Spike (2008)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I was rather excited to see this movie, because some of the reviews here were positive and the back of the CD case interested me. Part of it read as follows: "As they are each picked off one by one by a bizarre beast it becomes clear that none of them will make it out of the forest alive; unless the one the monster so desires is left behind." I should have taken a cue from this. If the back of the case isn't even written properly (sentence fragments should not follow a semi colon), then the chances that the movie might not be worth watching are higher than average.The plot revolves around four friends who, while on some sort of road trip, blow a tire and plunge into the surrounding forest. When the one male in the group steps outside to see what the damage is, he is attacked by something and ends up with a possibly life-threatening injury.After this incident the group becomes separated and the movie's title subject comes into play. Throughout the movie, it's clear that someone put a great deal of thought into the different scenes, situations, and dialog, but that person failed to put it together cohesively.The scenes are fragmented, and the characters act in a way that would simply not be logical in the situation, were it to really occur. The female lead knows that her male friend is seriously injured, and yet she walks around calmly for much of the time afterward.There are also small items that lower the movie's attempted believability. (For example, when human beings, who are endothermic, reach for jackets due to the temperature of the woods, it is not possible for a rattlesnake, an exothermic animal, to be active. It would be too sluggish to move.) Even considering all the little mistakes in filming and poorly-developed characters (with the exception of Spike, who is something else), I still might have enjoyed the movie had it not been for the music. The music was just terrible. It was not appropriate for many of the scenes and even went so far as to ruin the mood much of the time. I began to wonder if the director had driven to the nearest church to find an organ player, and the one he found had suffered from a stroke years earlier and was half tuned on Balwinnie at the time.The concept of the movie was interesting, and the creature's costume was well-designed. But this wasn't enough to save the entire film from a horrible music score and unbelievable dialog and character behavior (not to mention obviously staged reviews). And seemingly endothermic snakes.

I saw this film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was kinda blown away by it. The set-up, a nocturnal descent into the rabbit hole, was really suspenseful and echoed a lot of horror movies we've seen before (only with more interesting characters). As the film progressed, however, I realized that I was in for a different kind of ride. The film is really a Gothic tragedy, about a damaged man with an impossible obsession. Personally, I loved the way the film thwarted my expectations and took me to a deeper kind of horror. The horror is nihilistic, the fear isn't of death so much as loneliness. Kudos to the actors for delivering such great performances, particularly the lead character, after whom the film is named. I loved the whole world of the film, dark, baroque, full of natural menace... Just great.

I recently returned home from Scotland where I attended the 62nd Edinburgh International Film Festival.Along with the well-publicized, big budget films (The Edge of Love, Elegy, WALL-E), I was fortunate enough to view several films from EIFF's newest category, "Under The Radar". Under the Radar introduces movies that can best be described as "cult films" - think "A Clockwork Orange" or "Blue Velvet". Artistic director Hannah McGill said, "With this new section, we want to re-animate the spirit of the truly cult-worthy 'midnight movie', by showing films that take real risks with their ideas, their aesthetic choices and their humor".Perhaps my favorite film in this category was Spike - Robert Beaucage's dark faerie tale that saw its world premiere 20 June at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. At first, Spike appears to be a horror film, and in a way, it is - but not in the way I expected. As Spike's plot unfurled, I began to realize maybe Spike was talking about me when he said, "The characters in faerie tales don't ever know they are in faerie tales". I was in a faerie tale in that theatre and didn't even realize. Spike is wonderfully directed, well acted and nicely shot, especially when considering its meager budget. Beaucage tells his story with an aesthetic eye and a visceral panache. Edward Gusts had me in tears with his portrayal of the love-ridden beasty. Nancy P. Corbo and Anna Marie Wayne are true highlights in the film, and Sarah Livingstone Evans shows admirable promise in her first movie role. Robert Hope wrote, "Spike prowls the dark lands that separates Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber from Charles Vess and Elaine Lee's astonishing graphic work Morrigan Tales. Yet rather than resulting in a series of ill-assimilated post-modern touchstones, its earthly cultivation of a monster's obsession with love's dead bloom is a talon-sharp original". Beaucage has truly created an original albeit very human cast of characters in his modern faerie tale for adults. Some might say Spike is Beauty and the Beast gone wrong. But who is Beauty and who is Beast? The Girl uses her feminine wiles to deceive Spike; so is she clever or a duplicitous bitch? Spike is well read, eloquent and romantic, but concurrently impales throats with abandon. Who is the hero in this faerie tale? All myths have to have a hero, don't they? This perfectionist's need for a tidy story gets thrown out the window here, but I find myself wanting more than is shown in the short eighty minute film. I felt myself aligned with Spike while at the same time disgusted for recognizing my own pathetic desperation when faced with abandonment and lack of love. My brain wanted a neatly packaged story ala 'hero defeats bad guy', but my soul was satisfied with the thorough gut wrench that Beaucage provided as he drew me into Spike's world. Those more comfortable with a simpler, more dualistic, good-is-good-and-bad-is-bad view of reality may find solace in films such as Independence Day or Ratatouille.Spike is not the stereotypical horror film. Michael Myers' Mama has never visited this winding road, so don't go looking for her there. Those hard up for Rothian torture porn need not apply. Spike is a horror film in that it forces the conscious viewer to examine his/her soul and accept the deformed monstrosity that dwells there; whether loved or no. This is not easy to do, and Spike is not an easy movie to watch. But those willing to be scratched and torn as they thrust their hands into this thorny thicket will find the rose that blooms within Spike truly beautiful.

As per some of the other comments here, I was at the premiere in Edinburgh too. I found the film enjoyable - it has some rough edges, but that's to be expected when it's a low-budget first film.Contraray to the other comments posted so far, the audience members I spoke to afterwards all thought the film was good. There were enough twists in the plot to keep you engaged, and enough interest in the characters to make you want to know what will happen to them, even though that's never going to be good given the nature of the genre.The plot is far-fetched - but then, you are watching a film with a main character who is covered in sharp spikes! The visuals fit the piece well, with that Gothic look that suits the material. For me, the jarring aspect was the ornate style in which Spike talked, but that could be linked back to the novels he collected at his lair.On the sound side, I thought the music and effects worked fairly well too - I think the sound would have benefited from a more subtle mix, as there are points where the music is really a bit too obtrusive for the action - but that could also have been down to the sound system in that particular cinema, which though improved, is still a bit ropey at times.This is what it is - a well-executed, first-time-round genre film, which gives the director that first step on the ladder to bigger and more polished films. It's a decent film to watch, and illustrates what can be done with an enthusiastic cast and crew on a low budget feature.