zinesandskafiends

I saw a rough cut of this short many years ago with a friend-of-a-friend of the director. I expected an amateur attempt at Hollywood horror but was pleasantly surprised at how professional the film looked. Most of the major studios that have attempted to transfer Stephen King's work to film have produced mediocre efforts at best, but this little indie film got the tone and pacing down perfect. The screen writing was true to the short story, and the special effects worked quite well. I can honestly say that Road Virus is one of the best King film adaptations this jaded horror fan has seen. I highly recommend it to anyone who has given up hope of seeing decent Stephen King movies.

From the beginning I had my doubts about this film. During the opening scene, I braced myself for an onslaught of Sundance clichés, but as the film progressed, I was pleasantly surprised. Before and After is a gem of a character study with believable performances by Meryl Streep and Edward Furlong. Liam Neeson's performance as a father with a reserved psychotic sense of protection toward his son is one of the film's highlights. There were some weak spots in the dialogue, but otherwise the script was well-written and engaging.

Be prepared to be sucked into this movie; it's slow-paced, but the subtle suspense will make it nearly impossible to stop watching. Just when you think the film has told its story and can't develop any further, you discover that you've seen the beginning of Act II instead of the film's climax.