Unrest

This is a solid little low budget horror film with enough tension, humor and gore to keep the horror movie fans entertained. There are strong performances from some recognizable up and comers, including the two leads.

The story is about a female med student who tries to uncover the past of her gross anatomy class cadaver as terror invades the halls of the school. The med student is an atheist, and yet she senses things about the cadaver that lead her to question her own beliefs about spirits, and drive her to find out the truth behind the woman's death.

As she closes in on the truth, the murders increase, making the audience wonder if the cause is really supernatural or if another student or staff member is behind it all.

There are some nice little "gotchya" moments that make you embarrassed that you jumped out of your seat. And some funny scenes when you understand why it's called "gross" anatomy.

Like all of After Dark's Horrorfest films Unrest is an interesting selection but unlike most of the others the film is pretty successful at what it aims to do, most of which is entertain. Unrest tells the original and inventive story of a group of med students who disrespect a cadaver and pay the price for it. The film's storyline is a little more complex and campy than that but the other stuff is better seen and not read about. This film works because it's cheesy, it doesn't take itself too seriously. And because of the silliness sometimes it inspires laughs that I believe are mostly intentional. The main performance by Corri English is quite impressive and the cast is very attractive and talented. The film is creepy but not terrifying and does sport some grotesque med lab imagery and a terrifying sequence inside a cadaver tank. I'm not sure if I really enjoyed this film because the rest of them were pretty much stinkers, or if it was because it had better sound and film quality. But one thing is for sure I did enjoy this film the most. It offers more of what i came to see little horror gems that are never seen by mainstream audiences. It's graphic, a little disturbing, original and memorable. Unrest may not be a great film but it's very good at what it's supposed to be. It rattles your nerves and brings something new to the table. what else can you ask for, in a horror film?It's also very impressive for the simple reason that it had such a low budget and manages to have such a great creepy but some what over the top score and uses it's surroundings so greatly never reducing itself into using cheesy cgi. It instead opts for a more traditional and story based approach, which it pulls off nicely

Let me start off by saying it's not a bad film. I didn't hate it, I just didn't fall in love with it. But I'm glad I watched it.

The cinematography is very good, the whole piece is generally rather beautiful. But can beauty make up for a lack of plot or substance? The first half is very good. Scrap that the first two thirds are very good. The build up, the general air of unease created, spot on. Then we have this particular films 'reveal' and it all quickly goes downhill from there.

Don't get me wrong, if you are a horror fan I would recommend this over any Saw (bar the original) any day, if only for the originality of the setting. I just don't see it going mainstream.

Oh, one more thing; you will never see the phrase 'dipping your toe in the water' in the same light again!

If you're looking for a movie with some good spookiness, then this isn't the movie for you. Although the trailer suggests that the movie is to die for, it's not. There are some times in the movie were one gets spooked, but only by the soundtrack of the film. The movie takes you from one place to another without really being clear on where it's going. Although you might think twice about going to medical school if you aren't ready to face some real bodies, this is the closest you might get to a corpse if they make you feel queasy. This movie is definitely no more than rated 'R' for audiences in general. It's not too violent at all. I was quite dissatisfied with this film.

Cori English is a new med student working with cadavers who feels there's something strange about the body of a young woman the med students have to dissect. She senses the woman has a back story that involves something evil and with the help of a medical colleague (SCOT DAVIS), she goes about an investigation.

So much for the logic of the plotting before things begin to happen that make no sense whatsoever. The horror depends on whether you're frightened of the undead aspect of the story--supposedly featuring real cadavers for the medical sequences. When the most sympathetic and respectful student dealing with the dead is murdered, you have to wonder what the deal is.

The most professional member of the cast is DERRICK O'CONNOR as Dr. Blackwell, with SCOT DAVIS running a close second. Cori English is a bland leading lady as the investigative med student but the rest of the cast is adequate enough for this low-key horror film.

Summing up: Even a few surprising twists can't save a poorly scripted suspenser. No rational explanation can save the back story about spirits--some nonsense about sacrificial rites to an Aztec God--from being more than a little illogical.