My friend Phil recommended The Void to me, saying that it was 'weird'; he clearly understands what I look for in a film. Phil was spot on: The Void is totally bizarre, but a little bit too strange and inexplicable towards the end even for my particular tastes.
The film opens intriguingly, with two armed men chasing a young couple, catching the woman and setting her on fire. The young man escapes and is found by local sheriff Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole), who takes him to a nearby hospital that is in the process of closing down. Before long, the armed men show up, keen to kill their escapee. Meanwhile, members of a strange sect surround the hospital, and a series of horrific events occur inside the building.
Influenced by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker (one character turning into a creature closely resembling a Cenobite), the film has bags of atmosphere and a palpable sense of dread, but with zero explanation for the events that unfold, I eventually lost track of what was going on and, consequently, I lost interest. I'm all for a bit of ambiguity, but this one doesn't offer up even the slightest exposition. Who are the hooded people outside the hospital? No idea! Why are people turning into monsters? No idea! Where does the strange triangular gateway lead to? No idea!
4/10 for the practical effects and a reasonable dose of splatter, but way too convoluted and baffling to be all that satisfying.
The film opens intriguingly, with two armed men chasing a young couple, catching the woman and setting her on fire. The young man escapes and is found by local sheriff Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole), who takes him to a nearby hospital that is in the process of closing down. Before long, the armed men show up, keen to kill their escapee. Meanwhile, members of a strange sect surround the hospital, and a series of horrific events occur inside the building.
Influenced by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker (one character turning into a creature closely resembling a Cenobite), the film has bags of atmosphere and a palpable sense of dread, but with zero explanation for the events that unfold, I eventually lost track of what was going on and, consequently, I lost interest. I'm all for a bit of ambiguity, but this one doesn't offer up even the slightest exposition. Who are the hooded people outside the hospital? No idea! Why are people turning into monsters? No idea! Where does the strange triangular gateway lead to? No idea!
4/10 for the practical effects and a reasonable dose of splatter, but way too convoluted and baffling to be all that satisfying.