2010
Rated: Unrated
Genre: Short Horror Supernatural Thriller
Directed By: Mike Pickle
Written By: Mike Pickle
StoneCanvas Pictures
Running Time: 35 Minutes
Review by: Felix Vasquez Jr.
Review Date: 10/30/10

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STAB AWAKE

 

For what it is, director Mike Pickle's "Stab Awake" is a decent first effort with a meshing of genres for what is a considerably entertaining short film. Though not perfect, "Stab Awake" is an admirable outing from Pickle who combines the supernatural and the slasher genre with a hint of hard rock to offer up his own horror title about campers, a slasher in the woods, and a man overcome by evil spirits. Clearly Mike Pickle is a man with love for the horror genre and "Stab Awake" is an entertaining short outing with Pickle displaying an interesting sense of vision and creativity with what is an obviously low budget film.

He relies on all the conventions of the genre with the cabin in the woods and the party that goes awry while also enlisting some neat camera tricks including one moment that is seen through a night vision scope. It's a pretty wicked moment in what Pickle grooms to be a supernatural slasher with main character Phil being overcome with monsters after trying to see other dimensions with his spiritual practices his friends openly discourage.  

The dimensional experimentation goes too well and Phil becomes a monster over the course of the weekend partying with his friends and there's an outright siege of blood, guts, and grue as Phil is ravaged by the monster he strongly wanted to meet. Pickle stages some interesting moments of carnage along with some pretty decent special effects all the while garnering a nice surprise closing scene that is morbid in its own right and signals only the beginning of a blossoming horror director looking to make waves in his own niche.

That said the film is not without its issues as it spends too much time on dialogue and not enough forward momentum with the story, all the while the editing leaves much to be desired with some shaky transitions and fight choreography. I was very interested to see how the character Phil would ultimately reveal his nature to his friends, and sadly Pickles spends a little too much time on character interaction (especially one in a car that derails the narrative) that isn't entirely necessary to the story or too interesting.

If you're willing to keep an open mind, "Stab Awake" is a decent short horror film with a lot of ambition, creativity, and body count as director Mike Pickle throws his hat in the ring as an indie director looking to provide his own twists and turns for his audience, and I wish him all the luck in doing so.

 

 

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