Flowers

A woman crawls through an underfloor space that's been caked and slathered with human decay and excrement by the resident sex killer ... and then another woman continues the journey ... and another ...

For 5 minutes I was thinking, Hmmm - an arty slasher short that stretches out for 80 mins. But I didn't look away from it once, and by the end it put a spell on me.

Not a word of dialogue in this film, and it turns out actresses may be more expressive that way. I've noticed that occasionally - Ms.45 (1981)- but I think there's not even a verbal noise in this baby. How that's possible while maintaining the natural sound synchronicity is beyond me.

Sound and music are excellent. They use freesound for the background radiation, but the editing takes it to another level. And there's a Tom Waits & wife feel to the actual music.

Visuals are very visceral at the start, but they clean up and get more structured as it goes. The dinner party with the suckling pig is outright weird, but every scene is uniquely suited to its actress, and the actress to her scene.

The only thing that took me out of it for a minute was the body suit in the sewing-up scene - not so much Is That Real? as Yeah, That's False. No biggie.

The meaning? Dunno - there's plenty of metaphor if you like, but this is true horror - a mind-blowing observation of the inevitable. Above all, it's sympathetic - not hateful. Enjoy.

Just finished watching it and it was special. Not a single spoken word and a very dirty and art-house feeling to it. But ... felt like a students work and was quite simple. Anyway ... had some very strong scenes and good score. The girls did a good job! If you can (no compare) enjoy movies like Eraserhead - you should watch it. Keep in mind that this one is low budget, so don't expect too much - then you'll have a good time! Before you end up being offended - be aware that it contains some graphic scenes. Want to underline again that the director tries to get into a David Lynch direction. However this is still a long way. Please be aware that the rating reflects that this is an underground / low budget movie. In case you only watch mainstream - please substract at least 2 points. You need some compassion for those kind of movies.

Flowers 2015

Writer & Director Phil Stevens has created something eerily beautiful here. A strange silent story of 6 dead girls who awaken under the floor of their killers home. Nothing here but a dream state. No dialogue just beauty.

The films visuals are outstanding. Violent imagery and gore aplenty but its not there for shock value. Its all part of a bigger picture. The 6 beautiful women have been slaughtered, cut open, beaten and abused but not only is that reflected on their bodies but also in the entire house. There really is a feeling of dread and pain here and you see this as these dead women walk around their surroundings trying to figure out why. This film looks dirty thanks to the cinematography and set design but its classy and very professional.

I can see a lot of people are going to find this film hard at over an hour long with no dialogue but it really is worth it and I've never seen anything like this before. The musical score is absolutely fantastic and probably my favourite score in a long time.

This is pretty much the best looking indie film since pieces of talent.

Find a copy. You really should experience this

8 and a half outta 10

Flowers is a 2015 surreal horror film, written and directed by Phil Stevens. Phil's freshman feature film is highly experimental in nature, centering around six dead girls who seem to have awoken in the crawlspace below the house of the serial killer responsible for taking their lives. Oh, and it's told without any dialogue at all.

The film takes its time, exploring the characters intimately. It feels very voyeuristic in nature, getting to know "the flowers", as they are called, by observing how they react in silence and alone as they begin to wake and travel through the house. Every one of their actions is an appeal to your emotions, propelling the dialogue without words.

Through morbidly beautiful and intricately detailed sets, you also get a sense of who their murderer is as a person. The picture that's painted is not one of a serial killer you're familiar with, but a profoundly original and well thought out type of disgusting psychopath who will inspire pure visceral revulsion.

The plot of the film lacking dialogue causes an openness for interpretation that allows you to derive any meaning you wish from the plight of the girls and the motivations of their murderer. The visuals assure that your mind is driven into its darkest recesses, causing the perception of guttural fear and discomfort.

Flowers is an inspiringly original piece that will haunt you while your eyes are open. There simply exists nothing to compare it to — an increasingly rare phenomenon in the modern era of the genre.

Phil Stevens Flowers is not your typical horror film. And for good measure this is a refreshing new breath into the genre. It is a disturbing journey through the perspectives of the six female victims who exist in a nightmare world caught between memory and death. I have not been as impressed by a film with such symbolism and attention to visual detail as I have since E. Elias Merhige's Begotten. Flowers is not a movie that everyone can stomach, it hits you deep beneath the surface with the subject matter, and will last long after your viewing. To that extent it may be (and wrongfully so) associated to the August Underground series, however it represents so much more than the ugly nature of man and the violent imagery it conveys - which adds further weight to the stories of each of the characters. This is also not your conventional horror, the lack of dialogue only adds to the tension and further terror that one relives through the haunting display throughout. Not to be missed. If you're a fan of abstract work such as Lodge Kerrigan's Clean, Shaven, David Lynch's Eraserhead or Takashi Miike's Gozu you will appreciate this movie. I look forward to more of Stevens' work, he is a filmmaker to keep your eye on.