The Outwaters Review: Fear the Dark!
“The Outwaters” is available to stream now, exclusively on ScreamboxTV!
The found footage subgenre is one that requires specific taste and often comes under much scrutiny due to most of them being small independent films with minimal budgets, unknown actors, and the often complained “shaky cam” aesthetic. While these are valid complaints, especially when sifting through a massive library of repetitive tropes and half-assed knockoffs, there are some that manage to sift through the cracks and redefine the subgenre with positive results; whether good or bad. Films like the popular “Paranormal Activity”, produced on a shoe-string budget, only to spawn an entire franchise. Or the infamously reviled “Cannibal Holocaust”, a film shrouded in so much controversy, director Ruggero Deodato was actually placed on trial for the murder of the films actors, even though they were among the living. One also cannot forget the cult classic ’99 film, “The Blair Witch Project”; though it may not have started the found footage subgenre, it most certainly popularized it. “The Outwaters”, written and directed by Robbie Banfitch, is unlike any of the films I previously mentioned, but rather, a jarring new experience unlike any you’ve witnessed. An experimental vision that is exquisitely haunting, graphically perverse, and will leave you terrified of what dwells in the dark.
A Cosmic Journey through Hell
“The Outwaters” unsettling tale of terror follows cameraman Robbie Zogorac (also played by Banfitch) as he takes a trip to the Mojave Desert in hopes to film a music video with his best friend and muse, Michelle (Michelle May). Joining these two companions are Robbie’s distant brother Scott (Scott Schamell) and lastly, their close friend and make-up artist Ange (Angela Basolis). Their majestic trip is quite uneventful at first, as they serenade themselves with music, explore small caverns, and take a quick dip in a quaint little lake filled with glistening teal water. Everything seems to be going perfectly as laughs are being shared whilst they reminisce of memories past and discuss previous hallucinogenic experiences. It is not until these four souls arrive at their camping site when events begin to go awry, bringing their peaceful trip to a savage halt. Ominous booms and cracks of lightning-less thunder begin echoing the night sky, pounding louder with each passing minute. The desert animals howling in fear as vibrations begin to ripple through the ground and surrounding boulders. What was meant to be a trip of bonding and music, quickly shifts into a hellish reality of visceral carnage and cosmic horror.
Banfitch wastes no time setting the tone for “The Outwaters” by opening the film with a bone chilling recording from a 911 call. Though the title sequence only lasts roughly 30 seconds, the blood-curdling screams mixed with violent gargling sounds and otherworldly noises shrieking through my soundbar sent shivers down my spine. This is only a mere taste of what’s to come later, as the all too familiar setup we have come to expect with most found footage horror films is nothing more than misguided direction. Banfitch takes us by the hand guiding us ever-so gently through the Mojave Desert with a false sense of serenity. He is able to achieve this by including sultry melodies, scenic views, and vivacious multi-colored sunsets bleeding through our screens. Once the light fades and the dark floods over, Banfitch does not hesitate to spiral us down a polarizing descent into gruesome chaos, affectively leaving us to navigate his nightmarish concoction alone and disoriented. Relying only on a single camera and the smallest of flashlights to navigate through the black of night, the small circle of light providing the briefest glimpses to the blood drenched carnage that has ensued, saturating the desert floor. It’s within these moments where the story evolves into something more, relying heavily on its auditory horror and blending of visual stimulations.
Redefining a Subgenre
While most found footage horror films rely heavily on cliche jump scares, “The Outwaters” instead opts to push its narrative forward with its often times disturbing yet melodic sound design. Michelle’s voice is angelic, soothing the soul as she sings to the light strums from Scott’s guitar. As the film progresses, the calming music evolves into neural despair as Michelle’s voice grows more distorted throughout, building to the inevitable sensory assault that lies in wait. Screeches from slithering creatures mixed with distant roars from anonymous beasts resound in the distance, however, we rarely see these monsters. Rather, Banfitch viciously blindfolds his audience and aggressively shoves them in the dark, forcing us to imagine the extreme brutality being perpetrated off-screen. While there are slight elusions to a more sinister force, it’s the horrific screams from Robbie’s friends the left me feeling uneasy.
The performances in “The Outwaters” are nothing short of impressive, including Banfitch as “Robbie”. This in part due to the on-screen chemistry between the actors but, mostly because of how well written each character is. While we aren’t provided much backstory for these victims, they are graced with enough personality for us to develop emotional attachments for each individual. Michelle is a free-spirited new age hippie, seducing us with her alluring voice; Ange captivates with her outgoing personality and comedic timing, while Scott is quiet and reserved. When the laughter and smiles of these characters suddenly shifts to shrieks of agonizing pain, one can’t help but squirm in unpleasantness. Following the night of slaughter, we are left witnessing Robbie’s further descent into hell disoriented, afraid, naked, and alone. He wanders the desert aimlessly crying for help, praying in-between each plead. The more he interacts with a certain flashing ripple of light, the further he loses grip over reality and himself.
