Kalevet

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.

Rabies isn't just the first Israeli horror film, a country most people living outside of it mistakenly think suffers from horror on a daily bases, but is also a slasher film with no real slasher. The fact that there isn't one killer, just makes the horror more intense and real: when the going gets tough, the tough (and gentle) get murderous; And when all happens in an enclosed part of the woods known as "Fox reservoir" - it's hard for anyone to escape the part of the man (or woman) with the gun (or ax,knife and anything around). The film follows a brother and sister that flee to the woods to hide their forbidden secret. But in the woods other people hide secrets; a psychopath killer sets traps all over the woods and the sister falls into one of them. The brother seeks for help and is hit by a car with two couples of tennis players that got lost on the way to a tennis tournament. He drags the two men in two the woods to help him and leaving the girls alone on the road. From this point on everything that might go wrong goes worst and involves a forest ranger, two cops and more. What strikes me most about the film is the way in which it lets human nature do its thing without needing any special incentive: everything that happens is just people loosing restrains on their civilized manners. The films seeks to show that movies don't need any super natural killer or a psychopath with a plan - just let people forget the way they were brought by, and anyone can kill. It is both a genre film and a comment about the genre and human beings. The woods is most likely the most important character in the film, and Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado in their directorial debut along with their cinematographer Guy Raz meticulously crafted its appearance as to look like the place where all hell can break loose, though it is usually a nice place to have a picnic. Blending in horror and comedy, the film puts (after more then 60 years) Israel on the map of horror films and hopefully will not just open doors for other young Israeli film makers to make other horror, Sci-fi and even musicals - all genres that have been almost completely forgotten in the history of Israeli cinema, but will also mark the beginning of an ongoing career for the two young directors.

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.

Rabies, despite the title, has nothing to do with rabies, I think it is supposed to represent how infectious the violence was between the characters as they found themselves in a fight for survival and being paranoid about each other's intentions. Rabies, however, is a really creative, different & entertaining film that I thoroughly enjoyed. It all starts with a female, Tali who has fell down a trap in the woods and her brother, Ofer who is trying to get her out. We learn that the trap was set up by a crazed killer who plans on torchering and killing her. as soon as Ofer goes to try and get help to get his sister free, the madman returns and begins his assault on Tali. This is not a formulaic slasher film where a killer in the woods kills off a group of young 20 somethings one at a time, in fact the killer plays a very small part in the movie and acts more as a catalyst for a series of events that lead to interactions between other characters that stumble into and around the woods.

In addition to Tali, Ofer and the killer, there is also a group of 4 friends on their way to a tennis match who get lost - they end up hitting someone on the road which is how they get involved in the plot & descent into the woods, 2 cops who are called to help the 4 friends and a man who is hunting and surveying the land in the woods with his dog. He also has a girlfriend who we meet at the beginning.

I would definitely recommend this movie. The story line has many unpredictable twists and turns and overall the acting was solid although the girl playing Shir, played by Yael Grobgas was the one weak link. I think her wooden, blank performance was supposed to be a result of her character being in shock but she was just as wooden, blank and unnatural before any bloodshed occurred so I think she's just a horrible actress. That would be my one complaint in this film.

8/10 = rating

Over 30 years in the horror genre and this must have been my first horror that I watched coming from Israel. It's not your usual horror because it's more about how things can turn out rather bad with a sick twist.

It's all about being at the wrong place at the wrong time and just when you think that the police can help you one of them is just a sexist and want to abuse the short skirted girls in which he does by searching for weapons but put his hand were it doesn't belong and it's not her juggs. From there the story about a missing couple turns out in a sick way.

On part of the horror it's low because it never really becomes scary but the effects used makes it rather brutal especially the face being hammered. But what I liked most is that it doesn't have a happy ending.

For the first Israel horror flick I must say that I was surprised even as it didn't look like a real horror it still is. It's being sold as a slasher but for me it wasn't, although it's all about a slasher walking around. It has won a lot of prices and I must agree, you can't see it coming what is going to happen to them all.

Gore 1,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5