It started with the remake of "We Are What We Are" directed by Jim Mickle (Stake Land). I watched the Mexican original sometime back and enjoyed it but found it to be a bit to slow of a burn so was looking forward to the American vision.
Here's what IMDB has to say about the remake:
"The Parkers, a reclusive family who follow ancient customs, find their secret existence threatened as a torrential downpour moves into their area, forcing daughters Iris and Rose to assume responsibilities beyond those of a typical family."
Typical of American remakes, this one was much more dramatic and action packed. There were some major changes, the largest being the location (the original was set in Mexico City while the remake is set in rural small town America). Aside from that the family itself is patriarchaly dominated while the original was matriarchal, not a surprise considering America is largely patriarchal. I thought the actors as a whole did a fantastic job. Bill Sage as the father was domineering and fierce but you could still sense some humanity deep down inside him especially when confronted with the death of his wife (which sets the whole tale off). Also great was Julia Garner who plays Rose. She conveyed so much just through her facial expressions, you could really feel her conflict and empathize with her plight. As for director Jim Mickle, when I first started watching this film I'd forgotten who the director was but kept noticing the similarities to Stake Land. The music, lighting, shots and pacing were similarly dark and moody which I loved. I'm excited to see more from him. I must also mention the gore! The original had very little which was slightly disappointing considering it's a movie about cannibalism. Like most American remakes, this version upped the gore factor quite a bit. Not that it was excessive, just right. And the end scene was a real treat :) A bit of a nice surprise! All in all, I thought this was a really well done re-envisioning and recommend it to any horror fan!
And IMDB says:
"A group of five people working to stay alive in a post-apocalyptic future discover what they think is a safe, abandoned farmhouse, but they soon find themselves fighting to stay alive as a gang of bloodthirsty predators attack."
The acting was fairly decent overall. Dominic Monaghan tries on his first American accent and is about as convincing as Shannyn Sossamon doing a southern-fried twang. They're passable. Ashley Bell is the real star of the show and she is quite intense, at times maybe too much but I give credit to any actor who really goes for it and you can tell she gave it her all. Shawn Ashmore also did a great job. He and his brother are staples on Canadian tv so it's hard to take him seriously sometimes but I thought he did a really good job in this. One scene with he and Ashley Bell was particularly brutal. I do like that the director, Douglas Aarniokoski, chose to go with a very muted black and grey tone look as it really suited the grungy, world-has-ended, vibe to the whole movie. It's dark, as it should be. And of course, Michal Eklund. He plays the leader of the flesh eaters, "Father", and although he's in it for only part of the movie, he steals every scene. Overall, a great post-apocalyptic movie with lots of action, good acting and atmosphere. I loved it and will definitely be watching it a third time, and a fourth....
And that concludes cannibal night! And my first movie reviews. I admit, I am most definitely not an educated film critic and have a hard time getting my opinions across after the fact but I'm sure it'll get easier over time. Thanks!
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