CraigMRosenthal

Here's an odd one from Sean S Cunningham. The man is no stranger to the exploitation genre. And in many ways DSS has some of those staples. Several moments of extreme violence showcase Cunningham's love of the horror and gore genre. However, DSS is a very different entity in it's own right. Cunningham gets the most of his actors. Specifically from a sniveling performance from the extremely talented Miguel Ferrer, who steals every moment of camera time up until his horrific death.

DSS makes the most of the 8 million it cost to make the film. Cunningham surpasses his own prowess with showcasing very strong performances, good cinematography, and a great monster. In comparison to other films in this genre, Leviathan and The Rift for example, DSS is the more satisfying film.

Unfortunately the film has one big issue, and that lay within its tired and predictable plot. But let's face it, we don't go into a Cunningham film expecting The Abyss or Alien. If that is what we are comparing this to than one will infinitely be disappointed. There is no philosophical undertones here. We get what we expect. A monster movie under water with some people doing some stupid things to make the situation all the worse.

Point is, take the brain cap off, enjoy the performances. You already know how this ends, but like a rollercoaster, just have some fun with it. I think if audiences and critics alike had approached this movie with the same ideology, DSS might have a stronger cult following.

This is easily the very best from Sean S Cunningham. Yes, it was clearly made to bank in on the yet to be released The Abyss. But regardless of the film being made to solely make money, Cunningham seemed to have really tried to make a competent film. And I feel he really succeeded with this effort.

I was looking on putting on mindless entertainment. A movie called Killer Sofa sounded right up my alley after a long day of work. The problem with the film is it doesn't seem to know what it really wants to be. A comedy or a horror film. It juggles this back and forth, unsuccessfully, as it downplays the comedic elements with attempting to make a straightforward horror film. It should have stuck to being an outright comedy and I think it would have been far more successful. But unfortunately, what we got is something that doesn't particularly live up to its title.

I have been following this one for a while now. Living only about an hour away from the abandoned tunnels in Pennsylvania, this movie caught my interest. With special gore and splatter FX from Hardgore Core, artwork from Joe Meredith, and direction from Harry Collins, I was very curious about how this one was going to turn out.

The Sidling Hill follows that of Adam (Nathan Hine), a troubled Iraq veteran who suffers from serious shell shock. When his friend, Harry (Mike Knapp) and his daughter, Allie (Tiffany Laskie) decide to bring Adam along on a hike through the Sidling Hill abandoned tunnel, inhabitions break down for Adam, as he suffers from horrific visions. It would seem the tunnel itself is haunted, and is having a terrible profound effect on Adam's already disintegrating demeanor.

The Sidling Hill is filled with brooding atmosphere throughout, and for a very low budget film, succeeds in getting under the skin of the viewer. After viewing it late last night, I awakened still having images of the film fresh in my brain.

It starts out a tad slow, building character development, with Adam being the films focus. As mentioned before, he is suffering greatly from horrors that happened to him in Iraq. This becomes a major focus for the viewer as we watch his descent into madness. Nathan Hine plays Adam, and puts on a shockingly good performance. He has several deep monologues that explore his thinking, and were some of the shining moments concerning the films acting. With a small cast, Hine was able to really explore the darkness of this character and makes the film well above average for a low budgeter.

Once when the characters get to the abandoned tunnel, the movie wisely stays there, creating some brooding and dark atmosphere filled with claustrophobia. It is here where the heart of the movie begins to pump, and blood starts flowing.

Speaking of blood flowing, one of the films focuses, particularly in the second half, is within its gory SFX. HGC creates some real nasty FX work for the film. And the FX never seem out of place within the context of what has been built around them. Everything has a natural flow to it. No matter how bloody it gets, it all feels well placed.

Another element that plays a major role in the films dread filled atmosphere is within its score work from Scott Appleby and Will England. Filled with piano interludes, and synth driven atmospheres, the score work wraps itself around the film, completing the nasty tone.

My final thoughts on The Sidling Hill; this is a solid good outing into low budget horror. It's bleak and never let's up with its atmosphere. With cinematography that helps to capture the claustrophobia of the tunnel, The Sidling Hill succeeds in putting the viewer into a miserable place.