The Corridor (2012)

Best movie of this year hands down!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is a curious film that seems to be about many things, at least initially. Tyler (Stephen Chambers) sees his mother dead on the landing of his family home. She has overdosed on pills apparently, and the realisation sends him on a nervous break-down. When his friends come round, he is hiding in a cupboard. When they try to help him, he attacks them with a knife.A while later, Tyler has seemingly recovered, helped by a course of therapy. To build bridges, he and his friends agree to meet in a snowbound retreat for a 'boys' weekend'. They seem to be a tight group, and soon, Tyler is back at the heart of the friendship – only Everett (James Gilbert) seems to want to scupper things; he seems determined to ply him with alcohol, which is inadvisable given Tyler's course of medication.Big lad Bobcat (Matthew Amyotte) sports a bald plate that is never, ever convincing. It is a curious directorial decision, but made so we can hear dialogue about baldness keeping him virile and 'having the kids to prove it' (which is an unknowing dig at Jim (Glenn Matthews), who is secretly impotent). All this spurs on further antagonism later.So when Tyler, outside in the wastes alone, finds what appears to be a corridor in the middle of the woodland, he feels his sanity crumble. And yet he proves to be the only one who can see through the violent chaos that ensues between the group.Sadly, at least for me, the latter half of the film dissolves into a trippy mesh of special effects and shouting. This would appear to be a logical progression from the enjoyably illogical events that lead up to it, but I found these developments less satisfactory, although Tyler's story at least achieves a sense of closure within the chaos.

When he discovers his mother has died from an overdose, Tyler Crawley (Stephen Chambers) suffers a bout of paranoid schizophrenia, attacking his concerned friends with a knife. After a stint in a mental institution, Tyler tries to get his life back on track with the help of medication, and agrees to spend a weekend with his pals in a remote snowbound cabin in an attempt to patch up their friendship.Then things start to get really weird…While Tyler is in the woods scattering his mother's ashes, he sees something inexplicable—a translucent box of energy. When he tries to tell his friends about the phenomena, they think he is having a relapse, but after dragging them out to the woods he is able to prove that he is telling the truth. The astounded group enter the box—which gradually grows in length to become a corridor—where they experience a collective consciousness that expands their senses but which also causes madness.The Corridor is every bit as confusing as it sounds, and with no satisfactory explanation of events, it is bound to irk many viewers. I wasn't all that bothered by the lack of exposition, being used to watching very strange movies that force the viewer to figure things out for themselves, but I was irritated by the dreary pace (nothing much of interest happens for the first half an hour), unlikeable characters and dull dialogue: successfully making it to the end of the film proved a major feat, despite a spot of gnarly violence at the hands of Everett Manette (James Gilbert), whose exposure to the bizarre expanding corridor of supernatural energy results in him becoming a homicidal maniac who garrottes a hunter, scalps one of his friends and crucifies another.On top of all the stupefying nonsense that supposedly passes for a plot, this film also boasts one of the most ridiculous hairstyles in horror: Matthew Amyotte plays Robert 'Bobcat' Comeau, who is supposedly going bald, but the actor has clearly had the top of his head shaved for the role, leaving a daft wisp of hair flapping about. It looks bloody silly, but is probably the most memorable thing about the whole film.3.5 out of 10, rounded up to 4 for… you guessed it… Bobcat's Friar Tuck hair!

This is hands down one of the most inventive, creative and disturbing films I have seen in a very long time. It is in the same instant beautiful and repulsive. This film is an indescribable masterpiece -and I don't say that lightly.Don't miss out on this one if you are a Horror, Thriller or SciFi fan.It is truly rare these days to find a film that encompasses completely original ideas, so when a film such as The Corridor comes along it is a true surprise and refreshing blessing.All I can say to the Cast and Crew is...Thank You for something truly original!

From the first frame I was struck by how well it was shot and how spot on the actors are in their performances. It was then that I knew I was in for a good ride. The premise is a classic horror "in the woods" scenario with a believable otherworldly twist. Set in a beautiful snow bound location the Cinematographer's images drip, or better, chill you with their beauty. The film cleverly keeps you guessing and lets you actually do some work as a viewer. No spoon-feeding here. It is a clever, smart script with astute direction and solid acting. You won't be disappointed. Jocelyn O'Neil