{"id":15049,"date":"2014-10-01T13:51:15","date_gmt":"2014-10-01T13:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=15049"},"modified":"2015-05-26T20:01:09","modified_gmt":"2015-05-27T00:01:09","slug":"the-horror-network-vol-1-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2014\/10\/01\/the-horror-network-vol-1-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"The Horror Network Vol. 1 (2014)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Now this is what I call an anthology horror film; Brian Dorton\u2019s collaboration with three directors amounts to a mature, complex, and terrifying series of short horror segments. And though the budget is low, the directors use the chance to explore the human monster, rather than mythical ghouls and goblins. There\u2019s nothing scarier than the evil humanity is capable of, and \u201cThe Horror Network Vol. 1\u201d is a fantastic display of talents, exploring the humanity collapsing in on itself in five incredible tales of horror. If any indie horror film deserves distribution, it\u2019s \u201cThe Horror Network Vol. 1,\u201d an anthology horror film that will appeal to horror fans that appreciate subtext, and ambiguity.<\/p>\n

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The film begins with a boom called \u201c3:00am\u201d a brutally scary short by Lee Matthews. Filmed on one location, \u201c3:00am\u201d is a movie dependent on sound design and darkness, and Matthews\u2019 direction matched with the amazing score make \u201c3:00am\u201d a sign of events to come. Filled with ambiguity and a creepy final scene, \u201c3:00am\u201d centers on a young woman who retreats to a cabin for a getaway and realizes she\u2019s not alone. Plagued with odd calls, and weird sounds, she\u2019s cornered by her fear and victimized. I loved the way the narrative unfolded with \u201c3:00am,\u201d and it\u2019s a brilliant way to open the compilation. \u201cEdward\u201d directed by Joseph Graham is another small scale tale about human horror, involving a psychiatrist seeking to help a young man with mental health issues involving an uneasy fixation on his mother and murderous urges. As the psychiatric session continues, the doctor soon realizes the young man\u2019s claims of dual identities and personal demons may not be simple excuses for his violent instincts.<\/p>\n

The performances from both actors are pitch perfect, and the special effects involved with the ultimate unraveling is grotesque and oozing symbolism. The best of the bunch is \u201cThe Quiet,\u201d the ultimate story of paranoia and hysteria centering on a young deaf girl. After riding home from school, she is set to meet her mother at a bus stop, but leaves her phone behind. Tasked with walking home, she\u2019s soon followed by a driver in a large blue truck who is persistent on tailing her on her way home. Filled with fear, the young girl seeks escape in to the woods resulting in a great cat and mouse game with her assailant. The cinematography in this segment is superb, as director Matthews turns a beautiful scenic area in the country in to a dangerous ground for a fight for survival against an unknown stalker. I guessed the ending early on, but that doesn\u2019t detract from what is an excellent example of what happens when we\u2019re vulnerable and allow our imagination to control us.<\/p>\n

\u201cMerry Little Christmas\u201d is the segment I had a difficult time sitting through, if only for being so brutally disturbing and bleak. Set during Christmas Eve, a young mother is preparing her daughter for a Christmas get together, and her abusive husband runs a rampage of anger after feeling slighted by his inability to find shaving cream. If you can stomach the vicious depictions of spousal abuse and rape, \u201cMerry Little Christmas\u201d is a remarkable look at the long lasting effects of familial violence. The make up and prosthetics from Inside FX is masterful, and the editing makes the narrative seamless. Finally, \u201cThe Deviant One\u201d from director Brian Dorton is a well placed book end that defines the entirety of \u201cThe Horror Network\u201d in a nutshell. Centered on a man who lives his life by the bible word for word, the final segment is a sickening and interesting look at the demented passages of a very hallowed book. \u201cThe Horror Network\u201d is a wonderful and stellar horror anthology. If you\u2019re a horror fan that loves brain food with their tales of terror, Brian Dorton\u2019s collaboration with other fine directors is a must watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now this is what I call an anthology horror film; Brian Dorton\u2019s collaboration with three directors amounts to a mature, complex, and terrifying series of short horror segments. And though the budget is low, the directors use the chance to explore the human monster, rather than mythical ghouls and goblins. There\u2019s nothing scarier than the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-halloween-horror-month","category-movie-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15049"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15225,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15049\/revisions\/15225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}