Freakdog

In FREAKDOG (aka: RED MIST) a group of med students decide to mix narcotics and alcohol for a night of utter blotto-ness. Unfortunately, their shenanigans are witnessed by Kevin who records their antics on his cellphone.

Not wanting their future careers ruined, the quick-thinking students decide to get Kevin wasted so they can destroy the evidence. Things don't go exactly as planned.

If you enjoy paranormal horror-revenge movies with possession and lots of gory deaths, then this will take you to Nirvana! There's even some mad science tossed in for extra joy!

This film gets bonus points for originality and its novel approach...

"Freakdog", "Coma: The Movie", "Frickin' Stupid Doctors" or whatever the film wants to call itself, is unsurprisingly a very unknown film. I had never heard of it, critics ripped it apart and medical students were probably told to never watch it (unless they purposefully wanted to fail). Essentially it's "I Know What You Did Last Summer" meets "Flatliners", and it's just as predictable as both of those films. A group of medical students make a pact to try and kill a creepy stalker, whom recorded footage of them stealing pharmaceuticals, but instead puts him in a coma.

However, this is very very bad. Why? Well because he can travel out of his body, possess these students and kill them in elaborate ways. A slasher/revenge flick utilising an admittedly unique and imaginative premise. Just a shame that pretty much everything sucked! Putting aside the absurdly cheap aesthetic, editing and direction, the film's biggest issue is with its characters. Forcing literally everyone to be unlikeable, from the students to the experienced doctors, results in an entirely expendable cast. A consequence of this is that whenever someone pours burning acid down another's throat or crushed their head in a car door, it's all for nothing. No emotional attachment. No "ahhh but I liked that guy!". Nothing. Then we somehow need to comprehend how unintelligent these students really are. This is the future generation of doctors! Why are they are all so frickin' dumb? And why is a predominately British cast playing American characters? Just get an American cast!

The gore was unfortunately rarely shown on screen, which culminates the "horror" aspect and lays it on an uncomfortable hospital bed whilst we all watch it slowly die. Acting? Questionable. Camera shots? Zoomed in. Conclusion? "Red Snooze". Oh, and if you have epilepsy...watch with caution. (Although I recommend you don't watch it at all, epileptic or not!). Nearly caused me to have a nosebleed with its excessive flashing lights. Seriously! My retinas were burning during the last five minutes. It's coma time!

I've just watched this at Frightfest festival and to be honest I think it's a really good movie. Ticks all the boxes for me for what a good horror should have... Blood (tick), gore (tick), deaths (tick) a hot lead (tick, tick) and a few twists in the plot (Tick!).All in all this surprised me in how good it was. I've heard the budget isn't brilliant (Rumoured to be around £2million) and if this is the case then they've done a great job!) Also is it true that this was filmed totally in Belfast??? If this is the case then I would never have guessed - every location had me fooled into believing it was in America!! I'd give this 8/10 and in saying that when it is released nationwide I'll probably go back to watch it again (i'm weird like that - i enjoy watching a film for a 2nd time once I've seen the twists played out the first time round!)

Go see it it's well worth the visit!

A group of potential doctors are caught doing drugs by a local man with a stuttering problem. In order to cover their butts and keep their scholarships, they invite the man to join them, sending him into a coma after the drugs hit him the wrong way. When one of the potential doctors (Arielle Kebbel) tries to help him, unexpected consequences emerge.

Reviews on this film have been generally negative, with some people saying it is "as bad as 'Shrooms'" (the director's other notable movie). I don't see where these people are coming from. Sure, there are some bad things about this film... for one, the story drags a bit at times, and one character more or less repeats his same speech every five minutes he shows up. We also have the familiar story, which is not unlike "I Know What You Did Last Summer" or any number of other films.

But I thought the visuals were well done, the action was intense, and the casting was for the most part excellent. The ladies were well-cast beyond a doubt. MyAnna Buring as Shelby was a good move, as she's not only gorgeous but has the horror veteran status ("The Descent", "The Omen"). Putting Arielle Kebbel in the lead was brilliant. I've had my eye on her since "American Pie" Band Camp", where I noticed that despite the juvenile film, she really stood out. I expect her to break into the big time any day now.

I also have to give the film credit for trying to tie in actual science to a paranormal theme. Far too many films will introduce supernatural elements with no attempt to explain them. Here, we have a psychic theme tied to a little-known part of the brain called the angular gyrus. According to Wikipedia, "experiments have demonstrated the possibility that stimulation of the angular gyrus is the cause of out-of-body experiences. Stimulation of the angular gyrus in one experiment caused a woman to perceive a phantom existence behind her. Another such experiment gave the test subject the sensation of being on the ceiling. This is attributed to a discrepancy in the actual position of the body, and the mind's perceived location of the body." So, there's at least some level of truth to what the film shows.

I enjoyed this movie, and I won't lie about it. I'm not going to say it's "the film of the year" or any of those bold claims that movie reviewers make all the time, because that's just simply not going to be true. But it's well worth seeing if you have a steady intake of horror flicks. Of the films I've seen recently, it was among the better ones. And Arielle Kebbel... I mean, she just sells a film, doesn't she?

It's been a while since I liked a horror movie as much as this one. Much credit goes to Arielle Kebbel who is a great actress and looks even better. The director also knows how to film her.

A bunch of medical students go partying. A freaky loner (Kenneth) who may work at the morgue and who has a crush on Cathering (Kebbel) shows up and films their drinking and drug shenanigans. That could get them in serious trouble. So they decide to get him drunk, drugged. But he's also an epileptic who gets seizures with strobe lights. Once he goes into a seizure and starts choking, the group debates whether to help him or rather save their careers. Arguing against helping him is a bastard named Sean. They decide to dump him in front of a hospital.

It turns out that till he gets help, Kenneth's brain has already suffered enough oxygen deprivation to put him in a coma. Cathering, feeling guilty does research and actually medicates him with trial meds to help him. But something strange happens. People suddenly start killing the group of students one by one and yet remember nothing. It's as if they are possessed and it may be Kenneth who thanks to the trial meds gained some type of power.

Horror movies set in hospitals and with medical students always have a lot of potential. Many turn out disappointing. Red Mist on the other hand turned out great. The kills are gory and violent, there's a bit of nudity, the story is very good, the cast looks good and does a great job. Apparently this movie was filmed in Ireland although you can't tell, there are no outdoor scenes. Not sure what the purpose is to film this elsewhere when they don't take advantage of the setting. Overall, a highly recommended horror movie.

Even the extras are worth seeing as Kebbel actually takes part in most of them and shows herself to be a very fun girl.