Kalevet

Fresh, inventive, fast paced - this film was like going on a fun roller coaster. Never a dull moment and you do not know exactly what will happen next. Just when you think it is going to follow a formula the bottom drops out. Never having seen any of these actors before added to the experience. At first it may seem there are too many characters but it all blends together at the end. If feels like the directors took the theme of the old movie "After Hours" and paired it with the comedy of "Shaun of the Dead." Then gave it a Cohen brothers twist. I really enjoyed this film and the previous effort (Big Bad Wolves). There are gory scenes (and I dislike gore) but it did not seem excessive or gratuitous.

A brother and sister who run away from home find sanctuary in a deserted nature reserve. When the sister falls into the trap of a psychopathic killer...

This is probably the best horror film I have seen so far this year (2012). Rich plot, twists, turns, a healthy amount of gore without resorting to CGI. Characters with some depth. A very creepy sexual assault scene (without the aid of nudity being in this picture).

I just have to say I was impressed. The plot weaves in and out of different characters' lives fluidly, expertly. We learn just enough about them to be interested, but not enough to ruin the surprises. You will have many questions throughout the film -- some will be answered and some will not. Is there room for a sequel? Yes, but it would be a mistake to add to this film.

I am not completely clear why the film is called "Rabies". My best guess is because it contains a very contagious violence. But if you are looking for a plague or zombie film, this is not it. (Even "slasher" is not at all correct, regardless of how some people have presented the film.) Do not judge this film by its cover. The box design is rather poor, but the film inside is not. A must-see for horror fans.

Plot

A brother and sister who run away from home find sanctuary in a deserted nature reserve. When the sister falls into the trap of a psychopathic killer, the brother sets out on a race against time to find help. In a twist of fate the rescue of the sister becomes inadvertently intertwined with the lives of a group of young tennis players, a ranger and his dog, as well as a team of policemen

Cast

A surprisingly competent cast, Yael Grobglas and Ania Bukstein were great here.

Verdict

Israel's first horror movie? Well that was my first Israeli movie ever, I watched it to get my Top 10 Israeli movies going but this is not the best start.

For a start there's no reason for this to be called Rabies, not sure if it's a metaphor for something but let's be clear that's not what the film is about.

It's a bungling horror movie that grabs hold of every American horror liche and doubles down on them with every tired trope and then some. You'd think for the first Israeli horror they'd try to forge their own identity instead of relying on what has worked for others to excess.

Rabies is a truly dire film, it's boring, it's soulless, it's by the numbers.

Rants

Of all the tired horror tropes it's the pet death I'm so very very tired of. Enough already, I can confidently say I've never met anyone who likes it so why does every horror filmmaker insist on doing it. Kill people, leave the pets alone. At this stage it damages a movie, it's predictable and it's simply in bad taste.

The Good

Cast are mostly competent

The Bad

So unoriginal Really quite boring Plot is just an amalgamation of better movies.

RABIES is the first Israeli slasher film ever made, and it starts off as your typical slasher flick: A group of teens are driving on a shortcut through the woods. However, even this early in the film, it starts to veer off in a different direction when we are introduced to other characters, which includes the killer himself, two cops, a ranger and his dog, and siblings. As expected, an incident occurs that sets off a chain reaction that ultimately makes RABIES one of the weirdest and most original slasher flicks I've ever seen. All the ingredients of a slasher film are here, but they go against the conventions of a slasher film. Think of it like this: RABIES is the product of what the Coen brothers would do if they ever decided to do a slasher film. Saying anything more would ruin the experience, so I'll just leave it at that.

RABIES separates itself from other slasher flicks in many ways, including the fact that the entire film takes place in daylight and that most of the characters are fleshed out. Even the teens seem like real people, not dumb victims who make idiotic decisions to get them killed off. The film also has surprising levels of comedy and drama that's mixed with the horror, which is influenced by Korean horror films in the past few years. It also has something to say about the nature of human beings, so not only is RABIES an atypical slasher flick, but there's also an underlying commentary running through the film.

Because of how RABIES bend the slasher genre, I can see that it might not work for everyone. Some die hard slasher fans may be disappointed seeing that it doesn't follow a lot of the slasher conventions while others may open up their arms willingly to what the film has to offer. Although it doesn't revolutionize the slasher genre, I found it to be entertaining and weird overall, and I appreciate the originality put into it. I'd also keep my eyes on directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado and on their next film, which is a murder mystery. Hopefully, this film will also open a lot of doors to what Israel can offer to the rest of the world in the future. And lastly, there's already talks of an American remake so watch this ASAP.

Israel's fist horror film, and it's quite a doozy. Not only that, but one of the more unconventional, genre bending efforts I've seen in the genre for a while which comes across especially impressive for not just first time directors but a first time country. I won't go into the plot too much as its a film that one ought to discover for themselves, but a look at the characters is in order. We have Ofer and Tali, who ran away from home only to run afoul of evil in an abandoned nature reserve. Then there's Menashe, surveyor of said reserve and next to get drawn into it. Next come four young tennis players on the way to a game but are waylaid by an accident and finally Danny and Yuval, two cops who come to investigate said accident. Once all the characters are set up, the film gets moving, a black comedy of confusion, strained friendships and mounting anger, plot dependent entirely on character and emotions that spiral inexorably out of control. It all comes down to human nature and breaking points and its rather good to see in the film that peoples actions and reactions in the film feel realistic, whether the odd moment of deliberate malice organic to a character or mostly just desperate and unthinking violent reaction to a problem the film really has something to say underneath the chuckles or the bloodshed. The film is pretty amusing in a largely deadpan manner and the humour is nicely mixed in with the horror even as the tension slowly mounts and things become towards the end rather affecting. There isn't all that much gore but what's there is decent, nice little gruesome jolts achieved with quality practical FX work. It as all the more effect for audience identification with the characters, all of whom are well portrayed. Special mentions for Danny Geva as horny sleaze-ball rich kid cop Yuval, Ania Bukstein as a girl with some Sapphic attraction to a friend going on and Ofer Shechter as a jokester whose assurance and easy manner is sorely tested by affairs. The film could have done with more constant tension I think, with early scenes before everyone gets entangled lacking much of a spark to them, and also towards the end slightly overdoes its emotional farewells, but its solid going all the way and even gave me things to think about afterwards. A fine start for a new entry into the world of horror, definitely worth a look.