The Void — Interestingly Strange …

20th April, 2017.

Hmmm … 

I like films.

Which is possibly not explaining myself very well, is it?

I like watching films.

Although it’s not that often I get to see them.

Except may by renting one from iTunes.

Or — even more rarely — seeing one at the cinema.

Tonight?

Tonight was the former, rather than the latter.

I had cash …

Time off … 

A couple SF films in my collection, I’d not seen … 

And a whimsical desire to catch something totally different.

In renting The Void … ?

I think I managed that … !

~≈Á≈~

The film opens in a rural part of an unidentified bit of North America: showing James fleeing an isolated farmhouse … 

Closely followed by an unnamed father and son: who attempted to capture James … 

Whilst burning the woman he was with, to death.

~≈Á≈~

Once we get past the pre-title teaser?

We see Deputy Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) parked up on a sleepy backroad: and almost asleep himself.

Only to see the now heavily injured James crawl onto the road.

Deputy Carter?   Does the only thing he CAN do at this point.

Take James to the local hospital … 

One where his estranged wife, Alison, works as a trauma surgeon.

You can tell things are going to badly, can’t you … ?

~≈Á≈~

Now … ?

Interestingly Strange … ?

I should say so … ?

One thing I noticed — when the credits rolled past — is that The Void was co-written and co-directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie.

And think that possibly explains a few things

What I’ve just watched?

Is quite an interesting blend of different things: touches of  The Thing and Hellraiser, elements of H. P. at his most Lovecraftian.

Even — if I didn’t know better — touches of The X-Files in some of the chase sequences, combined with elements of a Tomb of the Cybermen-style base under siege style horror.

All of it sort of woven well, together.

Please note I say sort of woven well together.

I couldn’t help but think whilst it’s nicely done?

I noticed the father and son characters we’re introduced to at the start of the film could have been fleshed out a little further.

Some of the plot lines aren’t necessarily as picked up as well as they could’ve been.

And that the first forty-five minutes or so of the film seemed very different in terms of style to the last half: the former going more for The Thing, with the latter going more for the Lovecraft.

Even a complete non-academic film fan like me could see that?

And even a non-academic like me could take a guess that it’s the pair of writer-directors that’s possibly to blame.

Does that stop me from enjoying it?

Well, no.

But I’ve come away from The Void thinking I’ve seen a flawed film.

One that tells me its directors need to learn to work together better, on their next outing … 

But … ?

For all its flaws, The Void is fantastic looking.

And flawed enough to be both strange, interesting … 

And hypnotically watchable.

The Void

★★☆☆