Devils Pass [a.k.a The Dyatlov Pass Incident] (2013)

On February 2nd 1959, nine Russian hikers mysteriously died in the Ural Montains of Russia. The mystery surrounding their deaths has incurred tremendous speculation. The Soviet investigators came to the conclusion that “a compelling natural force” was the cause of their deaths. Strangely enough the circumstances surrounding their deaths get even stranger. The investigation showed that the hikers tore open their tents from the inside, fleeing barefoot into heavy snow and a temperature of -30C. If that’s not spooky enough, although the corpses showed no sign of struggle, two victims had skull fractures, two had broken ribs, and one woman’s tongue was missing. All of the things you just read are TRUE.

Directed by Renny Harlin (Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4, Prison, Die Hard 2) Devil’s Pass takes the TRUE story of the hikers on Dyatlov Pass, and creates a pretty cool little found footage film around it. The film revolves around 5 college students making a documentary on the real life story of the nine hikers on Dyatlov Pass. The students start fearing for their lives when they encounter unexplained events.

I really enjoy a film that takes a real life story and molds a fictional story around it. It keeps the films interesting and encourages research upon the film’s completion. Devil’s Pass was no different. I felt the story was crafted very well. Their fictional story blended with the actual events really made the film a worthwhile experience. I did feel that the last quarter of the film lost a little luster, however it was still entertaining.

The acting in the film is pretty good. Matt Stokoe (Jenson) and Luke Albright (JP) stood out to me as front runners here. I will say that some of Holly Gross’s (Holly) line delivery was a little over the top at time, however she still did a good job. Overall the cast gave very good performances and did not take away from the films entertainment value. The film was very like on gore, and or practical effects. Most of the encounters are CGI, and you only see a slight bit of red stuff.

Overall Devils Pass was a fairly successful found footage film. The true events and the mystery surrounding them make this film worth watching alone. GLP gives Devils Pass a cool 3 out of 5 stabs for originality and creativeness. To find out more about Devil’s Pass, visit the films Facebook page. For more information regarding the actual Dyatlov Pass Incident click here. View the trailer below.

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Stitches (2012)

When "IT" was made into a TV series, Clowns were never really the same. These goofy face pained jesters became something more sinister. Clowns have now become the things nightmares are made of. The term “Coulrophobia”  (fear of clowns) is said to have been coined in the 80’s, but in recent years has become more prevalent. The amount of people fearing clowns seems to have jumped significantly, and so have the movies involving a clown as the main antagonist.

Stitches is a horror/comedy directed by Conor McMahon. The film involves a group of kids attending a 10^th birthday party. Stitches the clown arrives to entertain the children but when the kids pranks goes too far, Stitches winds up on the wrong side of the joke. 6 years later the kids have almost separated, but Tom (Tommy Knight) is still scared from the incidents of his 10^th birthday. When his friends decided to throw a party for his 16^th birthday, they get an unexpected guest that starts picking off the kids 1 by 1.

Stitches is a very entertaining flick. The acting by the kids was very good, and at times a little over the top, but if fit the film perfectly. I found the film very fun and at times extremely funny. The characters in the film were true to themselves and while they were very stereotypical the kids played them very well. Stitches character was witty and very well thought out.

The writing of the films story is solid; it’s not a typical slasher flick. There are elements of supernatural horror & witchcraft which really helps the film progress. Stitches character (Ross Noble) is smart and humorous. His delivery of one liners are cheeky at times but ultimately work in the films favor. I also feel that the overall mythos behind the films story was strong as well. The idea of a secret society of clowns is pretty damn frightening.

The gore in the film is great. For all the gorehounds out there, the red stuff flows like a river. The fans are treated to decapitation, limb removal, head explosions, disembowelment, stabbings, head scooping and more. At the same time, these kills are done with humor which propels the film just that much more. As for the T&A the film severely lacks the skin. Dudes get a picture of a nip slip and some nice lingerie shots but that is it.

Basically, Stitches is a very great film. It’s entertaining and over the top and most of all gory as hell. GLP gives this hilarious effort a 4 out of 5 stabs for creative kills, acting, and story. Check this film out. For more information on Stitches visit the films Facebook page. You can find the film in a Redbox near you! Support the film by adding it to your collection. View the trailer below.

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Among Friends (2012)

When we have close friends, we like to think that we could tell them anything. Realistically the easiest way to not have a secret get out, is to keep it to yourself. What would you do if all your dirty secrets were recorded by someone you are close to, without you even knowing? What would you do if the person you thought was your friend, wound up being your worst nightmare?

Making her directorial debut, Danielle Harris’s Among Friends is the story of a group of friends attending an 80’s themed dinner party. This dinner party also has a twist. What starts out as a murder mystery, turns into a game of integrity, morality, and friendship. When the attendees realize they must play this game to survive, things take an interesting turn.

Among Friends is not a great movie. I wanted to like it, but I just could not stand behind the film itself. The characters are not lovable, and I found it had caring that any of this was happening. I tended to say, oh well, they deserved it. The only character I started to like was Jules (Brianne Davis). Her character was not great but, at some points the comedic element to her character was the redeeming quality. There is a character in the film named Blane (Chris Meyer), which initially got me excited (because my name is Blaine) but the character is a complete douche…

The direction is the best part of the film. Danielle did a great job with her first feature. The lighting was good, camera direction was good. Everything about the shooting was good. As for the writing by Alyssa Lobit, I was quite underwhelmed. As I said before, it was very hard to care about the events that were going on. I just wanted more out of the dialog, and character development, and general motive.

The gore is light but used well enough. There is nothing too over the top or spectacular. My biggest grip is the color of the blood. It looks more black than red. There are scenes that tried to push the envelope, but ultimately fail to deliver. The first scene that comes to mind is the balls scene, in the end it just didn’t deliver. The movie isn’t terrible, but by the same token, isn’t great. I found it to be entertaining enough, however at the end of the day it just didn’t deliver the goods.

In the end, Among Friends fails to offer solid character development, as a result you just don’t get behind any of the characters. I understand as the plot develops you suppose to turn on the characters, unfortunately the “evidence” they give you about the characters doesn’t really effect how you already feel about the characters. GLP gives this mediocre tale a 2 out of 3 stabs. If you’re looking for an easy way to kill an hour or two give Among Friends a watch. You may like it more than I did, which is the beauty of horror. To each their own. If you want to find out more about Among Friends check out the Website and Facebook page. View the trailer below.

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