crazy survivors, inadequate equipment, LOTS of walking and a pretty unhealthy dose of bad luck.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | walking | cryogenics | walking sequence | post world war three | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bloody Disgusting

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Awfully Great Movie

This movie has a lot of good stuff going on in it: the graininess of the images (which the director added, intentionally, in post, to give the flick a "grindhouse" look, I'm guessing), the conceptually weird and cool aliens (these aren't like aliens you've seen in other movies), bizarre food, a lot of trippy analog-optical FX, an interesting story-line, and a kind of "video- game aesthetic" that's very appealing to me (the score that plays over the end credits recalls 1980s 8-bit video games). I first became aware of Tremblay's film when I read "World Gone Wild: A Survivor's Guide to Post‑Apocalyptic Movies" by David J. Moore. I'm glad I sought it out, as it's one of the best post-apocalyptic movies I've seen, second only to masterworks like "A Boy and His Dog." Tremblay did everything in "Hellacious Acres," from the shooting to the cutting, even donning the suit and acting when necessary. Sure, there are a lot of scenes of John Glass walking, but that's what the plot requires. It's obvious that Tremblay's a talent and smart and an experimental filmmaker with a boldly cracked avant-garde vision. (Check out the trailer for the movie he made after this one; it's called "Atmos HorroX" and it looks utterly insane. I'm going to find it and watch it ASAP.) It would be incredible to see what Tremblay could do with a budget of even two or three million. The only negative I'd point out is the voice acting by the lead: sometimes he sounds like Napoleon Dynamite... but that's minor and nothing that hampers the overall film. If you enjoy zero-budget movies, video games, and the end of the world, this movie's something you'll dig. However, if you think garbage like all these Marvel adaptations and big-budget baloney are "entertainment," you probably won't appreciate "Hellacious Acres." This is the kind of wholly original and unique and oblique movie I wish there were more of.