Endor has been an eagerly anticipated film from Gum and McGreeves. Not just by myself after getting the privilege to view Stuck on Neal, but throughout the film community here in Nebraska whom are familiar with the work these two filmmakers have done. I said it before in my earlier post, but I will continue to say it again, Gum and McGreeves are doing something right. Most recently, the two are coming off of a premier at the Omaha Film Festival with their short, 'Midnight Kiss'. I won't rehash this one, but I will recommend you jump back to my post from October covering the Prairie Lights Film Festival as this film was apart of the Flat Water Terror Anthology. While it wasn't one of my favorites of these two, I know what they are capable of and why I will always get excited for the projects they will be working on from here on out! The sophomore film throws us right into the midst of a small church service with a fiery reverend preaching the word of the Lord to his submissive congregation. This isn't a God is love and forgiveness type service, or church for that matter as the sermon touches on the fire and brimstone awaiting those who continually skip going to church to live the lives of sinners. Our story begins at the exit of member, Owen, a grisly character with greasy, long, dark hair, and a truckers cap to hide his face. The film turns into a good old fashion slasher horror movie and doesn't let up off the gas until the credits roll.
Having been on the side which makes the sausage, I am always intrigued by the 'How did they do that' side of certain genres of films, including action, adventure, and in this case, horror. The gratuitous amounts of blood, appendages, guts, limbs, and kills fascinate me.... no, not because I am a closet freak, but because people in our own community have the same abilities to make it look just like they do in Hollywood. Granted there are budget constraints on the independent side which will detract from some of the realism of the effects, but only a few. Most of the gruesome murders of this film could have been pulled directly from a Hollywood slasher film and no one would have noticed. Talking about effects, I will give a tip of my hat to the special effects crew which helped make Endor happen because without it, this film wouldn't have been half of what it was. Wetworks SFX out of Omaha played a mighty hand for this film and they do some excellent work with what they are given! One of the pieces of Endor that really stuck out for me was the camera work. There were a couple instances where it was a little rougher than others, however not in a means to where it detracts from the film. Going hand-held in a horror film is like combining cheese with macaroni. You can do one without the other, but the combined pair go so well together, do you really want to separate them? The quick flashes of Kiera, played by Julia Farrell, and Russ, by Dustin Smith running through the corn and the trees really give the audience that uneasy and squeamish feeling suggesting something is very not right. I would like to call out the aerial shots utilized throughout Endor because, WOW!! In Hollywood, you can imagine how expensive it would be to rent a helicopter for aerial shots or even using a crane or jib. How would one get that type of a shot on an independent film budget without burning all their finances on the shot? Well, the crew of Endor figured out an awesome way to make it happen! A particular shot that really blew me away was on the second story of a home near the end of the film when three remaining members search a house in order to escape the killer, the floating shot between the windows of the room was an incredible touch.
The storyline was a little tougher for me to fully grasp with this film. There was a little bit of me that went in to Endor hoping for a similarly gripping story that I found with Stuck on Neal. This was my own fault and shame on me for not walking into this film with a one hundred percent open mind. I have also found it a little trickier to truly maintain a storyline when you're working within a slasher film. Will your audience really remember what the story is when your characters are getting shredded in sixteen different ways on screen? This is where I went to while watching Endor. I found myself a little more focused on the who was getting eliminated next and by how. Once we reached the culmination of the film and a little more to the story was revealed to help connect a few missing pieces, it does help bring the story full circle. Moral of that story is, watch the movie without any preconceived notions.
Endor holds it's own as another great film from Gum and McGreeves. Darrick Silkman gives a great silent performance as the hulking menace that appears right behind our main characters despite how quickly they manage to escape. He makes a very convincing argument as a countrified Jason Voorhees. Great special effects, awesome camera work and a solid story makes Endor another film you will want to spend a few hours on. Leave the kids at home for sure as it is a horror movie and the film makers leave little to the imagination as they hack and whack through the story.
See other great movie reviews from Greg the Movie Guy at gregthemovieguy.blogspot.com
Having been on the side which makes the sausage, I am always intrigued by the 'How did they do that' side of certain genres of films, including action, adventure, and in this case, horror. The gratuitous amounts of blood, appendages, guts, limbs, and kills fascinate me.... no, not because I am a closet freak, but because people in our own community have the same abilities to make it look just like they do in Hollywood. Granted there are budget constraints on the independent side which will detract from some of the realism of the effects, but only a few. Most of the gruesome murders of this film could have been pulled directly from a Hollywood slasher film and no one would have noticed. Talking about effects, I will give a tip of my hat to the special effects crew which helped make Endor happen because without it, this film wouldn't have been half of what it was. Wetworks SFX out of Omaha played a mighty hand for this film and they do some excellent work with what they are given! One of the pieces of Endor that really stuck out for me was the camera work. There were a couple instances where it was a little rougher than others, however not in a means to where it detracts from the film. Going hand-held in a horror film is like combining cheese with macaroni. You can do one without the other, but the combined pair go so well together, do you really want to separate them? The quick flashes of Kiera, played by Julia Farrell, and Russ, by Dustin Smith running through the corn and the trees really give the audience that uneasy and squeamish feeling suggesting something is very not right. I would like to call out the aerial shots utilized throughout Endor because, WOW!! In Hollywood, you can imagine how expensive it would be to rent a helicopter for aerial shots or even using a crane or jib. How would one get that type of a shot on an independent film budget without burning all their finances on the shot? Well, the crew of Endor figured out an awesome way to make it happen! A particular shot that really blew me away was on the second story of a home near the end of the film when three remaining members search a house in order to escape the killer, the floating shot between the windows of the room was an incredible touch.
The storyline was a little tougher for me to fully grasp with this film. There was a little bit of me that went in to Endor hoping for a similarly gripping story that I found with Stuck on Neal. This was my own fault and shame on me for not walking into this film with a one hundred percent open mind. I have also found it a little trickier to truly maintain a storyline when you're working within a slasher film. Will your audience really remember what the story is when your characters are getting shredded in sixteen different ways on screen? This is where I went to while watching Endor. I found myself a little more focused on the who was getting eliminated next and by how. Once we reached the culmination of the film and a little more to the story was revealed to help connect a few missing pieces, it does help bring the story full circle. Moral of that story is, watch the movie without any preconceived notions.
Endor holds it's own as another great film from Gum and McGreeves. Darrick Silkman gives a great silent performance as the hulking menace that appears right behind our main characters despite how quickly they manage to escape. He makes a very convincing argument as a countrified Jason Voorhees. Great special effects, awesome camera work and a solid story makes Endor another film you will want to spend a few hours on. Leave the kids at home for sure as it is a horror movie and the film makers leave little to the imagination as they hack and whack through the story.
See other great movie reviews from Greg the Movie Guy at gregthemovieguy.blogspot.com
