Bereavement
Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Michael Biehn, Brett Rickaby
Written, Produced, Scored, Edited and Directed by: Stevan Mena
↑Seriously↑
****Spoilers****
Bereavement serves as a prequel to Malevolence, in case some people haven't caught on to that yet. Our story begins in 1989, when six year old Martin Bristol is lured off of his swing-set by a guy with promises of a bicycle. The culprit: Graham Sutter, a severely fucked up solitary man, who uses his Father's run down meat packing plant for savagely murdering kidnapped women. For five years, little Martin is subjected to watching and sometimes helping in Sutter's despicable acts of execution.
New to this backwoods countrified boring as hell town is Allison, straight out of Chicago, Illinois. During her daily jogs on the rural roads, she notices a young boy staring her down from a broken window inside the old meat plant. Of course, she becomes curious enough to start asking questions, but her Uncle advises her to steer clear of the place, as it isn't exactly vacant. Well, she doesn't listen, and her wonderment about the building and the child inside lead to some truly messed up shit.
It would be really unfair of me to sit here making comparisons that prove Bereavement is a far superior film to Malevolence. I got a hold of Stevan Mena's first film basically right when it was released to DVD, and while I did like it, I haven't watched it since. When you are trying to engulf as many films as you possibly can, it's hard to find the time to watch certain things repeatedly, especially if they don't floor you. I thought Malevolence was good, just not 'knock your fucking socks off' good. Well, Bereavement actually beat the shit out of me, so much that I watched it back to back in a day's time. I only do that anymore when it's something that I really enjoy, whether I am going to be writing up a review or not.
The cinematography in this film is freakin' beautiful. I knew I was in for a ride right from the opening credits, when I was totally captivated by a POV shot of some kid kicking a fucking soccer ball. There's so many excellent views of endless looking farmland with a sunset gleaming over the trees and cornfields; it really lures you in. Moments like this in Bereavement are so damned alluring that it's deceives you. There just can't possibly be something completely monstrous and awful waiting within the following frames...SIKE! Out of nowhere, all these glorious overviews of country landscapes are wiped out by the sight of a run down meat plant looming over you, and any feeling of safety is gone. There are brilliantly shot scenes of the film's antagonist on top of the dilapidated building; he's staring up into the sky in the midst of a storm, seemingly waiting for a message. These are just but a few of the eerie settings in Bereavement, and they won't leave my head. I can't even make a true point in words of how fantastic this movie looks from an innocent or evil standpoint.
It's also impossible to give enough praise to the acting; everybody is so on point and believable, even the people depicting poor souls that are just fodder for the menace. Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens) is a childhood fave of mine, and seeing him in the role of a caring and concerned family man was a real delight. I was so invested with these characters just because of the little things, like how Jonathan (Biehn) is with his daughter. It's very realistic. Then we got Brett Rickaby (The Crazies remake) as Graham Sutter, a sick as fuck insane murderous lunatic. This dude KILLS it. The character is systematic and astute, which is considerably impressive for a man constantly plagued with visions of someone/something watching his every move. I fucking despised this guy, feared him, was sickened by his actions... so, kudos to Rickaby for making it work.
Supporting cast such as Peyton List, John Savage and Gerard Funk are also really well rounded. No complaints at all.
I wouldn't say Bereavement is really all that gory, though there is a shit ton of blood. When I throw around the word “gory”, I'm usually talking about a film where body parts are flying and innards are being ripped out and eaten and shit like that. Mena's movie is just fucking mean more than anything else, and I think the brutality makes it way more intense than it being a shower in gore and guts. Don't get me wrong, there are a some nasty scenes, but a whole hell of a lot of it is actually implied and I think that was a smart move. In the same breath, I'll say that I do not think gorehounds will be disappointed.
I definitely give this a recommendation, whether you've never seen Malevolence, haven't seen it in a long time or just straight up hated it; this is just a fabulously well made horror film. Kinda slow burning at times, which is fine by me; the story and direction really pulled me in. I am now anxiously awaiting to see how this trilogy will end.
P.S. - stick around after the end credits.
