When Ethan (Jason Tobias) and Josephine Allister (Marci Miller) met it was love at first sight. Soon they were married and started having children and everything was going really well. They had a son named Josh (Danny Ruiz) and although life is good for the Allisters, life does like to throw challenges at people when they least expect it. That’s when there was a zombie virus outbreak.
Now, Ethan, Joe and Josh live their lives one day at a time and try to survive. Although when they meet Desiree Morrow (Susan Moore Harmon) and her son, Lincoln (Justin Dray) they realise that there are others out there willing to do horrible things to make their way in the new world.
F.E.A.R. (Forget Everything and Run) is a zombie movie written by Jason Tobias and co-directed by Geoff Reisner. In the past ten years there has been a resurgence in the zombie genre, shows like The Walking Dead, iZombie and Santa Clarita Diet have all redefined what it means to be one of the unliving.
Then there are games like The Last of Us, Days Gone and Dying Light and although there seems to be room for a lot in this genre, there are signs it may have run its course.
This is particularly obvious in F.E.A.R.’s plot and characters as it plays like an extended episode of The Walking Dead or some DLC of The Last of Us which introduces new characters in a familiar setting.
There really is nothing new or original to see in F.E.A.R. and if you are a fan of the genre then there’s no doubt that you’ve seen it all before. Although for those looking for a horror movie where you know what you’re going to get before you’ve seen it then F.E.A.R. will do everything you want.
The production value and the cast all give the audience the feeling of a world where an outbreak has permanently changed the landscape. Although considering how 2020 went and how the world realised what a viral outbreak could do and how we all adapted, F.E.A.R. shows that a zombie outbreak may just be quite straightforward and lacking any excitement.
This thriller follows Sophie (Skyler Davenport), a former top skiing prospect rendered blind by a rare genetic disorder who now housesits in order to make money. Sophie’s resentment of both her blindness and the loss of her skiing career has led her to be short and distant with those around her as she strives to prove she is independent. She even steals from some of the places she housesits as people don’t suspect a blind person of being a criminal. This is a perception she mocks and exploits. While at her latest house sitting gig at a remote home, three men; Otis, Ernie, and Dave, (George Tchortov, Pascal Langdale, and Joe Pingue respectively) break into the house in order to steal something hidden within. The trio is working on behalf of their mysterious employer Rico (Kim Coates). The remainder of the film follows Sophie as she tries to navigate the tense situation in part with the help of Kelly (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Kelly works with a service called See for Me, an app that connects blind people with seeing individuals via video chat in order to help them “see.”
Director Randall Okita along with writers Adam Yorke and Tommy Gushue present audiences with a unique twist on a known narrative format. While there have been countless home invasion stories, even some that also center on blind characters, this film moves beyond just making blindness a new wrinkle or gimmick for the film. Sophie’s blindness not only adds to the threat of being in an unfamiliar environment with dangerous people, but is at the center of her character growth throughout the film. Meaning, as much as the film is a thriller, it is also about how Sophie copes with her disability, and how those she interacts with treat her because of it. This character exploration adds a layer of depth to the thriller tropes that unfold.
To be clear this is not to say that the film does not succeed in engrossing the audience as a thriller. In a film where a lot of tension rests in wondering how Sophie is going to evade the antagonists in such a confined area, understanding the geography of the house is important. Okita, Yorke, and Gushue handle the task of delivering the exposition of the house’s layout by imbuing the scene with character development. Shortly after Sophie arrives at the house, she video chats with her friend Cam (Keaton Kaplan). During their call, Cam helps guide Sophie through the house, familiarizing her, and by extension the audience with it so we understand where characters are in relation to each other once the thriller aspects come into play and escalate as Kelly begins guiding Sophie. During this scene, we also learn that Cam himself is a skier and has helped Sophie sell some of the items she has stolen from houses. However, he now hopes to help her turn a new leaf and get back into skiing via the paralympics, something Sophie is resistant to do.
A myriad of other technical aspects help ensure the film is arresting throughout. The cinematography by Jackson Parrell and Jordan Oram puts the audience right in the middle of the action with the characters, frequently tracking with them as they move through the house, or being tight on their faces during moments of high stress. This is particularly true of scenes from Sophie’s perspective. Speaking of which, the cinematography also does a great job of putting the viewer in Sophie’s shoes as a blind person. For instance, when she is listening for footsteps to understand where people are, the camera will frequently cut to a foot hitting the ground or hands opening doors.
The editing by James Vandewater is particularly impressive when one considers the multiple perspectives he is cutting between during certain scenes; Sophie’s perspective, the perspective of the antagonists, what Kelly is seeing through Sophie’s phone, and Kelly’s reactions to events. Not only does Vandewater do a great job of editing all of these facets together into coherent scenes, but ones that maintain and escalate tension. Adding to this feeling of tension, the score by Menalon which predominantly features synth beats, is very effective at providing a kinetic energy to the film. This creates an intensity and sense of dread associated with thriller films.
