Live-In Fear (2016)

Sorry, this movie sucks

good back-story, and good acting

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Two couples stay at the Aspen condo where Seth (David Lautman) spent part of his childhood and manages to tell everyone a ghost story about a bride that didn't make much sense. Seth's mother (Maria Olsen) is recently deceased and Seth has a suitcase in the trunk he doesn't want anyone to touch. One character is an alcoholic, another an atheist, and another is pregnant. They are warned to leave and then suddenly the make-up person goes from one character to the next putting dark circles under the eyes so they can spout silly stuff and do things with an implement of destruction. The people in the sheets was another low budget flop idea and what was with the 60's turning color wheel? The story of ghostly possession was a boring confusing mess with terrible acting and lines. College project? Guide: F-word. Attempted sex and nudity.

The movie promises a natural horror classic and seems to deliver very little. There is limited soundtracks and suspense building effects throughout which appear needed due to lack of action. The characters do have basic relationships yet the production does not enable you to get attached to any character who encounters perils. Themes which run through the movie are typical of horror films but resemble a stew with all the ingredients, lacking the quality and kick needed for enjoyment. The title whilst clear, does not leave much room for thought which is always nice to challenge the viewer and maintain their interest. For a film in one setting there is very limited storyline so perhaps the movie would benefit from more plot and scenery progression throughout. Overall there are too many areas, if not all, which need considerable development in order to make the film a success. The basic story does however possess part of the bones of a sturdy classic horror but lacks USP and the production to drive the movie to an exciting watch. The ending is better than the beginning while quality and plot throughout remains consistently monotonous.

A low budget horror where a few friends get together at a cottage for a relaxing weekend. Everyone coming on the trip has a lot more baggage then they came with which takes its toll. An unseen force starts to prey on their weaknesses.Right near the beginning there is a scene where one of the friends is burying his mom who happens to be in several pieces wrapped in plastic. When he gets back to the cabin his mom is there with his friends talking to them so you get a feel that this place isn't normal.The special effects are cheap but still look decent. There is a lot going on at times with all the different characters issues being addressed which may be confusing at times. I thought this was a mediocre outing. You won't miss much if you don't see it.

The story has some recognizable elements that will be familiar to horror fans from other films in this style of horror. There is a hint of Whedonism and Alan Ball that seem to influence aspects of Brandon's story telling in "Live-In Fear". At least to me, watching certain scenes and hearing some of the dialog, my first thought was a Whedon and Alan Ball influence. The thing about this flick is that so many different subgenres and decades of horror are noticeably influencing this mash-up nightmare. It keeps with a dark, depressed tone from the beginning to the very end. The special effects are pretty effective and thankfully practical. I didn't recognize any major use of CGI on the paranormal aspects. This is a lower budgeted indie horror so the FX is stripped down and minimal in the film with most of the chills coming from the characters on dark personas and a collision of tragic back-stories that come to the surface and cause "Live-In Fear" to become a layered, dramatic collection of train wreck personas finally dealing with their baggage. The soundtrack stays as creepy and depressed as the characters and subject matter. Overall "Live-In Fear" is a decent horror film that could easily become a modern cult classic. It has some flaws, I heard some dialog that comes a bit too close to other past material. Some is delivered in the same style for the same dramatic effect. Not sure if it was intended and meant for a sort of homage but it kind of drags the originality and creativity down just a tad. That being said, "Live- In Fear" has a cool, complex story with a great mix of stylized concepts that pull from several classic subgenres. And the added visual, almost psychedelic transitions were impressive. "Live-In Fear" is worth checking out.