“The Horror Seasons” is another film sent to my by Custom Flix, however like most of there films which seem so amateur and well lets face it seem like home movies, “the Horror Seasons” rises above all those films and has at least decent production value for a low budget flick. I mean it’s not like your typical Hollywood production value but it’s holds it’s own from a low budget point of view. It’s obvious that the film was shot on digital video as it has that flat video look to it, however at times the movie does fool your eye and looks a bit like film. (I’m thinking somebody ran this film though some filters while editing). So anyway just what is this film about.
“The Horror Seasons” seems to be following a trend of low budget short films being put together in a “Creepshow”, “Tales from the Darkside” type films. However it has a twist, all the stories relate.
The film is about a composer names Francois Dupuis whom is pretty much crazy. With each song his orchestra plays we witness a different story to each odd and demented song. Each song is named after a season; Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer. For you music fans you’ll know that the film is a horror version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. (Something I have no clue about, but think the concept is cool.) each story has it’s own piece of brilliance put into it.
As far as the script goes, I’ll have to say it’s not that bad, the script is tight with no bullshit in between, the stories for the most part are straight to the point. However the acting does not do the script justice. Like most low budget films, most of the actors are either friends, stage actors or people trying to make it as an actor. In this case, the stage acting is quite obvious. In my own experiences producing indie films, I know first hand that just because an actor is a good stage actor does not mean their great in front of the camera. They tend to over extend their lines and speak very loudly, it becomes obvious on film and effects the overall performance of the actor and the realness of the story at hand. Now I’m not saying that the all the actors were bad, some of them were good and others were, what I would call stage actors who need to just get some training in front of a camera and be able to know that both arts although similar, are quite different when it comes to how you put your character together and the type of vocalization needed. So on the acting, you can pretty much tell who’s bad, who needs work, and who good in this film.
Now if I can get back to the story for a second, there is some homosexual overtones to the film as well as some lesbian scenes as well, however it’s not over done to the point where you’ll feel like your watching a David DeCoteau film. The funny thing is that the film in a sense talks about how religion effects the minds of those who are gay or lesbian. You as a viewer may not think so, but while watching some of the stories I kind of took notice.
As far as effects go, well there up and down, there is some pretty bad CGI in the film, but it’s very brief. There is some good make-up effects and then there is the make-up effects that look like there from your local Halloween store. So on effects the film is up and down.
Overall, “The Horror Seasons” is not a bad effort. Sure it’s a low budget flick, with a minimal budget, and yeah you could put it in the classification as being another film that can be placed among the ever growing sub genre of gay horror. But its done is good taste and overall it has it’s flaws, but the pacing and timing of the film is right on target. two thumbs up for the editors of this film. As far as the overall film goes, you can say I’m mixed but leaned more towards a thumbs up rather than a thumbs down.
-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
