The Void

Imagine if John Carpenter had decided to combine his remake of THE THING with ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, and set it in a hospital, like in HALLOWEEN 2. Add to that, the murdering madness of EVENT HORIZON, and the overarching, occult horror of HP Lovecraft, seasoned with a dash of HELLRAISER, and you're close to THE VOID.

If you're one who craves practical monster / gore effects that work, then watch this film! If you want grisly, intense action, then look no further! When it all hits the fan, it breaks the blades! Suspense? In spades, along with a fantastic sense of mystery, bleakness and impending doom. Satisfying throughout, the final abomination is a wonder to behold!

As an homage, this movie pushes every button its bloody fingers reach for! As a horror story, it proves what can still be accomplished with some imagination and skill...

A local sheriff brings the victim of a mysterious attack to a rundown hospital, where sinister events ensue during a night of blood and gore ...

Ambitious siege horror with all sorts of influences. After a disturbing opening scene, we have one moment of normality followed by a constantly twisting nightmare that never lets up. At one point it seems there's a triple threat coming from different angles, and the story is at risk of collapsing from overload, but then the endgame comes into play through well produced set pieces and the climax brings some clarity.

The weakness is in the writing, which gives us two heroes, three pregnancies, over elaborate back stories, and plenty of shouty dialogue. The strength is in the effects and the photography and sound that create the hellish otherworld. The performances are OK, but the pace ebbs and flows instead of building steadily.

Overall: impressive vision delivered through a hectic concept.

I attended a screening of The Void at the Nevermore film festival in Durham, NC. It was a remarkable throwback to classic John Carpenter-style films. I hesitate to list too many details about it, since the feel of the film is very much like a nightmare that might be spoiled if you go in knowing how it turns out. I can say that the creature designs were some of the best I've seen on film in recent years. The feel of the film reminded me a great deal of Silent Hill, perhaps because it shares a lot of the same influences.

My few criticisms have to do with the screenplay. The filmmakers do a good job of leaving some mystery, but there's a bit of exposition I felt like I missed that would explain why some of the people take the actions they do. Even so, that didn't detract from the film enough for me to stop enjoying it. It's a minor miracle how nice the film looks given its low budget. The production design was just outstanding. Considering how ambitious the feature is, I think missing the mark by a bit in certain areas is forgivable.

"The Void" is one of those horror movies with a big (capital "M") Mystery at its center, but let's just see if you give a damn about it by the time the film finally gets around to (badly) explaining it. This film is all build up, dropped hints, and dangled carrots. The problem is that it never gets around to just being a damn movie.

The premise, which I don't think I could explain if I tried, is clearly overly ambitious for the filmmakers to pull off. It's part "Hellraiser," part "Re-Animator," part "Event Horizon," part, I don't know, "Halloween II?" There are people trapped in a hospital, Klu Klux Klan members lurking outside, a devil worshiping doctor, mutant zombie corpses, a woman giving birth, a useless nurse, a Libertarian. Everyone shouts a lot and for a long time the hostages are their own worst problem. Then they go exploring the murky depths of the hospital and boy, does the exposition begin. But the exposition never makes any sense, and to this day I'm still totally in the dark about who all the hooded figures walking around were.

I like my horror cerebral if it's done well, but if it's not, then I'd prefer something dumber but actually scary.

Grade: C-

I gave this one a solid 7 out 10. What it lacks in solid lead actors it makes up for with some amazing visuals and special effects. The void does have some real levels to it and really immerses you into the threat of imminent danger. It's almost reminiscent of silent hill meets Netflix's stranger things. The only thing that drove me bonkers about this film is it's unapologetic and total lack of explanations on plot and drive. It's like being dropped into hell and the devil forgets to tell you how you died. The whole time i was waiting for that one character who seemingly knows all but for "reasons" inconveniently discloses the full story by the time its too late. The void is worth watching for sure but don't expect to understand right away. I will definitely be pondering away and painfully scratching my head on this film for a while. It isn't without it's perks though. For the avid horror and sci fan it contains some real tone and plenty of gore to tide you over