Under the Bed (2012)
Starring: Jonny Weston, Gattlin Griffith, Peter Holden
Writer: Eric Stolze
Director: Steven C. Miller
Story:
Neal returns home to his Dad, younger
brother Paulie, and a new step mom. The family is pretty broken, and
I'd never want to be invited over for one of their awkward dinners or
parties. More importantly, I'd decline the shit out of an invite to a
sleepover, because something evil with creepy looking hands chills
out under their bed. Nothing else needs to be mentioned.
Thoughts:
I'd say most of us at one time or
another have had the fear of something creepy living underneath our beds, be
it a recently escaped lunatic or some monster we created in the
darkest depths of our psyches. Hell, I still get that fear every once
in a while, depending on what I decide to watch before I trot my
happy ass off to dreamland. While I cant say that Under the Bed had
me kicking open my bedroom door and leaping to my mattress, it did
indeed take me back to so many horror films from the past that I
love. Moreover, it reminded me of favorites without feeling like a
nauseating ripoff of any of them. It kinda feels like one of those
movies you always skipped over at the video store. Maybe it was
accidentally placed behind another movie you'd already seen a hundred
times, or maybe it was rented and never returned. It isn't designed
to look like an old school horror film so much as it just has that
feel about it. That same kind of charm. I don't think we get enough
quality monster films anymore. I'm not talking about giant Kaijus
wrecking humanity; I'm talking about a good old fashioned creature
feature flick. In that sense, Under the Bed is quite a blessing.
I've never been disappointed with the
visual aspect of a Steven C. Miller film. From the ones I have seen,
there's always some fantastic camera work. I love closeup shots. The
kind that make you feel like you're actually invading a character's
territorial bubble. Plenty of that here, especially early on during a
car ride. Another thing I am big on is the use of music instead of dialog. Sometimes a good composition can provide every bit as
much -if not more- emotion as words can. There's a scene where Neal
is on one side of a street, walking, and when he looks over he
notices his neighbor, Cara. No words. Just wonderful score and looks.
The kind of looks you shared with someone you had the biggest
infatuation with in high school. This kind of stuff is magic to me,
and I love seeing something rather simple captured so well that the
end result is beautiful.
Performances in this flick are pretty
solid. I wasn't too familiar with anyone, so that kind of made it
more impressive. The Dad is played by Peter Holden. Dude is all
beardly like Russell Crowe and the character has a Crowe-ish asshole
likeness about him, as well. Sorry, that's just totally who the
character reminded me of. Overly butthurt and unwilling to accept the
issues his two sons are going through. Not a very likable person at
all, but Holden portrays the part really well. Jonny Weston and
Gattlin Griffith as brothers Neal and Paulie are pretty much
lightning in a bottle. There's an absolutely believable bond between
the two of them; they honestly come off as they ARE dealing with a
fear that no one else understands.
The horror aspect is a real delight.
This is where that old school appeal kicks in. Smoke machines
a-blazin', bad ass creature FX and jump scares that aren't lame. I
caught vibes of Poltergeist, The Gate, and even CHUD, and that's a
great fucking mix, if you ask me. The last twenty minutes or so
really elevate to bonkers mode. Total action horror intensity. And
going back to the visual aspect of the film, there's some really
unique shit going on during the finale.
I think Kevin Riepl spoiled me a little
bit with his music for Miller's Silent Night and especially The
Aggression Scale. Here, we got Ryan Dodson on score, who also worked
with miller on Scream of the Banshee. I've unfortunately yet to see
said film, so I can't comment on that front. I wasn't disappointed with
the music here at all, as I mentioned earlier that the score really
rules scenes with no dialog. It's just totally different than what I
had become accustomed to with the last Miller films I have seen.
Nevertheless, the music here definitely amps up the creepy shit,
especially for the last half.
Final Word:
Whether you're a fan of Steven C.
Miller or not, the guy gets a fucking A+ for diversity. As far as his
feature length films go, all I haven't seen is Scream of the Banshee.
So, from what I have checked out, the dude has been all over the
place with horror subgenres. Fucking zombies, Home Alone with a
vengeance, a pissed off Santa Claus, and Under the Bed. Color me
impressed, seriously. The story for this one is by Eric Stolze. It's
just simple and effective fun, and that's all I need with a flick
like this. Definitely a recommendation to creature feature
enthusiasts.
- Brobocop
