Storm Warning

Carrying a tagline such as "From The Director of 'Urban Legend' and 'Valentine'" may not be the best way to sell a film, but it at least had me intrigued. While I may have initially over-looked "Storm Warning," thinking it was yet another joy-less, modern-day horror film where people get tortured in ultra-violent ways and scream until its unpleasant conclusion (think "Hostel" and the like), it was the name of Jamie Blanks who caught my attention. While "Urban Legend" and "Valentine" are about as sterilized as American horror can get, the Australian director has a strong visual sense that helped elevate both films, and thinking he could save yet another film from being "just another," I figured "Storm Warning" would be a safe bet. Thankfully, I was right.

When a well-to-do couple gets stranded during a quaint fishing trip, they seek shelter in the home of three psychopaths who quickly put The Mr. out of commission and make sexual advances towards The Mrs. every five minutes. The film unravels as a typical, nihilistic piece, until somewhere in the second act when the captors fight back. Soon, the villains find themselves at the mercy of well-placed traps ("Hellraiser," anyone?) and some make-shift birth control. While it plays itself off as yet another "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"-type film, "Storm Warning" is meaner and just plain more fun than most of what this sub-genre has to offer. Throughout the third act, I found myself jumping in excitement as I cheered along Nadia Fares' character and cringed at some of the excruciating and often over-the-top bloodshed. Blanks handles all of this with substantial atmosphere and slick style. Once you get past the cheap looking -- we're talking "Open Water" cheap -- first act, "Storm Warning" submerses you in the dark and dirty, without flinching once. It also helps with two solid leads on hand. Nadia Fares is both stunning and strong as the unlikely female lead, while Robert Taylor keeps it real as the frightened and vulnerable husband. The sickos are a bit over-the-top but suitable, and you're bound to cheer for their demise. Overall, "Storm Warning" doesn't bring much new to the genre, but it's got more than it's fair share of thrills and unique death scenes. If one thing is for certain, it will get a reaction from most anyone, and is worth at least a rental.

I can't believe any true fan of the horror genre can walk away from this film without fully appreciating it for what it offers. This movie really delivers on several levels. First, for a low-budget film, the cinematography is breathtaking. The film grade used is not grainy like you might expect for the budget, the camera work is exceptional, and the lighting is expertly used to create many different moods. Also, the soundtrack is awesome, with a lot of bass that will make your sub-woofer work overtime. Second, the acting is well above-average for the genre, and all actors deliver convincing performances in roles that make this situation particularly believable. I was unable to tear myself away from this film for a second, and it is a roller coaster ride that has to be seen to be believed! Nine stars.

Loved this movie. Was not sure what to expect, but after reading some of the reviews decided to watch it. I love a good thriller, and this one did not disappoint, in fact it was better than I expected. The suspense was very good, and in fact stopped the movie a couple of times because I needed to take a breath. Scenery was very good, acting was good, and plot was good.

If I had to have any negative things to say it would be that I found it difficult at times to understand what they were saying. They do speak English but being an American it at times was hard and had to rewind it to figure out what was said/meant.

Yuppies have a lot of trouble driving pickups. Hillbillies detest Volvo's. Yuppie women who are squeamish about fishing somehow can figure out how to turn fishing rods into booby-traps. Obviously yuppie women also know that hillbillies skip foreplay completely. In "Storm Warning", the yuppies and hillbillies have one thing in common, and that is no common sense. Prepare to be amazed by a plot that relies on the yuppies purposely steering their small boat into a mangrove swamp, with a storm approaching, get lost, and seek shelter in a house that is obviously occupied by degenerate locals (you can't help but notice the blowup doll in the living room). The hillbillies, who can barely write their names in the mud with a stick, might elicit some sympathy after all. - MERK

I've been watching a lot of these type of horror movies recently - Wrong Turn 2, Hostel 2, Timber Falls etc. All of them feature normal people who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, and usually end up with some - if not all - of their limbs missing. It's been a popular horror genre since the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out and so it's difficult to take the premise and make it original. Is "Storm Warning" original? Not really. Is it a good movie? Yes!

"Storm Warning" begins slowly with our two main characters out fishing on their boat. They soon become lost on their way home and end up on a small island as rain clouds fill the sky above. Once they discover a seemingly abandoned house and the storm arrives, all hell then breaks loose. Despite being directed by the same man behind such awful movies as "Valentine", it's one of the better horror movies I've seen recently (and shows that director Jamie Blanks works best when he doesn't have to worry about pleasing the censors).

"Storm Warning" manages to combine elements from movies such as "Deliverance" and "Straw Dogs" to create something that is scary, gory and even funny at times. The three actors who portray the deranged antagonists are all superb and are suitably menacing. You never know quite what they're going to do next - and it's that tension that keeps you watching.

It's Nadia Fares who really sells this movie though. Her character's transition throughout "Storm Warning" is totally believable and the way in which her character eventually fights back leads to some brilliant scenes that will both surprise and entertain you. There were at least two occasions where I even found myself thinking "Oh my god! Did that really happen?"

Yes, it's not original but it's unsettling, well-acted, nicely written, very gory in places and ultimately fun. What more can you ask for from a horror movie?

A triumphant 8 out of 10.