How to Save Us (2015)

Such a frustrating disappointment

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Tasmania has been evacuated because of a possible viral outbreak. Sam (Coy Jandreau) is still on the island. His brother Bryan (Jason Trost) at the insistence of their sister Molly (Tallay Wickham) goes there to find him. The island has been taken over by ghosts and there are specific rules for survival which have been written down in a notebook called "How to Save Us." The ghost attack by smell. The ashes of dead people can mask the smell. The ghost are attracted by electricity. Graveyards appear to be safe havens. Don't go out at night. Lock all the doors. Beware of the wind. They can be seen with infrared.If you freeze frame the book as they page through it, you can get all the rules. There are broadcasts on the radio (106.9 FM) that are the ghosts talking as well as old broadcasts. And there is something strange...some of the broadcasts are personal for Bryan.The film moves slow. We see Sam covered with ashes walking along the island covered in ashes being tracked by his brother covered in ashes. They are sometimes irritated by ghosts. This is a low budget Australian production which was basically a two man play. Things pick up at the end where most of the budget was spent.Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

What's with the high scores/user reviews this movie is getting on IMDb? Are they from members of the movie's cast and crew or something? Make no mistake, "How to Save Us" is a tedious, overlong movie that moves so slowly it's almost unwatchable.About 90% of it consists of two men in camping gear that walk.Walk. A. Lot.Lot's and lot's of walking. Quite often however, "How to Save Us" shakes things up by having the constant walking become... slow, cautious walking. To drag out this finger drumming-fest of a movie even further. I understand "cautious" scenes are meant build up tension, but there's got to be some kind of point or payoff, guys. The white, swirly CGI effect you've put in with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker that *sometimes* shows up doesn't exactly fit the bill.Very disappointing, especially given these high IMDb scores. I guess no system (especially an Internet scoring system) is ever perfect.Avoid.

A lot of people have tried to bring the atmosphere of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or any number of adventure games to the bring screen. Finally, it feels like someone pulled it off for real. I've always wanted to see these kind of stories and scenarios put in a movie and it made me absolutely giddy to watch this one get it spot-on. Instead of being over-the-top monsters, action scenes, and wire-work - this film gives us an apocalypse of ghosts with a new lore not yet seen in movies, a minimalist tone that's more akin to Andrei Tarkovsky and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and a story about being there for your real family.How To Save Us begins with the basic setup of Brian (Jason Trost, also director/writer) searching for his brother Sam (Coy Jandreau), who was left behind in Tazmania after a mysterious cataclysm. Soon after, we follow the parallel threads of both brothers, as they wander the wasteland and try to avoid violent paranormal entities. Using radios to listen for the ghosts, they begin to get strange transmissions, hearing voices from the ether. Sometimes they're directed at the brothers and sometimes it's a "save us" call from an outpost on an island off the coast. Then things get weird (i.e. awesome).Although looking and feeling like a world that should have marauders, mutants, zombies, or some other "external" foe, the idea of utilizing ghosts or paranormal phenomenon ends up really spicing things up. According to Sam, who's survived for about a month, the "ghosts" have an aversion to human corpses and ash is used as a camouflage. Furthermore, due to their having an electrical signal quality, the only way to see them is to use cameras, leading to a couple of really tense set-pieces. Towards the end, the question of how to kill or stop them rises and the result is a nerdy little treat for old-school gamers.From the visuals to the sound design to the art direction, there's a lot to love in this, both for fans of moody horror and for movie-goers wanting a unique experience. By being intentionally bare bones, it allows every little thing to be absorbed and savored, from the elements in Sam's book that help Brian on his quest to the subtle touches in set-dressing that bring the post-evacuation locations to life. The film's broad landscapes look amazing and really bring the sense of solitude when coupled with only a lone figure walking down the road or across a field or through a cemetery. The use of the radio, similar to the Silent Hill and Fallout games, is creepy, consistent, and interesting - you get nervous whenever it starts to act weird and it feels like the haunting echo of the world long past. When the ghoulish creatures appear and the heroes have to use cameras to see them, their design is an eerie and very "alive" animation. It's like a tear in space/time that is scratching at our world and the screeching synthetic-textured snarls as they approach makes them even scarier. As a fan of this kind of spooky supernatural stuff, I absolutely loved it.The story is sparse and the performances have moments of hit-or-miss, but there's a lot of heart to it. While not spending much time on-screen together, the brothers' story about their dysfunctional family and what brought them to this remote place far from their home in California, works to let us know who these wasteland wanderers are and what's at stake for them. For having only three on-screen characters (technically a couple more if you count some video playback scenes), it's surprising how engaging this is. A lot of this is on the fact that it's portrayed with the intent of honesty rather than heart-string plucking.This all leads to the third act, which is easily the best part of the film for me. Silent Hill and other horror games have done the concept of "Nowhere" - which comes in some ways from the delirium sequences of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King - but finally, with an absolute minimalist budget, How to Save Us pulls off the tone of a Nowhere sequence just right, where the revelations of the character and the conclusion of their arc comes together.That this film didn't get a bigger release is sad and something I don't fully understand. For some this may come off as niche, a horror film that's not too scary or really bloody, whose dark and moody tone and low-budget DIY spirit isn't what most would call traditional. But it's a helluva great experience, especially on the big-screen (admittedly I saw it at the rather-small Clinton St. Theater in Portland, but it still worked), and it's a bummer more people didn't get to share that. Its tight running time of 78 minutes keeps things rather breezy, the charm of its low-tech indie spirit is infectious, and all it wants to do is have fun and give you a good time. That's something worth seeing, if you ask me.When it finally unleashes on VOD and DVD/Blu, I highly recommend this movie. Jason Trost's films are showing he's one of the few independent voices that want to cry out and make movies, for passion and not glory, and he and his crew deserve kudos for pulling off on a shoestring what studios haven't been able to accomplish with millions.

This movie is very simple; a man goes after his younger brother who is lost in a territory that has been mysteriously quarantined in an area that is desolate. Everything has been abandoned saved for a creature that has been killing humans and leaving their bodies to rot. Brian, our hero is tracking his brother Sam, who has been leaving clues as to whereabouts. These creatures in the area are going after Sam, who has been studying them, tracking them and learning their weaknesses. They are unable to detect you if you are around dead bodies or if you are covered with the remains of the dead (ashes). They are attracted to electricity and they can be seen with infrared. All these creatures nuances have been meticulously detailed in a book and left for Brian by Sam. The story progresses in delightful twists and turns, encapsulating the audience with the frantic chase between hunter and prey.As for the movie visuals, it was shot against the beautiful backdrop of Austrailia, with familiar landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House. The visuals capture the beautiful layout of the continent and simple shots add so much more to the story and the feeling of emptiness that amplify the story that there are only two beings on the entire continent.This character driven piece keeps you involved at all times. When you think that the scene will drag, something comes out of the dark and pulls you through an emotional roller coaster for a few seconds, then you are back again. This particular filmmaker is no stranger to making pieces on a low budget with superior casting and storyline and this specific film is no exception to his track record. How To Save Us is a great independent piece and should not be missed!