Fang

Trying to get through his troubled life, a young man living with his sick mother and a live-in maid comes to believe that an encounter with a rat living in the house is slowly turning him into a rat-like creature and must keep the secret from others while carrying out his miserable existence.

This was a somewhat flawed genre effort. Among the better aspects at play here is the genuine sympathy elicited throughout here as this tries to make us care for what's going on. Seeing how his mother's mental and physical decline is occurring right in front of him with the quips and comebacks that manage to be forgotten about seconds later, the living conditions they're in or the overall issues he faces at work all combine together to paint a very endearing portrait of him long before he begins to undergo the psychological breakdown associated with the supposed transformation. Getting this aspect added to the mix only furthers everything established until then by taking the idea of the stress associated with the situation and applying it to the transformation that only ends up furthering his own mental snap. This is all quite fun and really helps to give this some likable factors for the most part. There are some issues to be had with this one. The biggest drawback to this one comes from the rather over-the-top means this takes to try to showcase his horrible living conditions that aren't rife with cliché upon cliché. Featuring tons of work to build up how his work life is a complete waste with a dead-end mentality and a jerk of a boss, disrespectful co-workers and no shortage of back-talk from his senile mother, this part of the film is incredibly easy to see where it's going and not offer up any kind of surprises which makes it all quite repetitive and frustrating. That carries over into the rest of his home life as dealing with his mother's instabilities and how that all takes a toll on everything around him creates way too much of a dead-end portrait that it becomes unbelievable even before taking the transformation into account. The unfortunate side-effect of that clichéd build-up is the film's other pretty overwhelming issue in that there's not much in the way of genuine horror going on for a large part of the running time. While running through the clichés of his troubled work and chaotic home lives gives a great sympathetic turn for him just on that basis alone, hardly any of it is terrifying or thrilling which is pretty problematic while waiting for things to get crazy regarding the belief that he's undergoing the physical change. Rather than give us the potential that something he's saying is supposed to be true, we're forced to take his word for it due to the generally underwhelming attempts at injecting a horrific atmosphere into these moments. That also causes the film to run on way too long for its own good and stretch out a running time it didn't need to, all of which drag this one down considerably.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Like a combination of Requiem for a Dream, Donnie Darko, American Psycho, and Adam Wingard's films. It's rare to see such a strong and vivid madcap sense of humor in a low-budget indie film. The movie keeps progressing and escalating toward madness. You could take it as a metaphor for growing up and leaving the nest. The performances are all very much on point. And the camerawork, editing, and direction exhibit a level of impeccable craftsmanship that at times touches mastery. It operates with a strong cult classic vibe. There were hypnotic stretches where I was sitting there like, "Holy god almighty this is awesome." Very strong, strange trip that will absorb and zap you. Richard Burgin is definitely a filmmaker to watch.

Fang first came on my radar when I was fortunate enough to interview writer/director Richard Burgin for a podcast. Based on the promo images I saw and Burgin's description of the film, I was expecting a grindhouse creature romp.

What I got instead was a highly intelligent shocker about what it's like living with and dealing with a loved one's mental health decline. As someone who recently lost his mother and dealt with her mental decline at the end, this film hit very close to home for me.

Billy Cochran (Dylan LaRay) is a 23 year old working at a warehouse to support himself and his mother (the always lovely Lynn Lowry) who is suffering from stage 5 Parkinson's and mentally declining sharply.

After being bitten by a rat, Billy starts to itch. Then the tufts of hair start to appear. The problem is, they also disappear. Is this real? Is Billy really turning into a rat? Or is it all in his head? His mental decline seems to mirror his mother's as his mother's new caregiver, Myra (Jess Paul) tries her best to take care of them both.

This is absolutely a cut above your average indie horror flick. This isn't a horror flick. This is a horror film. Mark my words....keep your eye on Richard Burgin, because he's going places and he's going to take us along for some wild rides.

I saw Fang at a festival in Madison and was blown away by this dark, twisted, but very entertaining movie which blends surreal body horror and domestic psychological dread, with a mother/son dynamic so dysfunctional, it rivals Norman Bates' maternal bond in Psycho. It helps that both performances by mother and son are electric and delightfully unpredictable, each tick and quirk feels earned. They are compulsively watchable and so is the film. I really felt transported into a subjective dreamscape that unravels into a nightmare. But despite some really immersive visuals and sound design, Fang never loses focus on its characters, keeping it grounded despite the fantastical premise. It's hard to believe this is a debut low-budget feature because it's already got such a distinct authorial voice and is so well put together in all aspects. It looks and sounds incredible and really sucks you in!

FANG is a great, compelling film that is both a body horror film and a psychological horror film. The main character, played by Dylan LaRay, has some autistic tendenceis and pretty miserable life. He has a terrible job with a horrible boss and he lives with his mother, who has serious physical and mental problems. She suffers from Parkinson's Disease and her condition is rapidly deteriorating. Lowry gives one of her greatest performances, able to change her mood and tone very quickly, as when she gets angry. She can be a monster at times, but at other times can be a good mother. After Dylan gets bitten by a rat, he starts growing fur on his arms, and this is where the film becomes a gross Cronenbergian body horror film.

The acting is first rate- in fact, I am still angry at Dylan's boss for being such a jerk. LaRay is incredible and gives a strong emotional performance. He evidences some traits of schizophrenia and through his art and comic book drawing, he has created a new universe for himself, as he does not seem to fit in this one. His acting is great but Lynn Lowry steals the film. I have been a fan of hers for my entire life and this is one of her most serious and intense roles. At times, she is truly evil and tyrannical, at other times she is weak and vulnerable. At all times her acting is superb and realistic.

There are several other things that elevate this film to a modern classic.

First is the beautiful cinematography, and second is the editing, which is innovative and realistic and propels the story forward. The chemistry between the two leads is great and when the kid and his mother are arguing things get really exciting.

According to IMDB, this is the first full length film from director Richard Burgin. This is hard to believe, because the film is so well made that I assumed while watching it that the director had more experience. He is definitely someone to watch and I look forward to his next film. With its harsh look at autism, schizophrenia and Parkinsons Disease, this film does a great job at capturing these illnesses in its characters, and fans of psychological suspense (and body horror) are sure to enjoy this great film with its realistic performances of degeneration, angst, frustration, anger, and jealousy.