While the technical aspects help set the tone and atmosphere for the film, the emotional nature of the characters and performers is part of what separates this film from some of its peers. At the center of the film is Skyler Davenport as Sophie. Davenport makes their live-action feature film debut and imbues Sophie with a great deal of sophistication. Davenport does not portray Sophie as a flawless character nor helpless victim. Instead, Davenport plays someone trying to find their way in life and coping with frustration and anger while still trying to maintain self sufficient. These are complex emotions and experiences and Davenport captures them well. Jessica Parker Kennedy is another strongpoint of the film as Kelly, playing a character that is both sympathetic and supportive of Sophie, but also someone who is willing to stand their ground and push her in order to get her out of this dangerous situation and is a complex character in her own right. The pair have great chemistry and watching their bond form and evolve over the course of the film is one of the highlights. Keaton Kaplan and Natalie Brown are also strong in supporting roles as Cam and Sophie’s Mom respectively. These are two characters who have a history with Sophie prior to her blindness and can see that she is hurting because of it. However, both of them are unsure how best to help her.
While the film has many strong attributes that isn’t to say that there aren’t some flaws as well. Mainly that while the film is well-made and effective as a thriller, few of the events of the plot are particularly surprising. As noted above, while the majority of the film does a good job of escalating tension and keeping the audience engaged, the third act drags slightly which may slightly pull viewers out of the experience.
See For Me is a film that does not break any new ground when it comes to the plot developments and touchstones of the home invasion thriller and loses some momentum during the final third of its runtime. However, strong direction, dynamic camerawork, and moving performances surrounding nuanced characters make this film worth seeking out.
One of George A. Romero’s long-lost titles is finally coming to Shudder after being held from its initial release. After a Lutheran society decided that they wanted to make a movie about elderly abuse, for some reason they decided to contact George A. Romero to put their message across. What they got wasn’t what they were expecting, so The Amusement Park was held from release because it was considered too gruesome, however it certainly does get its message across.
Introduced by actor Lincoln Maazel, an actor who could be considered to be elderly, he addresses the audience as many other public information would start. He tells the audience just what they may expect from the forthcoming events of the film and it certainly comes across as sincere.
However, Romero’s interpretation of what he was asked to do is given his original spin and what follows is a cautionary tale about the dangers of old age, all set in an amusement park.
A clever idea which enables Romero to tell his stories about the difficulties that elderly people face every day, Romero’s public information film shows things that happen to the elderly that are just as relevant now as they were in 1973.
However, there’s no real linear story as Romero’s subject has to cover many issues and this is where the setting of an amusement park is used to its advantage. Maazel wanders from one scene to the next experiencing incidents of elderly abuse first hand and often witnessing it in others, although at times these incidents could often be attributed to anybody that faces abuse due to their race, gender or disability.
Fans of Romero will be happy to see a film that’s been lovingly restored in 4K so that they can get a further insight into such a great and influential horror director. There may even be a curious fascination from those passing horror fans who want to know what happens when a horror director is asked to do something so out of his comfort zone.
Whoever you are and whatever reason you may want to watch The Amusement Park, the film will please Romero completionists and serve as an oddity for those interested in film history.
Jason Miller (Ry Barrett) is a screenwriter on a deadline. He’s writing a screenplay for a low budget horror movie with no stars in it, yet he’s got writer’s block. He’s also noticed a rather large crack running down the wall in his living room that’s leaking water. He knows it’s coming from the neighbours upstairs, but he’s having no luck with contacting them.
Then one day he meets Lisa, (Joanna Saul) and he finds that there’s an instant connection between them so he asks her to dinner so that they can get to know each other. However, during their date Jason starts to realise that everything is not as it seems. Particularly as the hallucinations he keeps having are getting stronger.
Open Your Eyes is a psychological horror/thriller written and directed by Greg A. Sager, unfortunately though despite the small cast and crew and how well the film is shot, Open Your Eyes is nothing new. There are many films about writers such as Misery, Secret Window and The Shining, the fact that they’re all based on stories by Stephen King is surely a coincidence.
However, it seems that Sager may have taken inspiration from King’s work and developed a concept along the same vein. The problem is that although the concept is solid, there’s very little else to it, so this slow burn thriller may feel very slow to most of the audience.
Most of us in the past year or so have found ourselves at times feeling alone because of the way the world has developed recently, but watching somebody seemingly purposefully isolated doesn’t necessarily make for a good watch.
Despite the occasional hallucination and jump scares, Open Your Eyes doesn’t have much originality and so when the big twist is revealed, the audience may feel like there could have been more.
Open Your Eyes feels like a movie that had a good concept, but there really wasn’t any way to pad out the script. So whereas it may be billed as a slow burn mystery thriller, the pacing of the film may put off people looking for an interesting movie.
