It’s been a day since I got back from Scare-A-Con: New England. The convention review will be up either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week as I want to talk about "Exposure", the film that headlined the film portion of the convention first.
When I first heard that “Exposure” was going to make its premiere at Scare-A-Con: New England, I was excited about this. First, this was a premiere which are things that I love going to and it features one of my favorite cult actresses Lynn Lowry who I also got a chance to meet this past weekend. The film is about a couple (Carman Anello, Owen Lawless) who move to the woods to work on their problems that have been plaguing them. Soon, something mysteriously happens as they discover something sinister is lurking and its turning people into something hideous. Now, they are forced to fight this thing and survive while trying to save whatever is left in their relationship.
One of the things that I like to usually do at conventions is walk the floor, catch up with friends that I usually only see at conventions and check out the film program. I’ve manage to find some really good films there that have eventually made it to my DVD and Blu-Ray collection. Films like the convention documentary “Fantasm” directed by Kyle Kuchta, co-director of the upcoming documentary “Survival of the Film Freaks” and the clown vampire horror comedy “The Night Watchmen” which I saw at RI Comic Con back in November of last year. Both of those films are in my collection as they were great finds. I can’t wait to add “Exposure” to the collection after its film festival run as I enjoyed this a lot.
One of the things that I liked about this film was Austin Snell’s direction. and the way that he shoots this film. He does a very good job making sure he keeps the film moving. Whether it’s the way that he directs the dialogue scenes to how he approaches the last third of the film, everything is done in a way that it keeps you interested and invested with the story. This film is one of those slow burn films where it’s confined to one area and can be tough to sit through but he manages to make sure he directs his actors in a way that made me interested in the story and the main characters. The other thing that I liked was the way that Snell shoots this film. He does a great job capturing the area as its looks beautiful. The look of it had the feel of a late 70’s, early 80’s horror film. It helped makes the film standout and look professional.
The performances here were very good. Going into this film, my main reason for watching this was Lynn Lowry being in it. After watching this, my major takeaway of the film was the performances from the film’s leads Carmen Anello and Owen Lawless. Both of them did a great job with the way they approached their characters as the both of them had great chemistry with each other as you could buy their characters as a couple. It’s what made this work as a whole for me as I liked their performances a lot. When that happens in an independent horror film, then you’ve most likely made one hell of a film because it’s more about the film and its main stars than the big horror names you put in it.
The screenplay written by Snells and Jake Jackson was a good one. One of the things that I thought was done very well was the fact they do a very good job on focusing and developing the relationship between the two characters during the course of the film. It made me become interested in those characters and it made me forget that Lynn Lowry was in this film and had a small role. The other thing that I liked about it was the way the writers build up the suspense. They do that by spending the time making sure you’re getting to know the couple while slowly building up the tension that each character is going through. By doing that, it makes the action and campiness work very well in the final act that you come out of this film enjoying it.
I urge to check this film out when it’s playing at a film festival near you as this a fun and entertaining film. With its good direction and excellent performances, “Exposure” will creep you out as you’re having a good time.
The next screening for “Exposure” will take place on July 14th at the Crypticon: Kansas City Horror Convention and Film Festival in St. Joseph, MO. The screening will take place at 2:15 CDT. Can’t make it there, the film will screen in Lawrence, KS on July 21st as part of the Lawrence Field Day Fest in Lawrence, KS at 3:45 CDT.
For more information on this film, you can visit the film’s Facebook page at : https://www.facebook.com/exposurethefilm.
Review Rating: Five Stars
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