What’s unfortunate during “The Outwaters” unwavering brutality is how little is actually revealed visually during the more chaotic moments, especially with a run time nearing two hours. Much of the latter half of “The Outwaters” consist of Robbie filming numerous shots of his feet shuffling in the desert as he reacts to the sounds around him, headache inducing red strobe lighting effects, and extreme close-ups. Those hoping to see any grand reveal of the films ominous monsters or the savagery that befalls on Robbies friends will be met with disappointment. Rather than reward us with visible validation, apart from the films climax, Robbie frustratingly pulls the camera away or turns his already minimal light off. This is disappointing due to the fact Banfitch clearly shows early in “The Outwaters” first half he’s not only a skilled cinematographer but meticulously plans the creativity behind his angles. Whether that be spinning our perspective upside down for juxtaposition, or eerie wide lensed outlines of hatchet wielding shadow figures painted in purple hues. It would have been nice to see more of these creative camera angles at play as opposed to the anonymity we’re forced to endure.
Final Verdict
“The Outwaters” is a bold new take on a subgenre that has since grown somewhat stale throughout the years. Writer/Director/Actor Robbie Banfitch dares to redefine the found footage tropes by catapulting the audience into his amalgamation of time loops, religious undertones, and exponential cosmic dread. What makes “The Outwaters” even more impressive is the singular effort that went into creating this film as Banfitch also edited and provided the visual effects. While the first act’s slow burn aesthetic dwells a bit long and the constant pitch-black setting can be exhausting, there wasn’t a time in which I didn’t find myself completely absorbed in Robbie’s depraved journey through hell, constantly guessing what might happen next. Much like the recent “Skinamarink”, “The Outwaters” is an experimental visual experience that will be divisive yet talked about for years to come. You will either find yourself engrossed in the surreal psychedelic nightmare, or utterly confused by the vile images that unfold before your eyes. We all die in the dark.
(4 / 5)
To a lot of fans, this is the film that killed the franchise. It says a lot that the next installment is yet another retcon. Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers attempts to explain Michael’s unrelenting evil, which lead to mixed opinions from longtime fans. There are two cuts of the film, theatrical vs producer’s. For a lot of people, the latter is the only one worth mentioning. Aiming to be as accurate as possible, I will be talking about the producer’s cut. Let’s begin!
Plot
We start Halloween VI with a six-year time jump from part five. Jamie is now barefoot and recently pregnant, running away from Michael as he wants her baby. While she manages to hide the little one away, Michael finally gets his hunger satiated by killing her. The moment is one of the most brutal ways in the franchise up until that point. Rest in peace, Jamie, you held your ground for as long as you could, the sequels were just too relentless.
The movie then cuts to a whole different scene going on. We have a new family living in the Myers house and their youngest child is hearing voices telling him to kill his loved ones. Tommy Lloyd is watching the family, played by none other than Paul Rudd in his first-ever theatrical role. Tommy still carries trauma from the events all those years ago when Laurie Strode was babysitting him. So when he finds Jamie’s baby, his part in the story becomes even more essential.
Dr Loomis also stars in what was Donald Pleasance’s final role before his passing. He and Tommy try to stop Michael once and for all before the cycle can repeat itself. As it turns out, Michael is a victim of a druid cult which makes him want to kill his family members every Halloween. Thorn, the cult in question, thinks they can control Michael and make him do their bidding. This results in catastrophe and Michael goes berzerk and kills all the cult members. Once again, it’s one of the most gruesome montages for the franchise up until that point.
Tommy and Kara are left to face Michael on their own which they manage to do with some corrosive liquid and good luck. However, nothing stays dead in this franchise as it’s soon revealed Michael somehow escaped and this time Dr Loomis might not be so lucky…
Overall thoughts
I would say for me personally Halloween VI definitely ranks somewhere near the bottom. The whole point of Michael is that there is no rhyme or reason to his killings and this film tries to go against that. I am glad the mistake was rectified by the upcoming installment. There were still some good things about it, such as Paul Rudd’s acting that reveals some raw talent as far as I’m concerned, as well as some direction choices and musical score. However, I also think it absolutely deserves all the criticism that it gets.
(2.5 / 5)
We’ve reached the final episode of American Horror Stories, season three. After the ups and downs of the season, I didn’t know what to expect. I felt that we were due a big finish, Killer Queens. But I feared we were in for a big letdown.
