Derek Lee and Clif Prowse are long-time best buds who are about to embark on a round the world trip, mostly because Clif wants to show Derek a good time and lift his spirits. You see, Derek has been in and out of hospitals for a while due to a possibly fatal brain aneurysm. Clif also plans on documenting the trip via video and an accompanying blog. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse in France after one wild night with a mystery woman. Derek’s health and general mood also start to worsen at a rapid rate, but he flat-out refuses to get checked out at a hospital. But then something even stranger starts to happen. Derek finds he has super-strength and super-human agility.
I really hate it when this happens. Do I over-praise co-writers/co-directors/co-stars Derek Lee and Clif Prowse for everything they get right in this 2014 ‘found footage’ horror flick? Or do I blast them for the mistakes they have made that put a dampener on their otherwise good work? Sigh, I think I’m gonna have to do a bit of both, and that’s a shame because these two Canadian guys are on to something.
They completely shatter the ‘found footage’ illusion immediately by having things look way too professional for it to be realistic. The non-handheld stuff is too professional, the handheld stuff is too amateurish, and the combination takes you out of the film. It gets more nonsensical as it goes along that these guys would document things given how bad things start to get. I mean, after a while, surely what we’re seeing would be extremely incriminating for Derek.
I did, however like that we got to see photos of these guys as teenagers, and the real-life relationship these guys have lends the film an authenticity that you just can’t beat. I also like the fact that we start the film with Derek Lee being stricken with some kind of major illness (apparently a brain aneurysm). It’s ballsy, as it can come across as trivialising something so real and so horrible, but they mostly pull it off. It adds weight to the film in a genre that doesn’t normally lend itself to such weight. Also appreciated is how the filmmakers rationalise Derek not wanting to go to a hospital because he’s already had enough of them from his illness. It’s quite credible for something that otherwise might’ve seemed really contrived. I also liked that these were two nice, normal guys, a rarity in horror films. You have no idea just how important that is to me.
However, the chief stumbling block here is without question the mostly flat lead performance by Derek Lee. Whilst co-lead Clif Prowse shows likeability and a bit of personality, Derek underplays things to the point where he barely seems conscious. Given the very demanding role he has, and the emotional investment one dearly wants to have for his character, it’s a real problem. These are two talented guys, but an actor Mr. Lee most certainly is not and someone a bit more professional ought to have been cast. Yes, that might mean the already built-in chemistry with Prowse might not be there, but that’s what ‘acting’ is for. That said, when Lee is driven at one point to do something completely unspeakable, the fact that he has already been established as a well-meaning guy makes it even harder to digest, and not even Lee’s lack of acting ability ruins that. Lee’s morphing into full-on Max Schreck provides a startling visual, too. They really go all-out with the concept and it can be quite harrowing to watch. It’s a rare horror film where you feel sad, rather than scared.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Like “Devil’s Due”, this film could’ve been a winner had it not gone with the tiresome ‘found footage’ motif. If that were changed to a straight up narrative and Mr. Lee replaced himself with someone who has acting ability, this would’ve been truly amazing I think. As is, it’s just OK, but I really loved the first 40 minutes.
