Indigenous is a better-than-average monster film
Director: Alastair Orr
Starring: Zachary Soetenga, Lindsey McKeon, Sofia Pernas, Pierson Fode, Jamie Anderson, Juanxo Villaverde and Laura Penuela.
Studios: Killburn Media, Lightning Entertainment
Release Dates: April 20, 2014 (Tribeca Film Festival)
May 2015 (Philippines)
Plot: Five friends meet in Panama for a vacation. While partying, they hear from Carmen, a native, stories about a beautiful waterfall deep in the jungle. Ignoring the warnings of Carmen's friend, they went off to find the waterfall. When they reach it, the group discovers that the legends about a chupacabra are true, and it has developed a taste for humans.
There are few monster films these days that really work. Some end up being chaotic and messy. Others usually end up being boring and generic. But Indigenous manages to be somehow different. Let me share you what are the things that I liked and didn’t liked about this film. Here’s my quick review of Indigenous.
Great Characters, Great Setting
A lot of monster films ( and most horror films in general) usually end up being completely boring. Why? Well, most of them usually don’t put much effort in making their characters really interesting. Some movies usually just follow the same horror movie stereotypes and just starts killing them off one by one.
Indigenous manages to be different by making their characters somehow empathetic. You get these group of teens who looked like just any stupid character in most horror films that we’ve seen before. But then, the film starts to give these characters some heart. Some humanity in them. As if they were real people. Yeah. Some of them were really douchebags but you still care for them because of the good characterization that this film gives them. And so as the creature starts to kill them off one by one, you really feel scared for them. For their safety. And that’s how a good horror movie should be done.
Another good thing about this film is the setting of the story. The film is set in a secluded jungle in Panama. And it really looks so secluded that I myself wouldn’t even dare to go to that freaking forest. The location adds up to the creepy factor of the film. That something really weird is going on within those thick canopy of tress or something is hiding behind those very thick bushes. This makes the whole film really effective in scaring the audiences.
A Really Scary Monster
Of course, what’s a monster movie without its monster? Well, honestly, the chupacabra of this film really scared the shit out of me the first time it revealed itself to the camera. I really liked the way that they teased how the chupacabra looks like during the first half of the film. They didn’t showed it in its entirety until the other half of the movie, similar to how Steven Spielberg has teased the shark in the film Jaws (1975).
And when it finally revealed itself to us, it really looked terrifying. The face itself of the chupacabra will bring you nightmares. It shares similarities to how the possessed old lady looked like while slowly swallowing the head of a poor child in The Taking Of Deborah Logan (2014). I’m telling you. It’s so fucking scary.
A Nice Mix of Jumps and Dread
Aside from all these stuff, the best thing that I love about this film is that it is overflowing with dread. You can really feel the dread that these characters are feeling as they try to find their way out of the jungle during the night. Every time they point their flashlights to one bush from another, there is this suspense if the creature would show up.
And when it comes out, it will really make you jump out of your seat. One of the most shocking scenes of the film happens during the last part of the film and that one really made me jump. It doesn’t come that very often unlike those from the Insidious Movies but they’re enough to keep you at your foot all the time.
Verdict:
With it’s balance mix of dread, jump scares and a little bit of blood and gore, in addition to it’s great characters and location, this little monster gem is sure to satisfy every genre fan out there. Definitely a must-watch.
I am rating this 4 out of 5 stars.
Indigenous - Trailer Oficial #1 - Tribeca... by vibrantfarrow
No comments:
Post a Comment