Void if removed

It's an odd thing a movie trailer. I try to be inherently distrustful of them by and large, but also can't help get suckered in like a shrimp about to get the business off an angler fish. I think we've all been there, excitedly waiting for a movie in anticipation of the cinematic delights about to unfurl, only to get a sickly sense of deja vu when all the good bits have appeared in the previews or the crushing disappointment of being served up a movie so far removed from the teaser that they are at risk of a phone call from the Office of Trading Standards. It is what is though and we are all old enough and wise enough to take those lumps when they come. Hereditary was like that, as was Mom and Dad and Jurassic World 2: Return of the Previously Used Concepts. Occasionally though, you strike gold, (or oil or whatever other precious resource aliens will inevitable invade Earth to mine directly from the planet's core) and you get a trailer that pulls you in to a movie that doesn't disappoint.

You can go down a trailer-based rabbit hole really easily on YouTube; seven hours later you return to consciousness with your eyeballs dried out and a cramp in both thighs that even Danny Glover and a full bomb squad couldn't help you out with, wondering what the hell just happened and is this the future? It was one of these spirit vision journeys that brought me randomly to where we are today. Be ye warned fellow traveller, the cursed seas of Asda's DVD section are not to be taken lightly; I ended up with a gem this time round though so fair play.

The trailer for The Void popped up following the one for Mandy (which I genuinely can't wait for) and it peaked my interest pretty much straight away. I'm no fan of modern horror with its shiny pleb-bedazzlement and cheap jump scares. No sir, I like my horror like I like my coffee... actually I hate coffee and never drink the stuff so that analogy is a non-starter. The Thing is a decent bench mark for me; even I was way too young to watch it when it came out, but I imagine it was probably terrifying before audiences got jaded and accustomed to cinematic bloodshed (credit where it's due to Stranger Things for bringing the 80s vibe back. Sterling effort).

The Void owes a massive amount to The Thing, not only in terms of visuals but the approach as well. On the surface it's a fairly straightforward body invasion horror story; weird things are afoot in a sleepy town bordering the woods and some of the locals end up besieged in a hospital by some distinctly ominous hooded cultists. There's something shady about everyone involved: the slightly incompetent sheriff and his dysfunctional relationship with one of the doctors, the hospital intern who clearly has no business in the medical profession because she's a hopeless and disinterested tool, the random gun-toting redneck and his sidekick who are unnecessarily combative one minute and then far too easily swayed the next. Yes, these are all fairly well used tropes and stereotypes, but the overall effect and vibe was what got me. The first half of this movie is all Kronenburg and fully goes nuts with the practical effects. You want gnarled beasties? Well you got 'em, slobbering up the place and chewing on people because that's what we like to see. It's not until about half way through that they get going on the cult side of things... I won't spoil it for you because I'm a relatively decent human being, but it gets pretty weird pretty quick and at least one person takes their own skin off. At least they're in a hospital.

I love weird Sci fi and I love it when horror does weird stuff too. You can tell the filmmakers cut their teeth watching the same classics I did, Hellraiser, The Thing, etc. and this is clearly a homage to all of those as well as more recent fare like Event Horizon and I genuinely mean that as a compliment. Despite this being chock full of literally no actors you will probably have heard of, it’s a pretty well accomplished effort. There are some genuine WTF moments towards the end in a spiralling mess of hallucinations, entrails and a bad guy that cribs heavily from the lovechild of David Koresh and Pinhead with an unnatural predilection for the Complete Works of HP Lovecraft. There are surprisingly few tentacles though which is a bit of a shame, but you can’t always get what you want. Can’t beat a good tentacle.

For all it’s low-budget sensibilities it doesn’t feel cheap at all, and they’ve capture that 80s feel really well. Some of it plays out a little bit like a video game and there is some fairly horrendous over-acting here or there, but I’m willing to forgive them such paltry sins in the name of watching someone set to a mutated orderly armed only with a fire axe and a wilful disregard for their own safety. I’ve seen more accomplished production teams churn out much worse; I’m one of the four people to have seen the Lordi horror movie Dark Floors (spoiler alert: it’s toss and I just spared you an hour and a half. You’re welcome) and at least two of the Wrong Turn sequels so I know what cheap crap looks like.

I’m glad there are guys out there making this sort of thing, even if I can’t see this 80s retro phase lasting very much longer. If we’re being cynical, which is my favourite pastime if I’m honest, it has probably set me back a decent amount in terms of being susceptible to trailers; I’m going to chuck money at The Predator even though it’s probably going to be a massive disappointment. It’s probably also given me enough false hope in the bargain section that I’ll end up spuffing yet more of my hard earned cash on horrible blog-fodder movies. I love it really.