Shiver (2008)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I'm a huge fan of Spanish and Argentinian thriller movies. I love my plot twists and Spaniards and Argentinians do it very well (see The Tunnel, Wild Tales, The Bar, The Orphanage, The Secret in their Eyes, Nieve Negra, Contratiempo, Abre los Ojos, La piel que habito, Tarde para la Ira, Lucia y el Sexo, El Cuerpo, El Desconocido and many more). Having said that, Eskalofrío isn't the best example of a good Spanish horror flick, but it's also not the worst. Actually it's better than many American fantastic horrors I've tried to watch but couldn't go past the first fifteen minutes. This movie has interesting premises, timely twists and reveals, besides a wonderful filming location (that deserved better treatment from the cinematographer). But acting is atrocious. That's what kills the whole buzz. The mother is played in such an unconvincing manner, by an actress that seems to be inadvertently flirting with all other characters. Either this or she's constantly zoned out. The boy is not such a bad actor but the shivering was just too much. The rest of the cast is embarrassing. Oh, and the plot holes... Enough to make a trypophobic's skin crawl. The last scene: totally unnecessary. It does not do the movie justice. A very cheap, unoriginal, not scary at all, jump scare scene. But throughout the film, the suspense had me on the edge of my seat a few times. I only wish this movie had been more carefully and professionally executed.

A teenager suffering from a skin disease called photophobia(..the sun inflicts damage to the flesh)moves with his book translator mother to a village in the mountains as a means to get away from the city, hoping for a fresh start. Santi(Junio Valverde)and his mom, Julia(Mar Sodupe) move into a villa with a dark history regarding a German couple and their adopted daughter(..Erika, who grew up in the wilds of Africa). Something lurks within the wilderness near Santi's home and it feasts of animal and human alike. When bloody bodies turn up with Santi placed at the scene of the crime, he becomes a suspect to the locals and police, needing to clear his name.Gosh, I seem to watch a lot of movies about killer kids these days. I give this movie a lot of credit..the kid in this one is pretty scary. A girl, with cannibalistic tendencies, with an ability to move about the darkened forest(..interesting idea by the filmmakers to have their protagonist a young man who can not have sun shining on him, providing reasoning for much of the film's being shot at night)as victims, with shot guns, are unable to see her, soon paying the price for attempting to harm whatever it is they are looking for. With sharp teeth, dirty/unwashed hair, and filthy body, the primal girl is quite a freakish sight, with director Isidro Ortiz and company carefully shooting her in odd angles, often slightly out of frame(..cleverly using out of focus camera work and darkened parts of rooms where Santi is often at her mercy). There's an effective sequence, my favorite, where Santi bolts and locks all the doors and windows to the villa, setting up a couch, butcher knife in hand, only to fall asleep, awakening to find her right next to him! I also thought the scenes where characters find themselves deep in the heart of the woods of the village, at night mostly, were well developed and suspenseful for it was never sure where the girl might be. One sequence, in particular(where Santi, his girlfriend, Ángela, portrayed by Blanca Suárez and best friend are searching for Erika to prove to the police inspector that she is in fact real, not a figment of his imagination), when Santi's leg gets caught in an animal trap(..a goat farmer's response to whatever predator is munching on his flock)is plenty intense as Ángela continually attempts to free him. Also well orchestrated is how Ortiz establishes Erika's presence as flashlights point into the bushes and we see brief glimpses of her moving quickly past. I have to say that Spain has established itself as a country spawning a wealth of talent in the horror genre, from actors to cinematography, plenty of quality is coming from this part of the world. This one has a pretty good twist which comes smack dab out of nowhere, a startling discovery regarding the German couple's car and a grocer named Dimas(Francesc Orella)add much to the proceedings. A nice surprise. Santi is nicknamed "vampire" because of his inability to withstand sunlight and his shark-like teeth. Santi is often shown wearing a hoody and sunglasses which makes him stand out to others as a strange oddball, even though he's just a sweet, innocent kid with afflictions that keep him from living an ordinary life.

