Animated horror movies, have never really intrigued me as much as a live action film. When it comes to horror, I can’t really recall any animated movies that have really stuck out that I honestly can say were worth watching. Now, to be honest I haven’t really seen that many animated horror films, and I’ve never been a fan of Anime movies, nor have I seen many. But outside of a few animated sci-fi and fantasy movies like FINAL FANTASY, THE ANIMATRIX and The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury; I really can’t say there is much that I have enjoyed outside of these animated movies when it comes to horror sci-fi or fantasy. Such is the case with DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL, a animated movie that is a prequel to a new popular video game.
DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL is about a crew of people on the USG Ishimura. Their mission is to unearth an ancient religious relic that is thought to be proof that God exists. As they approach the planet, they actually send down some kind of device that picks up a giant piece of the plant and drags it up into space. They then find what they are looking for and it becomes a piece that many on board believe is a piece of God; many worship it other’s think it’s just a bunch of hogwash, but what they don’t know is that this relic is more the work of evil than it is good. People start to get sick, and experience all kinds of delusions and such, then the real hell begins as the relic has awaken an alien race that turns this little archeological dig into hell in space. Many people will die and be transformed into monsters, while others try to survive the chaos in the middle of space.
Like I mentioned above, I not a fan of animated horror or fantasy enough to really appreciate them as much as fans of these films do. But I can’t really say that I disliked or liked this movie. It had some pretty decent animation that reminded a lot the animation used in cartoons like TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, and video games like RESIDENT EVIL. The story also reminded me of some good sci-fi horror classics like EVENT HORIZON and ALIEN, but was no where as good as those films were. Don’t get me wrong the story is decent, but it’s nothing special. It was well written when it came to character development and dialogue, but the story was nothing special.
From a horror standpoint the movie does have a lot of violence and bloodshed. There are these half-alien, half-human monsters that look like something out of John Carpenter’s THE THING. Some of the killing in the movie is very bloody and gory. One thing I liked about the overall film was that all the scenes with blood and mayhem were not out of control to the point that the action was unrealistic. All of these scenes could of been done with special effects in a live action film, and it’s obvious that some of the ideas were used from some live action horror films that we’re all familiar with.
Overall, I can’t say that DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL was a great animated horror movie, but it was not that bad either. I think fans of Anime and those who are playing the video game will enjoy this movie. After all it is the back story that leads up to the video game, so people who are playing the game and would like to know more about the origin of the game should check out the animated movie.
– 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
