Editor's note:
Folks, as I've mentioned before, I've been writing about film for far longer than many of you have even been alive! Back in the day, I was an Amazon.com Top 1,000 Reviewer -- the vast majority of my pieces were reviews on films I'd seen privately or via distributors -- but when that commercial juggernaut changed their rules all of my content was dumped into the aether. As time permits, I recover an old gem, dust it off a bit, and post it in this space ... where I have greater control. That's the case with my thoughts on 2013's Banshee Chapter. Enjoy!
Folks, as I've mentioned before, I've been writing about film for far longer than many of you have even been alive! Back in the day, I was an Amazon.com Top 1,000 Reviewer -- the vast majority of my pieces were reviews on films I'd seen privately or via distributors -- but when that commercial juggernaut changed their rules all of my content was dumped into the aether. As time permits, I recover an old gem, dust it off a bit, and post it in this space ... where I have greater control. That's the case with my thoughts on 2013's Banshee Chapter. Enjoy!
You know, long gone are the days when a Horror film just wanted to be a good Horror film.
These days – what with the widespread availability of digital equipment or even the prevalence of your top-of-the-line smartphone – any Tom, Dick, or Harry can pursue the dream of becoming an auteur. Still, why is it that every horror film coming down the pike these days has to be a concept film of some variety? Can’t we just simply scare viewers silly any longer? Why must a premise be deeper than that? Why is every storyteller trying to incorporate this narrative trick or that visual technique whenever possible and so little real effort being expended on just freaking the audience out with terror? What can’t a film just spin a good yarn and have that be enough? Are we overthinking the construct that much, or do the makers just no longer care?
That’s the question I found myself asking at the end of Banshee Chapter.
Hint: I did like the film.
The negative: it tried too hard to be something that it probably could never be when all it truly needed to be was right there in front of its face. Instead of going for broke with various tale-spinning devices, writer/director Blair Erickson really should’ve clocked some serious mileage in keeping this thing a lean, mean, scream-producing machine.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the packaging:
“On the trail of a missing friend (Michael McMillian) who had been experimenting with mind-altering drugs, a young journalist (Katia Winter) – aided by a rogue counter-culture writer (Ted Levine) – finds herself drawn into the dangerous world of top-secret government chemical research and the mystery of a disturbing radio signal of unknown origin.”
I’ll try to be as precise as I can in detailing what I didn’t like about Banshee Chapter, but, as I said above, let me get this out of the way once more first and foremost: I liked it. Even better said, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Writer/director Blair Erickson tapped a lot of veins here – conspiracy, found footage, documentary, ghost stories, etc. – and they all get mixed up in a pleasant enough concoction that I honestly figure it hard for anyone to not have some measure of fun with the experience. At 90 minutes, it's that perfect movie length long enough to convey the story in here … but it’s still really, really bloated with its narrative trickery … and not in a good way.
These days – what with the widespread availability of digital equipment or even the prevalence of your top-of-the-line smartphone – any Tom, Dick, or Harry can pursue the dream of becoming an auteur. Still, why is it that every horror film coming down the pike these days has to be a concept film of some variety? Can’t we just simply scare viewers silly any longer? Why must a premise be deeper than that? Why is every storyteller trying to incorporate this narrative trick or that visual technique whenever possible and so little real effort being expended on just freaking the audience out with terror? What can’t a film just spin a good yarn and have that be enough? Are we overthinking the construct that much, or do the makers just no longer care?
That’s the question I found myself asking at the end of Banshee Chapter.
Hint: I did like the film.
The negative: it tried too hard to be something that it probably could never be when all it truly needed to be was right there in front of its face. Instead of going for broke with various tale-spinning devices, writer/director Blair Erickson really should’ve clocked some serious mileage in keeping this thing a lean, mean, scream-producing machine.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the packaging:
“On the trail of a missing friend (Michael McMillian) who had been experimenting with mind-altering drugs, a young journalist (Katia Winter) – aided by a rogue counter-culture writer (Ted Levine) – finds herself drawn into the dangerous world of top-secret government chemical research and the mystery of a disturbing radio signal of unknown origin.”
I’ll try to be as precise as I can in detailing what I didn’t like about Banshee Chapter, but, as I said above, let me get this out of the way once more first and foremost: I liked it. Even better said, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Writer/director Blair Erickson tapped a lot of veins here – conspiracy, found footage, documentary, ghost stories, etc. – and they all get mixed up in a pleasant enough concoction that I honestly figure it hard for anyone to not have some measure of fun with the experience. At 90 minutes, it's that perfect movie length long enough to convey the story in here … but it’s still really, really bloated with its narrative trickery … and not in a good way.
For example, I thought Chapter was going to fall into the category of the ‘found footage film’ right out of the gate. Indeed, those first scenes are constructed from archival footage surrounding the US government’s disclosure of a real-life scandal – the MK Ultra experiments – and then it segues nicely into Anne Roland’s narration. As those moments tick on and the reporter’s investigation deepens, Chapter starts to take on an almost documentary feel, gradually leaving behind the ‘found’ premise and instead going-for-broke in what starts to look like a real-time expose. (Some might suggest that two halves make a whole, sure, but there’s no denying they’re a bit uneven.) However, as those moments give way and suddenly breach an even broader story, I started to see that the resulting ordeal settled into a groove where Erickson decided the best way to spin the yarn was to combine these elements along with little more than a good old-fashioned ghost story.
Now … this is where I started to tire of the techniques. On their own, they each have strengths and weaknesses, and – depending upon the story – they work just fine. When they’re combined in such a way as happens here, the end result isn’t smooth. It’s more like I felt myself being pulled in a direction that should’ve been accomplished more naturally, more organically. For me, the artifice of forcing a story into being cheapens the thrill ride, even if I appreciate the thrills along the way.
