Stitchface (2012)
Edward Furlong stars in this film about parents grieving the loss of their young daughter and head to the desert with a couple of friends for a healing ritual, where they unexpectedly release sinister forces.
It genuinely isn't often that micro budget horror surprises me but Stitchface was one of those films. From the misleading artwork it appears to be a typical child possession horror film, the kind that are ten a penny at the moment, however twenty minutes in, it's easy to see that this is a totally different beast altogether.
In fact i would suggest the film echoes the work of Larry Fessenden (Wendigo, The Last Winter), but on a far smaller budget, in the way that it addresses myth and spiritualism in the setting of a desert environment which is a similar fashion to Fessenden's ideas for The Last Winter.
The film's effects whilst not always successful show a lot of ambition and it's here where the Fessenden connotations really hit home with it's superbly realized time lapse photography which once begun continues throughout the film. The constant lightning strikes and the clouds swirling past, together with the fearsome thunder claps are an assault on the viewers senses just as much as they are on the film's protagonists, all blending together to create the idea of another worldly plane bombarded with cosmic energy. Added to this we are also subjected to occasional salvo's of striking imagery which repulse and fascinate in equal measure. If like me you watch films in total darkness, the film's total sensory cascade of light and sound flashing around the room really give the impression of being part of the movie and add to the viewing experience.
The story isn't particularly complex but much seemingly goes unanswered until the last ten minutes when any incoherencies are ironed out. However by doing this it begs the question exactly what have we been watching?
As the end credits roll it seemed so refreshing to have witnessed a totally unexpected, progressive piece of horror cinema.
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