NIGHTBEASTAlthough a minor celebrity in the horror genre, Don Dohler's imaginative home-made efforts are a loving mix of 50's style monster movie and awkward modern splatter efforts. With a budget that would probably just about cover James Cameron's breakfast Dohler put together several films that whilst far from being classics are all watchable and if caught in the right frame of mind are actually a blast. Unlike many amateur auteur's Dohler worked hard on these projects and developed a style he could call his own. The plot to Nightbeast is unsurprisingly slender, a killer alien on the loose in a small town, but the little touches are what makes this a gem, the Nightbeast itself looks a riot with it's silver jumpsuit and perfectly inflexible features giving it a permanently maddened expression, the cast of characters (all locals thespians and friends) are a wonderfully provincial lot and their attempts to capture the beast are akin to a Scooby-Doo episode with one eye on what they can achieve on no budget - hence no cavalry from the army or a fleet of passing friendly aliens! This may all sound like a slagging off, but Dohler's film is like watching a backyard epic, with very little money and a lot of talent for homemade special effects and making do. There is also a rainy day verisimilitude that kind of gets you thinking that maybe you could do all this yourself, and if it can inspire you to try to do better, then it is truly influential, none of us have Hollywood money behind us, but we can all get out there and make our own stuff, it may not be good, it may not be anything, but no one gets anywhere just sitting there dreaming. Rise against Hollywood, Nightbeast Rules!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment