Storm Warning

This is a very effective low budget offering from the Southern hemisphere.

The plot is pretty simple, revolving around a yuppie couple who stumble upon a backwoods family who take them prisoner. What elevates this film above similar tales is the sheer sense of menace and relentless vulnerability that is created, and also the sheer energy and inventiveness with which the captors are depicted.

Personally, I felt very uncomfortable throughout and I empathised with the couple who had somehow got themselves into so much trouble. The woman, who to make matters worse is French, is under constant threat of rape. I felt particularly sorry for her lawyer boyfriend who is helplessly out of his depth and fully aware that he is unable to defend her.

However, she is made of pretty stern stuff and when her boyfriend is incapacitated by the savage yokels they have encountered she takes matters into her own hands and begins the fight back.

This protracted turning of the tables takes up the final third of the film and is handled with great energy and and enthusiasm. Some old-school booby traps are employed against one of the villains whilst she has another trick up her, ahem, sleeve which really has to be seen to be believed.

Without giving too much away, I found the eventual structure of this film quite fascinating and original, but for the casual viewer alike this film really delivers. There is plenty of atmosphere, humour, set-piece carnage and thrills for everyone and the hyped up soundtrack keeps things moving along nicely.

Carrying a tagline such as "From The Director of 'Urban Legend' and 'Valentine'" may not be the best way to sell a film, but it at least had me intrigued. While I may have initially over-looked "Storm Warning," thinking it was yet another joy-less, modern-day horror film where people get tortured in ultra-violent ways and scream until its unpleasant conclusion (think "Hostel" and the like), it was the name of Jamie Blanks who caught my attention. While "Urban Legend" and "Valentine" are about as sterilized as American horror can get, the Australian director has a strong visual sense that helped elevate both films, and thinking he could save yet another film from being "just another," I figured "Storm Warning" would be a safe bet. Thankfully, I was right.

When a well-to-do couple gets stranded during a quaint fishing trip, they seek shelter in the home of three psychopaths who quickly put The Mr. out of commission and make sexual advances towards The Mrs. every five minutes. The film unravels as a typical, nihilistic piece, until somewhere in the second act when the captors fight back. Soon, the villains find themselves at the mercy of well-placed traps ("Hellraiser," anyone?) and some make-shift birth control. While it plays itself off as yet another "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"-type film, "Storm Warning" is meaner and just plain more fun than most of what this sub-genre has to offer. Throughout the third act, I found myself jumping in excitement as I cheered along Nadia Fares' character and cringed at some of the excruciating and often over-the-top bloodshed. Blanks handles all of this with substantial atmosphere and slick style. Once you get past the cheap looking -- we're talking "Open Water" cheap -- first act, "Storm Warning" submerses you in the dark and dirty, without flinching once. It also helps with two solid leads on hand. Nadia Fares is both stunning and strong as the unlikely female lead, while Robert Taylor keeps it real as the frightened and vulnerable husband. The sickos are a bit over-the-top but suitable, and you're bound to cheer for their demise. Overall, "Storm Warning" doesn't bring much new to the genre, but it's got more than it's fair share of thrills and unique death scenes. If one thing is for certain, it will get a reaction from most anyone, and is worth at least a rental.

I can't believe any true fan of the horror genre can walk away from this film without fully appreciating it for what it offers. This movie really delivers on several levels. First, for a low-budget film, the cinematography is breathtaking. The film grade used is not grainy like you might expect for the budget, the camera work is exceptional, and the lighting is expertly used to create many different moods. Also, the soundtrack is awesome, with a lot of bass that will make your sub-woofer work overtime. Second, the acting is well above-average for the genre, and all actors deliver convincing performances in roles that make this situation particularly believable. I was unable to tear myself away from this film for a second, and it is a roller coaster ride that has to be seen to be believed! Nine stars.

Loved this movie. Was not sure what to expect, but after reading some of the reviews decided to watch it. I love a good thriller, and this one did not disappoint, in fact it was better than I expected. The suspense was very good, and in fact stopped the movie a couple of times because I needed to take a breath. Scenery was very good, acting was good, and plot was good.

If I had to have any negative things to say it would be that I found it difficult at times to understand what they were saying. They do speak English but being an American it at times was hard and had to rewind it to figure out what was said/meant.

Yuppies have a lot of trouble driving pickups. Hillbillies detest Volvo's. Yuppie women who are squeamish about fishing somehow can figure out how to turn fishing rods into booby-traps. Obviously yuppie women also know that hillbillies skip foreplay completely. In "Storm Warning", the yuppies and hillbillies have one thing in common, and that is no common sense. Prepare to be amazed by a plot that relies on the yuppies purposely steering their small boat into a mangrove swamp, with a storm approaching, get lost, and seek shelter in a house that is obviously occupied by degenerate locals (you can't help but notice the blowup doll in the living room). The hillbillies, who can barely write their names in the mud with a stick, might elicit some sympathy after all. - MERK