Compound Fracture (2014)

Michael left home when he was a teenager and never looked back. Now, after the death of his sister, Chloe, he's returning home with his fiancee Juliette and his angst ridden nephew Brandon.... See full summary »

Director:

Anthony J. Rickert-Epstein

Writers:

Renae Geerlings, Tyler Mane

Stars:

Tyler Mane, Muse Watson, Derek Mears

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tyler Mane	...	Michael Wolffsen
Muse Watson	...	Gary Wolffsen
Derek Mears	...	William
Renae Geerlings	...	Juliette
Alex Saxon	...	Brandon
Leslie Easterbrook	...	Annabelle
Susan Angelo	...	Chloe
Daniel Roebuck	...	Security Guard (Jim)
Todd Farmer	...	Security Guard (Jack)
Jelly Howie	...	Christine
Wes Weitzenhoffer	...	1800's Barn Clansman
Noah Applebaum	...	1800's Barn Clansman
Robert Ziglar	...	1800's Barn Clansman
Caitlin Martini	...	1800's Barn Clansman
Maysen Michaels	...	1800's Barn Clansman

Storyline

Michael left home when he was a teenager and never looked back. Now, after the death of his sister, Chloe, he's returning home with his fiancee Juliette and his angst ridden nephew Brandon. On arrival, they realize that home isn't exactly what it used to be. With high walls surrounding the house and security cameras in every nook and cranny it's more of a military compound than anything else. Enter Gary, Michael's estranged father who, while happy to be reunited with his son and grandson, seems more distracted by other things. As the strange family reunion commences, an uninvited guest shows up and we learn bits and pieces about the real reason behind Chloe's death and why Brandon is so closed off from Michael. This fractured family will have to come together to fight the ghosts of their pasts and make it out alive!

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Plot Keywords:

shot in head | dysfunctional family | returning home | father son relationship | supernatural power | 

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Taglines:

Some family secrets are darker than others.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cast contains three iconic killers, Tyler Mane (Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's Haloween), Derek Mears (Jason Vorhees in Friday the 13th (2009)) and Muse Watson (Ben Willis in I Know What You Did Last Summer).

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Connections

References Gigantor (1964)

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Soundtracks

Uplifting
Written by George Lynch and Christopher Collier
Performed by George Lynch and Christopher Collier
Courtesy of "Sacred Groove Music" and "CMC21 Productions"

User Reviews

A good effort but ultimately flat

Compound Fracture feels like a first outing, and it is. Tyler Mane's new company offers us a passable thriller that ultimately never truly thrills.

The story works. It offers characters with interesting drama and characterization, and a villain with a purpose. There are a few forced moments, where the emotion just shows up instead of being earned organically, but that could be in part to the directing and editing, which I will get to later. The story definitely had potential for thrills, and each character is memorable in their own way, and that is something you don't often find in indie horrors/thrillers, especially first timers like Geerlings.

The acting was weak. Muse Watson, the patriarch with dementia, often felt way over the top as he went in and out of lucidity. Sometimes it felt like dementia, sometimes if felt like he was tired and ready to go home. Tyler Mane will always feel like a giant to me, and it was hard, but not impossible, to see him as a family man. I think his strengths come from playing more fringe characters, less 'everyman'. Alex Saxon was a point of awkwardness for me. He fear noises really drew me out of the moment.

I think, even with the acting, there is potential in the film, but it all fell flat due to the direction/editing. I'm going to group those since they were done by the same guy, Anthony J. Rickert-Epstein. First, a look at his page reveals he is a cinematographer (he was also DP on this film, that's a lot of hats for a feature). And it shows. There were some technical shots going on but usually at the cost of performance and story telling. The film plays slow, and not "slow burn", just slow. The action scenes feel forced. I felt like I was supposed to be scared or thrilled but everything was moving so slow I was usually left just watching, unengaged. There were moments that didn't fit the rest of the film. I can't say it enough: everything felt forced. It felt like they wanted us to be scared, but didn't know how to pull it off, so they just copied a lot of techniques with sound and editing and tried to make it work. And for me, it didn't.

I think it was a good first effort. Hopefully they learn from the mistakes, mostly of letting one man head three departments, and can produce more films.

Compound Fracture isn't a great movie, but it shows that this team has potential, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 February 2015 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

The Evil Estate

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mane Entertainment, Wicked Monkey Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color