Nailbiter (2012)
Brief review: After "The Empty Acre", shorts director Patrick Rea bring us his second full-length feature, "Nailbiter" - an intriguing, gripping and well-paced indie horror flick about a mother and her three daughters, who get trapped in a storm cellar, where they soon discover they're not alone. It may not be the scariest movie ever made, but "Nailbiter" is still constantly creepy, utterly claustrophobic, and it builds up tension and suspense slowly and steadily. The final act goes slightly over-the-top, compared to the rest of the story, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it ruins the movie or that is not satisfying enough. On a technical note, "Nailbiter" is pretty solid, despite its presumably limited budget. Shot entirely with RED camera, the movie looks quite polished, visually, plus, Rea manages to create a uniquely sinister atmosphere throughout the film, thanks to his skillful direction, the stylish cinematography and some truly eerie settings. The tornado sequence is as beautifully-executed as it's terrifying, and deserves a special mention, and the creature itself is amazingly well-designed and downright gruesome. The soundtrack by itself is good, but doesn't really fit well with the mood of the movie and it's way too distracting at times. Joicie Appell, Erin McGrane and Meg Saricks all do a decent job in their roles, but it's Emily Boresow that delivers the most believable and memorable performance of all.
Overall summary: It's not without its flaws, but "Nailbiter" is a creepy, claustrophobic, finely-crafted, and hugely entertaining indie creature feature, and a very promising second effort from director Patrick Rea, who demonstrates talent, skills and great passion for horror.
13 comments:
Thanks for the review. Sounds like you know your stuff. Good job.
Richard, you're welcome. Well, I hope I do. :) Thanks a lot.
Well, as you already know I enjoyed it a bit more than you :)
btw: a few days ago Patrick has sent me his debut film "The Empty Acre", an interesting but way too slow horror-drama.
Comparing both movies, it's amazing to see how much he has developed as a filmmaker.
Maynard, I guess you did. I had problems with the final 15 min of the movie, some of the performances, and especially with the soundtrack. I also thought the monster was a bit underused. Other than that, I enjoyed it a lot. I hope Patrick will appreciate my honesty. He's a great guys and a very gifted director!
I'm sure he did. :)
Gruesome monster and a tornado? That's an interesting combination.
Alex, it's an interesting combination indeed. And it works. :)
It definitely does work pretty darned well - I fall closer to Maynard on this one - and you're right, George - the tornado sequence is amazing considering the low budget resources they had!
Craig, than you both get very easily impressed or am I wrong? :) I liked it a lot, but it was far from perfect. I wanted to stay true to myself and not to overrate it. It deserves a solid 6.25 out of 10, which is not bad at all.
I want to see it because I live on the edge of Tornado Alley here in Illinois and I have ridden out a couple of tornados in a basement. So I think this one might make me happy simply because of my personal attachment to the setting. :)
Mel, then this film should be perfect for you. :) I've never been in a storm cellar in my life, simply because we don't have ANY tornado's here, but I presume it's quite creepy and claustrophobic being down there... especially with a monster. LOL. :)
Sounds like it an interesting mental trip. A good horror/suspense film is hard to find. Will be on the steady lookout, George. Thanks for the heads-up :)
Matty, it's hard indeed. And this one is definitely worth-seeing. It's different, it's unique and it's something not only horror fans will appreciate. ;) Thank YOU for the comment.
Rdx, I wouldn't say nice, but it was okay.
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