October Horror (31 Days Of Horror Movie Reviews) Day Sixteen: Frankenstein’s Army (2013) Hold onto your heads, because this one is a bit of a trip. It takes place at the tail end of WWII (the big one), and follows a group of Russian soldiers on a mission behind enemy lines in Germany. After receiving a distress call from another Soviet troop, they stumble upon the hidden lab of a madman who’s been “building” super-soldiers out of spare parts. The movie is shot in the form of a found footage piece, as one of the soldiers has been assigned the task of filming a documentary. While this seems unlikely, it does add an extra level of creepiness to the movie, as there’s no music and only the background noises and voices provide a soundtrack. (And the sound-design of this film is pretty amazing, with sirens and machinery blaring away at some points.) It also adds a sense of urgency to the shock and scare scenes, as you feel as though you’re a part of the action whenever an attack comes out of nowhere. And there is no shortage of such attacks. And though I would never call this movie a masterpiece, or include it in a list of necessary genre titles, it’s very effective and (for the most part) well-made, considering the challenges of shooting a horror movie that’s also part War Movie/Period Piece. What REALLY makes this one worth checking out, however, is the creatures that the mad scientist is creating. They’re creepy and disturbing, and some of them are scary as hell, but they are also unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a horror movie before. They’re stitched together (literally) hybrids of dead bodies and machine parts, some of them with blades or hooks, or running circular saws for hands. They attack without warning, and have no sense of guilt or compassion. They’re designed to kill and maim, and that’s exactly what they do. The set design also plays a huge role in making this movie feel more realistic; it’s a run-down mix of wide open warehouse spaces and tight claustrophobic hallways, filled with old lab equipment and hanging body parts. The acting is a little uneven at times, and—as with any found footage style of movie—the question of “why the hell would this guy still be filming this?” comes up often enough that it starts to feel like a distraction. All that being said, however, if you like a good monster movie and you appreciate unique make-up effects, you’re gonna want to take a look at this one. youtube/watch?v=PMUQ2IMuz8o
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 17:08:12 +0000