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.

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.

Richard Burgin delivers with Fang on all levels. Engaging story, great cinematography, killer sets and phenomenal acting by all especially the lead and Lynn Lowry. The chemistry between these two was excellent and kept you on edge. The rest of the cast was great. Very impressive score and sound design helped to get the frantic and nerve wracking scenes across. The use of the lighting and colors helped tell the story especially in the bar scenes. I can't forget the gory and realistic practical Fx that was in the movie. I'm a big fan of practical Fx and glad to see this in this film. Check this out and share the love!!

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.

If you watch other independent films before you watch this one, you'll understand why I gave it a 7 (granted I wanted to do like a 6.5 so I rounded up).

As someone who has watched a LOT of indie films and gets distracted easily, I can tell you I actually watched this whole film--YAY. Most indie films, especially if they're over 30 minutes long, they don't stand a chance at holding my attention normally.

Now, this film is far from perfect. A lot of things don't make sense and there are a lot of filler walking scenes that were unnecessary (also can we get Billy a better broom for that warehouse??). However, the lead actors as well as the lighting and cinematography of this film really carry it though. The colorization is absolutely gorgeous and the camerawork gives this film a boost beyond independent films. Dylan LaRay and Lynn Lowry absolutely capture your attention when they're in scenes together, and, again, it's better than a lot of independent films that are out there.