Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made (2018)
directed by David Amito and Michael Laicini
Rated R for frightening images and nudity/sex
For fans of fairy tales, low budget independent film, and unsettling, dream-like horror. This is a very low budget film, but that doesn’t detract from it. It uses both mockumentary and found footage styles, choices that were likely made with budget in mind. It is also a frame story lol. A lot going on with the mechanics of the storytelling, but it really does work, in my opinion. So the mockumentary part is the beginning and end while the middle section is the film that is the subject of the mockumentary. But wait, there’s more! According to the producers of the documentary, the copy of the film(the middle part of the movie) has been edited over time, so there is home movie footage spliced throughout. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I hope so!
This part scared me real good.
My rating: B-Movie Delight! I guess it isn’t truly a b-movie in the style sense, but it is a very low budget film, more in the independent vibe. Anyways, I’m throwing it under that rating and you cannot stop me. I attempted to explain the structure of the movie up there, but the actual story of the “cursed film” follows a sister and brother as they attempt to dig to Hell to free the soul of their recently deceased dog. While the adventure is a plot orchestrated by the sister to help her younger brother cope with the dog’s death, things quickly spin out of her control.
The film isn’t overly scary in a modern traditional sense, but it does create a deep dread in the viewer. There is suicide, cannibals, and the implication of possible child death, not to mention the intercut depictions of a snuff film and a bunch of demon cult shit.
Some thoughts: First off, huge thanks to my wife for finding this movie and recommending it to me. Like I’ve stated in the last two sections, this film attempts to do a lot. I think it accomplishes most of it. I love the frame of the story-that this is a documentary about a cursed film-and then getting to watch the film itself with the spliced footage from previous owners of the film’s reel. I also love the 70s aesthetic they recreate for the depiction of the cursed film. Last week, I mentioned how I feel like 70s horror has this dark, grimy feel to it and I think these directors nail exactly what I was talking about. I’m also a sucker for spliced in cult/demon stuff, so that element created even more unease for me. Truly cannot recommend this one enough. Not many people know of it, so turn off all the lights and watch it with someone who didn’t read this blog.