Monday, June 11, 2012

First Look: Gallery of Fear: Is it worth hanging on your wall





Title: Gallery Of Fear

Year: 2012

Directors: Alan  Rowe Kelly, Anthony G Summers

Horror Anthongie, to fans films like Creepshow Tales from the Cypt, Vault of Terror and Black Sabbath spring to mind. All have at least 3 or 4 stories with one rap around story that ties all the others in.

Rap around Segment: Critics Choice

While it does what its suppose to, that is to tie the stories together but does little else to hook an audience member in. I understand that in a low budget film you have to work with what you have, yet I would think some more elements of horror couldn't have been added, just because your short on cash doesn't mean you have to be low on clever ideas to punch up your film.   Debbie Rochon the one high point. She is delightfully bitchy as the art critic Roberta.

Segment 1: By Her Hands She Draws You Down
A very interesting story about an artist with the abilty to take a persons life force from drawing your picture. Heres my problem, their is no doubt this is cool concept but its not fleshed enough and It leaves you feeling cheated. Also without spoiling an ending, their was a few gaps in logic. Special effects looked like a high school student did them.

Segment 2: Down the Drain: Not only is school kids cruel towards other kids but teachers too as in the tail of poor Stanley who just cant catch a break. Jerry Murdock who plays the main character seems to be chewing scenery left and right and while I feel normally over the top is better then boring I have to say his performance makes this one hard to watch. I would have chose a more a subtle way to approach Stanley, and I think that the audience could connect with it more then a Jerry Lewis`ese  thing hes doing. Sorry Jerry but bring it in. The drain monster is not very well done. The story is not overly creative either and you can see whats coming a mile away. Characters are cookie cutter at best.

Segment 3: Far Away from Home: Warning Spoilers ahead.
I was looking forward to this one the most. A transsexual and her lover stop off at a five and dime store called Hung by a thread. Yet in the country there are scary Christians afoot.
This film is not clever at all and ramps up the shock value, and liberally uses hate speech. Ok I`m no censor I believe in a artistic content words like this have their place. Back wood Christian hillbillies, that of course get there come up`ens in the end, maybe in a ironic twist? No.. Not only do they kill off the transsexual character but her murderers don't have any kind of punishment. This ending kinda pissed me off actually... It seems to solely relay on the shock value with no clever thought behind it. The film does have some decent special effects and I need head bash. Acting is decent, but as the other segments actors seem to go way over the top and cartoon like. It makes it hard to take this film serious let alone scary.



Final Rap around Segment and Final thoughts: As with the rest of the film it just seems like it was not clever and I was maybe at least expecting a huge awesome shocking twist. Ok I understand this film was executed with a small budget but that is no excuse for lazy story telling. I cant even truthful say I felt the filmmakers truly gave it their all, everything about this was so lackluster. Yes there is some carnage but doesn't save this film. This is a piece of art that didn't try to color outside the box and what were left with is a very laughable copy of other great works of horror`s past.






1 comment:

  1. Yeah....this sounds not so fun.....

    ~Misty, Cinema Schminema

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