Saturday, June 25, 2022
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
FLICKFEAST
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews HE Reviews

The Void (2016)

Cleaver Patterson by Cleaver Patterson
April 24, 2017
in HE Reviews
TRAILER PARK – The Void
14
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

I guess in the world of modern film it must, inevitably, become increasingly difficult to come up with fresh ideas. Many things which you see at the cinema now are mere variations of what has gone before: add a few tweaks – a new character, a different location – but the same basic premise has, if you search around, been seen before in some form or other. Nowhere is this truer than with films which fall within the horror genre. After all you can only do so much with a mad axeman or some grainy film footage found on a discarded video camera, before you get the feeling you’ve been here before – many times. And so is the case with The Void.  When analysed closely the new, no-holds barred, horror extravaganza written and directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski contains many elements from classic horror, even if they have been cleverly and subtly changed to give the impression of something edgy and different.

Finding a young man called James (Evan Stern) half coherent and badly hurt stumbling along a lonely highway, police officer Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) picks him up and takes him to a nearby hospital.  However it soon appears that James has been witness to something despicable and evil which took place in the local vicinity, the perpetrators of which are now after him.  Unfortunately, unknown to both James and Daniel, the centre from which the evil is emanating is focused on the hospital, and they have now entered into a realm of unimaginable terror from which there will be no escape.

You might also like

Death on the Nile (2022) – Blu-ray Review

The Mitchells Vs The Machines (2021)- Blu-ray Review

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)- 4K Blu-ray Review

If, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then those behind The Void must be trying to suck up to someone big time.  The nods here towards horror genre classics (particularly from the 1980s) are so profuse you soon loose count – The Beyond (1981), Dead and Buried (1981), Halloween (1981) and Hellraiser (1987) to name but a few.  However, where many films fail when succumbing to the same pitfall, The Void surprisingly seems to work.  Is it the degree of professionalism and believability which the cast – including stalwarts like Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh and Kathleen Munroe – bring to the film’s admittedly outlandish premise.  Perhaps it’s that the whole proceedings are carried of such professionalism for a film by two filmmakers relatively new to the process of feature directing.  Or maybe that the viewer is simply overcome by the alarming realism and violence with which the screen is quickly awash – there are no cutaways here, when metal hits flesh.  Whatever the reasons, there is no denying that this is a film which carries the viewer along with its sheer verve, leaving you drained yet smiling by the film’s admittedly open ended finale – they do have to leave the opportunity for a sequel.

As is often the case with films like this, what there is of a plot is pretty basic – after all who wants a storyline to get in the way of good, old-fashioned carnage: here we have eye gouging, axe splitting, scalpel wielding horror on a grand scale, to the point that even those with the most cast iron constitutions will be hard put not to look away at some stage.  The setting is also rather limited, most of the action being restricted to the confines of a virtually empty hospital and a warren of gloomy service corridors which run beneath it.  However speed is of the essence here – at a mere 90 minutes the film doesn’t have time to outstay its welcome – and the onslaught of mayhem is kept moving so swiftly that it’s over before you, or many of the cast, realise whats hit them.

All-in-all The Void is like a quick shot of adrenaline to the arm, which jolts you into consciousness and leaves you on a high from which there are unlikely to be any long lasting side effects – either good or bad.

The Void was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24th April, 2017.  A host of extras include a director’s commentary, proof of concept trailer and various looks behind the scenes.

Directors: Steven Kostanski, Jeremy Gillespie
Writers: Steven Kostanski, Jeremy Gillespie
Stars: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers,
Kathleen Munroe, Ellen Wong
Runtime: 90 mins
Country: Canada

Film Rating: ★★★☆☆

Tags: The Void
Cleaver Patterson

Cleaver Patterson

Cleaver loves movies and watches most things, though he favours films with a darker air. A contributor to various books, magazines and websites, he has written for The Sunday Times Magazine, L.A. Review of Books and We Belong Dead Magazine amongst others. His book - Don't Go Upstairs! A Room-by-Room Tour of the House in Horror Movies - which studies the role of the house in horror cinema, was recently published by McFarland.

Related Posts

Death on the Nile (2022) - Blu-ray Review
HE Reviews

Death on the Nile (2022) – Blu-ray Review

by Jed Wagman
April 11, 2022
The Mitchells Vs The Machines (2021)- Blu-ray Review
HE Reviews

The Mitchells Vs The Machines (2021)- Blu-ray Review

by Jed Wagman
December 13, 2021
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)- 4K Blu-ray Review
Film Review

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)- 4K Blu-ray Review

by Jed Wagman
December 6, 2021
Superman & Lois
HE Reviews

‘Superman and Lois’ (2021) Series Review

by Jenna Scott
December 2, 2021
Koko-Di Koko-Da (2019) – Film Review
HE Reviews

Koko-Di Koko-Da (2019) – Film Review

by Dallas King
September 9, 2020

Recommended

Bond Girl 6

Bond: Top 10 Character Deaths

May 30, 2018
blade runner 2049 dave bautista

Dave Bautista Just Can’t Stop Being Rejected By Star Wars Producers

September 4, 2018

Don't miss it

Elvis (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Elvis (2022) – Film Review

June 20, 2022
The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review

June 21, 2022
Lightyear (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Lightyear (2022) – Film Review

June 16, 2022
Swan Song (2021) – Film Review
Film Review

Swan Song (2021) – Film Review

June 15, 2022
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) – Film Review

June 11, 2022
Film Review

Men (2022) – Film Review

June 1, 2022
flickfeast

Whetting your appetite for cinema with the best film reviews and features since 2009

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

Posting....