A disparate group of individuals are recruited to explore an abandoned gold mine. Their job is to ascertain as to whether it can be reopened. But they find that there was a very good reason why the mine was abandoned. A very, VERY good reason. There is a slithering, slimy, tentacled horror just waiting in the darkness, waiting to pounce on any chump dumb enough to separate themselves from the pack.
Considering this was made for a paltry $25,000, this independent cave-horror / creature feature is solid fun for any fan of monster cinema. Yes, this viewer does understand the common criticism that it moves slowly. But, speaking personally, he felt that it took just the right amount of time, with the first victim being claimed at approximately the half-way point. In the meantime, we get plenty of atmosphere, a stifling feel (you do feel that the characters are in genuinely cramped quarters), appropriate lighting (the best part is the final third, when things are often lit mostly by flare), and an eerie, John Carpenter-esque electronic music score. The gore is quite nasty, and the creature itself is quite enjoyable to behold. (One other thing reviewers will often comment upon is the suggestive look of the creature, although effects man Chris Huntley swears this was unintentional.)
Director Melanie Anne Phillips, who wrote the script with Huntley, builds a sufficient amount of tension. The performances are not exactly award-worthy, but they get the job done. The other effects man Mark Sawicki, who went on to a great career in Hollywood working on things like "The Terminator" and "X-Men", is good at being annoying as a wannabe writer with poetic aspirations who knows the history of the mine. (Thus giving us enough exposition to digest.) Amiable lug Dan Lunham is the hero, Geoff Calvert, and Terri Berland is the lovely leading lady, Cindy Flanders. Rolf Theison hits the mark playing one of those standard JERK characters we so often expect to find in movies like this. His character, Myron Hemmings, is a gold-hungry, domineering, impatient dummy.
The monster itself remains an enigma, with no explanation for its existence. This viewer will give the filmmakers credit for using stop-motion to create the beast.
While "The Strangeness" is not exactly a great film, for this viewer it IS a thoroughly enjoyable one that merits a look from interested monster movie lovers.
Eight out of 10.
Considering this was made for a paltry $25,000, this independent cave-horror / creature feature is solid fun for any fan of monster cinema. Yes, this viewer does understand the common criticism that it moves slowly. But, speaking personally, he felt that it took just the right amount of time, with the first victim being claimed at approximately the half-way point. In the meantime, we get plenty of atmosphere, a stifling feel (you do feel that the characters are in genuinely cramped quarters), appropriate lighting (the best part is the final third, when things are often lit mostly by flare), and an eerie, John Carpenter-esque electronic music score. The gore is quite nasty, and the creature itself is quite enjoyable to behold. (One other thing reviewers will often comment upon is the suggestive look of the creature, although effects man Chris Huntley swears this was unintentional.)
Director Melanie Anne Phillips, who wrote the script with Huntley, builds a sufficient amount of tension. The performances are not exactly award-worthy, but they get the job done. The other effects man Mark Sawicki, who went on to a great career in Hollywood working on things like "The Terminator" and "X-Men", is good at being annoying as a wannabe writer with poetic aspirations who knows the history of the mine. (Thus giving us enough exposition to digest.) Amiable lug Dan Lunham is the hero, Geoff Calvert, and Terri Berland is the lovely leading lady, Cindy Flanders. Rolf Theison hits the mark playing one of those standard JERK characters we so often expect to find in movies like this. His character, Myron Hemmings, is a gold-hungry, domineering, impatient dummy.
The monster itself remains an enigma, with no explanation for its existence. This viewer will give the filmmakers credit for using stop-motion to create the beast.
While "The Strangeness" is not exactly a great film, for this viewer it IS a thoroughly enjoyable one that merits a look from interested monster movie lovers.
Eight out of 10.