Like I said a million times before, when it comes to reviewing one of the many independent horror films out there, and every filmmaker in the world tries to buddy up with you to get a good review. You just simply have to put your foot down and either: A: Don’t reply to their e-mails. B: Be nice and tell them to send their film to you and maybe you’ll review it. or C: Just review it because it looks good, and peaks your interest.
As per request by the reviewers on this here website, we recently decided that if an independent film did not peak any of our interests then none of us would take the reasonability of reviewing it. Some of my reviewers, I know their tastes in films so I won’t even bother asking, the others I’ll ask, and if we all turn it down, then we won’t review it. Such was case with this film, I got an e-mail and it didn’t peak my interest nor did it of anyone else on the site. However little did I know that this film was already being distributed by a company that gives my mailing address to the film makers to send out review copies to me. So when this flick titled “The Wanderer” came in the mail, I was kind of freaked out, because I knew the film did not make it though our screening process. However the filmmakers found the path to getting the screener to me, so as being someone who hates to just let a DVD sit around, I decided to give it a chance. I figured the worse thing that happens is I shut the film off and give it a bad write up. Well; I was surprised, although I didn’t fully care for the story, this film is shot pretty dam well.
The Wanderer is a short film that runs about eighteen minutes. The plot is about two girls (Gina and Lucy) who after attending a funeral for Gina’s cousin Sarah, pick up a hitchhiker, while discussing the strange way that Sarah died. However they soon find out that the hitchhiker they picked up may have some kind of connection to Sarah’s death. The script is not bad, I did find it to be a bit slow and the characters did not interest me at all. However compared to most of the indie films I view, what The Wanderer had that most films don’t is a great overall look and creepy atmosphere. One can’t help but notice that the feel of the film was presented as if each character took their own feelings and made the images on the screen look like the way they were in fact feeling. The director ( Richard Poche) did a great job in accomplishing this. The overall acting in the film was pretty good as well.
The Wanderer is a film that kinds of reminds you of an episode that would be presented on something like The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. It has a real Hitchcock feel to it, and leaves you with a sense of creepiness the whole way though. However it is slow, and at times though my eighteen minute viewing of the film I did find myself getting bored.
Overall, The Wanderer is a decent little flick, and I’m glad it found it’s way into my hands. It could probably use some better marketing, to make the film more interesting, however it’s a decent film, that was a pleasure to review. It’s nothing great, but it’s not bad either. Fans of Hitchcock films or of any kind of dark suspense films will probably enjoy this flick, any basic horror fans however will probably push it to the side.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