After Santi (Junio Valverde, 'The Devil's Backbone') is warned by his doctors of his worsening allergy to sunlight, he and his mother move to a remote town in a sunless valley. Soon after they arrive, strange events occur around the village. First, a farmer's sheep is viciously mutilated and left for dead. Then, the town bully is brutally murdered. As the horrific incidents continue, it becomes clear that the one responsible for the murders wants Santi next.The past few years have brought many nations into the center ring of the horror genre. One of these recent powerhouses is Spain. With such instant classics as 'The Orphanage,' 'Rec,' and 'Pan's Labyrinth' (questionably horror, still, but impossible to not mention), Spain has aided in giving some much-needed relief from the seemingly unending stretch of Hollywood unoriginality. In late 2008, Spain released the rarely mention (stateside, at least) film entitled 'Eskalofrí' or 'Shiver.' Combining the direction of Isidro Ortiz ('Faust 5.0'), cinematography of Josep M. Civit ('Guerreros'), and the production design of Pilar Revuelta ('Pan's Labyrinth'), 'Shiver' is presented as a strikingly attractive film with some extremely beautiful and well captured settings. However, it's not all about the visuals here. A strong script by a relatively fresh group of writers is very substantial and fulfilling. The cast, of which I am mostly unfamiliar, easily manages to capture all their roles. On the other hand, I suppose there are a few problems. First the script could be a BIT juvenile at times playing off, as one reviewer said, like a darker episode of 'Buffy.' Also, I must note that the editing was not the best. Perhaps one more (or, in some instances, one less) run through the cutting room would've made for a better film as there were a few times where some great tension was ruined when the build-up was left with no reward in a too-quick cutaway. Regardless, even with the few flaws, 'Eskalofrío' remains as a very solid and genuinely creepy modern horror that satisfies the necessary style & substance of a true quality film.Final Verdict: 7.5/10.-AP3-

Santi is a young lad with a strange disease. Bright sunlight has him running for cover. Not surprisingly, he's a hoodie with sunglasses. Mum is a translator. She works from home. Parents are separated but on good terms. Santi also gets bullied a lot (he's very bully-able – you could want to cosset or kick him).Doctor persuades Mum to take Santi to remote village. Less sunlight, you see. But kids pick on him there too. They don't understand his disease and treat him as a wimp. Shortly afterwards, locals turn on him. Especially when sheep are eviscerated. And a bully murdered. And we know there's something Nasty In The Woods. A waiting game is to see whether Shiver implodes in orgiastic excess of CGI, vampires, werewolves, radiation mutants, CIA viruses, supernatural gore or other well-worn concoctions. Remarkably, it doesn't. Even when the attacker is revealed, momentum keeps going and we can enjoy a mix of terror with fairly down-to-earth explanations.Like many other genres, horror can be more about minor deviation on clichés than whole new formulae. But although the Shiver 'monster' avoids paths too well-trodden, the backdrop of the film is highly derivative. A flitting in the trees reminds me of Predator. Farmer and policeman are stereotypes. Santi discovers truth and, guess what – his parents don't want to know. Santi susses things out on Google – the current answer for every geek-on-a-mission. And the night vision camera thing is all a bit too Blair Witch.Low-budget interactions and nice scenery are mixed with occasional fast editing, unnerving sounds, jolting cameras, and horrific dream sequences. Director Isidro Ortiz says he wanted, "to build a monster thriller where the monsters are the heroes, and where you must flee from the light to take refuge in the darkness. A back-to-front tale." This sophisticated theoretical foundation is almost more interesting than the movie itself. "I wanted the film to have two kinds of monsters," he continues determinedly, "those which are such because they're 'different' and cannot adapt to what society defines as 'normal', and those which are real monsters and hide their dark side while they look like a model of social behaviour." Wow! Is this film really deep? Or is the depth flown in afterwards as P.R.-flavoured gibberish? It sounds sensible enough, but out of place when referring to such a low-brainer.To Ortiz' credit, he trimmed down his original plan to avoid relying on American budgets, but the end result, while enjoyable enough, falls slightly short of the grand concepts he envisages. It does keep you guessing for a bit but, although decently acted, characterisation and dialogue do not have the profundity to redeem such aspirations.On the plus side, this is a broad appeal 'horror' film. It isn't offensively gory, and has an almost warm cozy feel to it. But in other words, it's a bit of a girly horror. A nice little movie with some atmospheric tension, and maybe not quite enough to satisfy late-night fans.