There’s nothing wrong with a little misdirection.
In fact, many very good pictures (not just horror ones, mind you) make ample use of established plot devices to push you in one direction while concealing the big reveal for maximum effectiveness later. The problem here is that because of the elaborate set-up – because we, as an audience, are treated to Roland’s near-exhaustive construction (we’re led to believe that she’s recounting these events much after-the-fact) – we feel the rug pulled out from under us when the last scene – that big reveal – makes the set-up improbable if not downright impossible. Emilio Estevez ruined a respectable shot as a film director early in his career with a similar convention: he built his entire film up with him as the narrator, detailing for the audience a life of crime. Yet, once the story unfolds, we find out that he was already killed in the film’s closing moments. Uh … so who was that telling us the story all along? His ghost? His spirit from the beyond looking down from Heaven? Trickery of this sort must be used with greater restraint; otherwise, the fabric of an already fragile universe comes apart at the seams.
Banshee Chapter isn’t a failure. Rather, it’s pretty pleasant, and Katia Winter is awesome to look at for 90 minutes. I just expected more of this to make sense in the end, and it didn’t.
Banshee Chapter (2013) is produced by Sunchaser Entertainment, Before the Door Pictures, and Favorit Film. DVD distribution is being handled by XLRator Media. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert … yeah, the film looks and sounds fairly solid, though I’ll admit in advance that I had to really crank the volume up on this one (mixed too low?) in order to hear everything, and, even then, some of the dialogue sounded a bit muddled (some I suspect was deliberate but others not so much). As for the special features? Well, the packaging promises an in-depth look at the making of the film, but the few shorts here clocked in at about three minutes a piece, and they really offered up no great substance at all. I found them disappointing, only because I would’ve liked to know more. I always do.
Recommended.
Banshee Chapter (2013) is probably everything you expect it to be. First, it’s a Horror film. Second, it’s still a Horror film. And, lastly, it’ll always likely be nothing more than just a Horror film. It’s a fairly clever picking-and-choosing of what works best in the genre, and it’s liberally spread it all around in such a way as to, basically, delight (and scare!) the audience. It’s a carnival thrill ride. It’s meant to be enjoyed in the moment, remembered while you’re putting it away, and (most likely) forgotten tomorrow. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you expect it to mean more? Well, apart from your curious visuals, you’re probably barking up the wrong tree. (To the film’s credit, it did earn a bit of extra love from a screening on the film festival circuit, so there’s that. And all of it is apparently derived from a story by H.P. Lovecraft, so that’s another significant plus.)
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at XLRator Media provided me with a DVD copy of Banshee Chapter by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Now … this is where I started to tire of the techniques. On their own, they each have strengths and weaknesses, and – depending upon the story – they work just fine. When they’re combined in such a way as happens here, the end result isn’t smooth. It’s more like I felt myself being pulled in a direction that should’ve been accomplished more naturally, more organically. For me, the artifice of forcing a story into being cheapens the thrill ride, even if I appreciate the thrills along the way.
There’s nothing wrong with a little misdirection.
In fact, many very good pictures (not just horror ones, mind you) make ample use of established plot devices to push you in one direction while concealing the big reveal for maximum effectiveness later. The problem here is that because of the elaborate set-up – because we, as an audience, are treated to Roland’s near-exhaustive construction (we’re led to believe that she’s recounting these events much after-the-fact) – we feel the rug pulled out from under us when the last scene – that big reveal – makes the set-up improbable if not downright impossible. Emilio Estevez ruined a respectable shot as a film director early in his career with a similar convention: he built his entire film up with him as the narrator, detailing for the audience a life of crime. Yet, once the story unfolds, we find out that he was already killed in the film’s closing moments. Uh … so who was that telling us the story all along? His ghost? His spirit from the beyond looking down from Heaven? Trickery of this sort must be used with greater restraint; otherwise, the fabric of an already fragile universe comes apart at the seams.
Banshee Chapter isn’t a failure. Rather, it’s pretty pleasant, and Katia Winter is awesome to look at for 90 minutes. I just expected more of this to make sense in the end, and it didn’t.
Banshee Chapter (2013) is produced by Sunchaser Entertainment, Before the Door Pictures, and Favorit Film. DVD distribution is being handled by XLRator Media. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert … yeah, the film looks and sounds fairly solid, though I’ll admit in advance that I had to really crank the volume up on this one (mixed too low?) in order to hear everything, and, even then, some of the dialogue sounded a bit muddled (some I suspect was deliberate but others not so much). As for the special features? Well, the packaging promises an in-depth look at the making of the film, but the few shorts here clocked in at about three minutes a piece, and they really offered up no great substance at all. I found them disappointing, only because I would’ve liked to know more. I always do.
Recommended.
Banshee Chapter (2013) is probably everything you expect it to be. First, it’s a Horror film. Second, it’s still a Horror film. And, lastly, it’ll always likely be nothing more than just a Horror film. It’s a fairly clever picking-and-choosing of what works best in the genre, and it’s liberally spread it all around in such a way as to, basically, delight (and scare!) the audience. It’s a carnival thrill ride. It’s meant to be enjoyed in the moment, remembered while you’re putting it away, and (most likely) forgotten tomorrow. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you expect it to mean more? Well, apart from your curious visuals, you’re probably barking up the wrong tree. (To the film’s credit, it did earn a bit of extra love from a screening on the film festival circuit, so there’s that. And all of it is apparently derived from a story by H.P. Lovecraft, so that’s another significant plus.)
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at XLRator Media provided me with a DVD copy of Banshee Chapter by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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