Directed by the duo of Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie, part of the Astron-6 collective, The Void is a horror movie released in 2016. Aaron Poole is Officer Daniel Carter, a policeman who picks up an injured man and takes him to a nearby hospital staffed by the skeleton crew of Dr Powell (Kenneth Walsh), his ex wife Allison (Kathleen Munroe) and recently transferred intern Kim (Ellen Wong, Knives Chao from the Scott Pilgrim movie). A father and son soon arrive at the hospital (Daniel Fathers and Mik Byskov, respectively), and are trapped inside by sinister masked figures lurking around the hospital. As things begin to unravel at a deadly pace, the film becomes a sort of unholy alliance of The Thing, Alien, Hellraiser, Event Horizon and Silent Hill. Brace yourself.
+ all the acting is fine, particularly as things start going to hell around them. Personal favourites were Poole, whose Officer Carter has some shades of The Walking Dead’s Rick Grimes about him, both in appearance and actions, and Wong, whose turn as inexperienced intern Kim had me on the edge of my seat Byskov deserves credit for having exactly zero lines through the whole movie but still being a very compelling character
+ the plot originally seems like it will be a standard cult-horror movie, but it soon goes from 0-to-100 really quick. The story developments keep things interesting, and a clever use of flashbacks (or are they hallucinations? YOU DECIDE) ensure you can never get complacent in your viewing
+ there really is something here for everyone: those who want body horror, the gore hounds among us, anyone looking for supernatural horror, and then of course any lovely folk who want a good old fashioned monster movie
+ there are lots of shots of empty hallways, particularly in the early portions of the film, which each linger just that little bit longer than you think they should
– a few frustrating character cliches do appear (“stubborn cop and his ex-wife nurse” and “strangers who are nothing but untrustworthy despite all the evidence to the contrary”), but thankfully they are at least never a real part of the story
> it is incredible that the film manages to make a triangle such an unsettling symbol. It’s literally just a triangle!
Should you see this film: Yes. From start to finish, this film captivating me in a way not many real horror movies have, and certainly none have lately. Various horror styles combine to make for a unique entry into the genre.
MoshFish Reviews 