My Ratings:
Story 1.25 : Direction 1.00 : Pace 1.50 : Acting 1.25 : Entertaining 1.50
Total 6.75 out of 10.00.
Of late, there has been little in the way of a good vampire film. Then along came The Shed.
Though there is a huge amount of work required in placing the blood-suckers back at the top of the horror roster, Director Frank Sabatella is giving it a good try in his movie. His screenplay from the story by Jason Rice has a freshness to it. Something the genre also needed.
One of the main elements I liked was the opening sequence. They do not give us any backstory for this opening sequence. Sabatella plunges the audience into a fight between Vampyre and Human, mid-battle. Though the Human is triumphant, he has not completely bested his evil opponent. No! For the Vampyre has marked him, and in doing so has brought on the change in his bloodstream. Looking to get out of the killing sunshine, the newly created Vampyre hides in a secluded shed, awaiting nightfall, and escape.
This sets the scene perfectly.
As the day progresses Stan, who lives in the house, notices strange happenings out at the shed. Believing there to be a dangerous animal inside, he locks and secures the outbuilding.
The story's remainder has Stan discovering the truth about what he has captured and the dilemma on what he should do. Events unfold and more people learn of his secret. His best friend has some nasty and devious ideas on what they could do. Which leads to an interesting quandary. If you use the evil in the shed to send fatal justice to vicious bullies, does that make the Vampyre a strange anti-hero?
This is not a study of teenagers psychology or their id. But it shows some trials and tribulations they and people face, and that keeps it interesting. Your friend has a monumentally bad idea, however, appealing it may seem. What do you do? You try to do the right thing; make repercussions for the bad you've done. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just cannot save people... especially from themselves.
It's these underlying stories and nuances that made the story for me. I just wish they had done more around the creation of the Vampyre, especially the inner struggle the Human must have faced during the transformation. It would have made for a stronger story.
As directing goes, Sabatella is not the best at creating atmosphere. He crafts the pace well. It's the multi-tempo that generates excitement and tension. There are a couple of scenes in the shed where he tries to use the subdued lighting and shadows, but he doesn't pull it off. This doesn't detract or hinder the telling, though. Not once did my attention waver from the story or the screen.
The acting is of an averageness, however, two of the three seasoned cast add a much-needed oomph to the proceedings. Both Timothy Bottoms and Siobhan Fallon Hogan are excellent in their portrayals of Ellis, Stan's Grandpa, and Sheriff Dorney, respectively. The third heavy-hitter was Frank Whaley who plays Bane, Vampyre hunter turned Vampyre. He, for me, was a waste since he has nary a word to say throughout the film. Which was one reason I thought a better-crafted Vampyre was required. You should never waste your talent.
I would easily recommend this for a night's viewing pleasure as I enjoyed it. Not immensely, but enough. And as stated, it's a step in the right direction to putting the Vampyres back on their throne. So if you like real Vampyres and not the sparkly type, if you are a horror film fan, or if you're a newbie to the genre, you could do worse than watch this film.
Flap your wings on over to my Absolute Horror list and see where this bite of terror landed in the rankings.
Take Care and Stay Well.
Of late, there has been little in the way of a good vampire film. Then along came The Shed.
Though there is a huge amount of work required in placing the blood-suckers back at the top of the horror roster, Director Frank Sabatella is giving it a good try in his movie. His screenplay from the story by Jason Rice has a freshness to it. Something the genre also needed.
One of the main elements I liked was the opening sequence. They do not give us any backstory for this opening sequence. Sabatella plunges the audience into a fight between Vampyre and Human, mid-battle. Though the Human is triumphant, he has not completely bested his evil opponent. No! For the Vampyre has marked him, and in doing so has brought on the change in his bloodstream. Looking to get out of the killing sunshine, the newly created Vampyre hides in a secluded shed, awaiting nightfall, and escape.
This sets the scene perfectly.
As the day progresses Stan, who lives in the house, notices strange happenings out at the shed. Believing there to be a dangerous animal inside, he locks and secures the outbuilding.
The story's remainder has Stan discovering the truth about what he has captured and the dilemma on what he should do. Events unfold and more people learn of his secret. His best friend has some nasty and devious ideas on what they could do. Which leads to an interesting quandary. If you use the evil in the shed to send fatal justice to vicious bullies, does that make the Vampyre a strange anti-hero?
This is not a study of teenagers psychology or their id. But it shows some trials and tribulations they and people face, and that keeps it interesting. Your friend has a monumentally bad idea, however, appealing it may seem. What do you do? You try to do the right thing; make repercussions for the bad you've done. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just cannot save people... especially from themselves.
It's these underlying stories and nuances that made the story for me. I just wish they had done more around the creation of the Vampyre, especially the inner struggle the Human must have faced during the transformation. It would have made for a stronger story.
As directing goes, Sabatella is not the best at creating atmosphere. He crafts the pace well. It's the multi-tempo that generates excitement and tension. There are a couple of scenes in the shed where he tries to use the subdued lighting and shadows, but he doesn't pull it off. This doesn't detract or hinder the telling, though. Not once did my attention waver from the story or the screen.
The acting is of an averageness, however, two of the three seasoned cast add a much-needed oomph to the proceedings. Both Timothy Bottoms and Siobhan Fallon Hogan are excellent in their portrayals of Ellis, Stan's Grandpa, and Sheriff Dorney, respectively. The third heavy-hitter was Frank Whaley who plays Bane, Vampyre hunter turned Vampyre. He, for me, was a waste since he has nary a word to say throughout the film. Which was one reason I thought a better-crafted Vampyre was required. You should never waste your talent.
I would easily recommend this for a night's viewing pleasure as I enjoyed it. Not immensely, but enough. And as stated, it's a step in the right direction to putting the Vampyres back on their throne. So if you like real Vampyres and not the sparkly type, if you are a horror film fan, or if you're a newbie to the genre, you could do worse than watch this film.
Flap your wings on over to my Absolute Horror list and see where this bite of terror landed in the rankings.
Take Care and Stay Well.