Unhealthy Love Affairs in Movie History. By Marie Miguel.
At the end of a tiring day, there’s nothing better than cuddling up on the sofa and watching our favorite shows or movies.
Because it’s so embedded in our lives, media and pop culture can and does shape the way we make sense of the world we’re living in. It affects our views on relationships, love, and intimacy in helpful and harmful ways.
Unfortunately, the media tends to romanticize the actions and behaviors that occur toxic relationships. Audiences can experience the consequences of such portrayals; normalizing unhealthy behaviors can lead real people to accept them in real life.
Toxic, obsessive, or otherwise unhealthy relationships are so normalized that they’re often seen as desirable, particularly for young viewers. These behaviors may also be perpetuated more often when the media paints them as a normal part of love.
As a result, it may be time to start questioning the couples that we have glorified and accidentally romanticized, even those we hold near and dear to our hearts.
Here are 3 of the most unhealthy love affairs in movie history as well as a breakdown of what sort of behaviors they attempt to normalize:
Bella and Edward – Twilight
The Twilight Saga, written by author Stephenie Meyer, was one of the best-selling book series of the 2000’s, and the hit film franchise that followed took the world by storm. While the movie fulfilled the fantasies of readers of all ages, it also arguably normalized abuse and obsessive behavior.
The story of the series revolves around the love between a 100+ year old vampire and a 17-year-old high school student. Though Bella and Edward’s relationship is painted as classically romantic, both a major age gap and an unequal balance of power characterize their bond as potentially problematic.
Both in the book and film, Edward exhibits strange behaviors – he sneaks into Bella’s room to watch her sleep, for instance – that often border on obsessive. Later on in the series, Bella experiences crippling anxiety and depression when kept apart from Edward, again highlighting an unhealthily obsessive focus on her lover.
Ultimately, despite being very young, Bella gives up her chance at a normal life and becomes a vampire so she and Edward can be together forever. Though the series attempts to convince readers that the two are meant to be, it fails to consider how its implications may be damaging to real, young readers.
Their relationship is precisely the opposite of a healthy relationship, even if supernatural elements are in the mix. Multiple scenes in their relationship depict stalking, dishonesty, manipulation, and obsession.
Although their relationship is deemed to be romantic, when considered objectively it’s more than alarming. This type of uncomfortable, and unhealthy behavior could lead to many legal issues in a standard off-screen relationship, and the story’s portrayal of relationships as all-or-nothing romanticizes the idea of completely sacrificing who you are to be with someone else.
Jackson and Ally – A Star is Born
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s movie achieved widespread recognition and praise for its beautiful and heart-wrenching story and characters. However, the glory and acclaim glossed over the unhealthy and toxic relationship shared by the main characters.
The film explores the narrative of Ally, a talented singer, and musician, and Jackson, a country-rock music star, as they deal with the burdens of excessive fame and addiction. The movie shares a dangerous message: women should stay in abusive relationships if they genuinely love the other person.
Ally makes excuses and sacrifices for Jackson because she feels that she owes her success to him. No matter how hard she tries or the efforts she puts in, she cannot save him from his demons. Instead of celebrating Ally’s achievements, Jackson goes into a downward spiral of addiction and depression.
Time and again, people have been captivated by this sort of “love story” when in reality, these stories better serve as cautionary tales. Passion and love are appropriate and healthy, but enabling abusers or accepting toxic behaviors at one’s own expense is not.
Belle and the Beast – Beauty and the Beast
Even the “tale as old as time” can be interpreted as a problematic representation of what it means to be in love.
Many of the relationship dynamics in the film are potentially harmful. Gaston, for instance, displays intense and obsessive behavior. His interest in Belle goes beyond what’s healthy; it seems to stem more from a desire to control Belle and use her as a means to boost his own popularity.
The Beast, who Belle ends up falling in love with, is mean, temperamental and abusive, particularly in the first half of the film. Though the relationship between the two blooms as a result of these circumstances, it’s hard to deny that isolation and fear are largely at play.
The film develops the Beast as a flawed, but still desirable, love interest, but the fact that the relationship between the two stems from an imbalance of power suggests that it may not be meant to last. This sort of relationship model can send messages to young viewers that can result in unhealthy expectations for the future.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the relationship was that it seems to want to make the audience believe that staying with an abusive partner is worthwhile because they may change. Unfortunately, as most people in toxic relationships discover, there is no prince under all the hostility, lack of respect, and abuse that comes with unhealthy partners.
Takeaway
The world of movies is often alluring and beautiful, but viewers should be critical of what they watch. Identifying and calling out films that portray toxic relationships is extremely necessary to avoid promoting unhealthy characteristics and help viewers identify such instances in their own lives.
The media should be diligent about the characters and relationships it portrays on-screen and their impact on audiences, but it also helps to be able to remember that what we see in film is not, and shouldn’t necessarily be, reality.
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
