Shock-O-Rama | Review by Garvan Giltinan
Brett Piper (THEY BITE, BACTERIUM) is still for me the best and most creative director/writer in the Shock-O-Rama stable. Unfortunately Dave Campfield's DARK CHAMBER, lacks the visual style (and humor) that makes Piper's films so entertaining.
As the film opens, Justin Bresler, the bible loving protagonist (played competently by Eric Conley) is seen somberly packing his bags, glancing in on a bedridden figure wrapped up in blankets, hiding from the world – bottles of pills piled up on the beside table – and finally tacking a note to the bedroom door that reads "Mom". Granted, it's a nice bit of visual storytelling.
Justin has left home to stay with is estranged father Kurt (David Riggs) while he goes to college. His father, a detective, rents out other rooms in his house to a number of (what we're supposed to believe are) intriguing/suspicious characters. Pretty soon Justin goes on a date with the sexually aggressive Kayla, a girl he meets hanging around his father's home. After the first date, Kayla gets a little obsessive and starts to stalk our hero. Until one night she's found dead. Plot point one. Justin's father believes the crime to be the work of a local satanic cult – The Black Circle. However, Justin suspects one of the tenants living in his father's house of the murder. With the help of some college friends, Vincent and Rick, Justin sets up surveillance cameras in the apartments and starts to spy on the neighbors. Much like REAR WINDOW, Justin and the audience get to be voyeurs in the lives of his new neighbors.
In fact, DARK CHAMBER really wants to be a Hitchcockian thriller; unfortunately it lacks the edge and subtly of the master's work. The digital video doesn't help the cause as it comes across at times like a film student's term project. And while there are some nicely handled scenes (creeping into one of the suspect's rooms; checking out the spooky, dark house), they don't amount to much. The film becomes bogged down in its own languorous pacing. And with a running time of about 85 minutes, that's not a good thing. The scenes where Justin and his friends are holed up in a van outside the apartment building, watching the neighbors on video feeds, fall flat and weaken the pacing even further. And what's with all those crazy (and impossible) angles the cameras seem to be picking up? Each resident seems to have a camera floating around their head with the ability to zero in on their every move. Unfortunately, their lives aren't that shocking or revelatory, especially considering this is a Shock-O-Rama production. In fact, the production doesn't have any of the elements the studio title implies. When one watches a Troma movie, for instance, you get what you expect. Shouldn't it be the same with Shock-O-Rama?
The movie also lacks the requisite tension needed to fire up the narrative. There's not enough tonal menace to keep an audience on the edge of its seat. And there's certainly not a high enough blood splash and body count to excite the average gore fan. The black magic spin, which the cover plays up ("based on the 'Say You Love Satan' killer"), really takes a back seat after the opening scenario (actually pretty creepy -- where two masked and disturbing apparitions attack a man in his house) all caught on video tape. That opening really set up a tone and mood that never followed through. Partially I blame the script, which is light on over-all character development (the most nuanced being Justin) and plot. I really wanted to like the movie more, but it feels too much like a first draft than a finished piece.
The one pleasant surprise, however, is the performance of actor David H. Rigg as Kurt, Justin' s father; the actor exudes charisma and gravitas in an otherwise uneven movie. And while the twist in the finale wasn't predictable, it still lacked impact.
Once again, the extras are the best thing about this package. Interviews and commentaries focusing on the "art" of independent, low budget filmmaking are always welcome; and these don't disappoint. It's interesting to note that the production, despite being cheap, was waylaid for an eight months due to budgetary concerns. The making of documentary – which has more tension-filled moments than the actual movie – gives a very honest look at the pressures and headaches of low-budget movie making. Two commentary tracks are also informative, as are three actress interviews. Not a bad package; just a disappointingly-executed movie.