As it turns out, The Thing Under The Bed was neither.
The story
We begin our story with a little girl named Mary, who is scared of something under her bed. She sneaks out of her room, only to be caught by her father and sent back to sleep. And of course, there is something horrible waiting for her under her bed.
This scene cuts away to a woman named Jillian. She has strange dreams, including one about Mary. But her husband, Mark, doesn’t want to hear about it. He’s only interested in a little lovemaking because he wants a baby. Jillian doesn’t, which makes total sense because she’s already married to one. But her irritation with her childish husband goes away when he goes away. And by goes away, I mean he’s sloppily devoured by something vicious under their bed.
What worked
In short, this episode just worked. The acting was professional and believable. The cinematography and lighting work were wonderful, adding spooky effects and startling moments without impairing visibility.
Best of all, the story was solid. There were no plotholes to be found. Our main character, Jillian, was relatable and sympathetic.
This was maybe my favorite part of the story. I thought Jillian was a remarkably sympathetic character. She was dealt a hand she never asked for, having her husband slaughtered in their bedroom. I don’t think she missed him, so much as she was afraid of the legal ramifications of being caught with literal blood on her hands.
Then, when it would have been safest for her to just lay low and save up for a good defense attorney, she instead goes into unlikely hero mode. She does her best to save people, putting herself in legal and physical danger. It’s hard not to root for her.
It’s also a little hard not to root for the antagonist, too. I don’t want to ruin the twist for you, so I’m going to tread lightly here. But it’s great when you have an antagonist who might be off their rocker, but also maybe has a point.
What didn’t work
I can only really think of one complaint with this episode. And that is how frequently one character says the word Chickadee. And if you’ve seen the episode, you know what I am talking about.
I get it, he has a pet name for his daughter. It’s adorable. It’s meant to convey that the two of them have a healthy loving relationship and I get it. We all get it. Blind monks get it. But the fact remains that no parent on Earth calls their kid by their pet name every single time they speak an individual sentence to them. It was just too damn much.
All in all, this was a good episode. It was a classic story, turned on its head, told by professionals from start to finish. And I hope that if there is another season, we see more stories like this one. But after the efforts put into this season at large, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last we see of American Horror Stories.
(4 / 5)
If you’ve watched enough short-form horror anthology shows, you’ll notice that some stories are mainstays. Each show seems to put on the same sort of episodes, with the occasional surprising storyline that we’ve never (or at least rarely) seen before.
Leprechaun was an example of a repeated story—the story of a greedy thief whose punishment far outweighs the crime.
The story
We begin our story in 1841, with a drunk man leaving the bar one late night. He’s distracted by something glowing at the end of the well. When he reaches down for the glowing thing, he falls in. Moments later, he screams.
We then cut to the modern day. The well is still there, and now it’s surrounded by a dying town. In this town lives a young man named Colin. He’s married, his wife is pregnant, and he’s out of work. Like many of his friends.
Desperate for cash, Colin and his friends decide to rob a bank. They put together an Equate version of Ocean’s Eleven, and break in one night. But, of course, they find that the gold is nothing more than bait. And the creature waiting for them is something they never expected.
What worked
The first thing I want to point out is how real this episode felt. At least to anyone currently living in the same small town they grew up in. These characters felt like guys I went to school with. Guys I would see at the bar.
I appreciated the real anger and frustration these characters are feeling. Especially Colin. He’s bitter, and maybe he has a right to be. He did exactly what he was supposed to do to succeed. He went to school and invested in his career, and yet now he’s out of work and struggling to support his family. I probably don’t need to tell you how that feels. Because of this, we can all kind of understand why he was tempted to rob a bank.
I also want to talk about the fact that this was, as I said, an often-explored story. That can be a bad thing, but it can also be a good thing. This story is told over and over because it’s a good story. A relatable story. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
What didn’t work
That being said, this version didn’t try to do much to break out of the mold.
Because we have seen this story so many times, most of us could tell the story themselves. I would have expected something new, or some twist. But, in the end, the story didn’t bring anything new to the discussion.
Maybe because of this, the ending left a lot to be desired. Trapped in the basement of the bank, everyone just sort of stares at everyone else, until the thieves give up. And that’s it. The ending wasn’t scary, shocking, or funny. It was just sad, on multiple levels.
Overall, this was an okay story. It was entertaining, if not surprising. I would compare this episode to homemade macaroni and cheese. Everyone’s got their own version, they’re all pretty good, and none of them are exciting.
There’s just one episode left in this season of American Horror Stories. Let’s hope they’ve saved the best for last.
(3.5 / 5)
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