Post by Mr.HoRrOr on Feb 2, 2006 13:52:52 GMT -5
Plot:Based upon a true story about a Kentucky hospital built in 1910 where 63,000 people died from a disease known as the, "white plaque". Upon their death they traveled through what they call the "Death Tunnel",where the dead and dying were carried through a massive Five hundred foot underground Tunnel to their final resting place. The story involves Five girls on a college initiation, dared to spend the night separately on the Five floors of this sanatorium, with the Five ghosts that exist within it's abandoned corridors. Will they make it through the night? For the only way out is through...the Death Tunnel.
Cast:
Steffany Huckaby
Annie Burgstede
Kristin Novak
Jason Lasater
Melanie Lewis
Yolanda Pecoraro
My Thoughts:Atmospheric, spooky,scary at times, but WTF was up with the ending?
Review:It seems lately that the good haunted house movies are coming out of the direct-to-dvd market. Anthony C. Ferrantes "Boo", which was released last year October, and now Philip Adrian Booths "Death Tunnel", which hits dvd February 28th. "Death Tunnel" which is set in Kentucky, is the story of a sorority initiation gone horribly wrong. 5 Girls are dropped off on separate floors of an abandoned hospital, and the object of the game is to find their way out of the hospital. This abandoned hospital has a very dark past however, as it was where a vast number of people died from a disease known as the "white plague". It also has a huge corridor nicknamed "The Death Tunnel", which is where the ones who were dead or near death were dumped to live out the last few days, or hours of their lives. What makes this movie so cool, is that the hospital is actually a real landmark in Kentucky which was built in 1910, and it did actually house people dying from a very fatal disease. That knowledge really adds to the overall ora of the film. Now as for whether it's haunted or not, damned if I know...but in this movie, it sure as hell is. In fact, as convienient as it is to go along with there being 5 young ladies in this place, the hospital is also haunted by 5 ghosts. Actually 6 if you count one of the apparitions being twin sisters. "Death Tunnel" also steals a bit from "Saw 2", with the organizers of the initiation game watching the action on every floor, via tv screens set up in a hidden room. Theres even a creepy voice that shows up in the movie to remind us every now and then of how many girls are still left alive, each time one bites the dust...and ironically enough, this voice is similar to that of Jigsaw!
Watching this movie you would think the director Philip Adrian Booth, watched "Saw" and "House on Haunted Hill" (remake) and then got the idea for "Death Tunnel",
Because it takes alot from both movies. The creepy visuals, flashy editing, and storyline surrounding the haunted hospital all mimic that of what took place in "House on Haunted Hill 1999". This however isn't a terrible thing, as Booth puts his own little spin on everything, and creates quite a creepy and at times disturbing haunted house flick. Booth also knows this subgenre very well, and throws in everything thats needed to create a successful formula that works. Blood,gore, freaky looking ghosts, disturbing visuals out of nowhere, they're all in this film and they all come at the right time as so not to damage the pacing of the film.
The dark, dingy, foggy atmosphere of the hospital also lends a very large helping hand in setting the films mood and overall feel.The lead female characters of the movie who are three very good looking women, start out lacking of character development. But as the movie goes on, and the mysterious dark past of the hospital begins to unfold, the main 3 leading ladies played by Steffany Huckaby, Annie Burgstede, and Kristin Novak who plays the "mean girl" of the film...become more and more vital to the story, all the while spending most of the film being chased all over the place by the hospitals otherwordly residents. The male lead played by Jason Lasater does pretty good in his role also even though he doesn't end up mattering too much until the end, which speaking of, was a real let down. Booth does such a great job with everything in this movie on a limited budget, and while you would think bad fx, or poor quality would be the poison pill for a movie like "Death Tunnel", it was the ridiculous waste of an ending that becomes this movies biggest downfall. Whats even worse about the ending, is that it refuses to tie into the story until the very end!
Ultimately, "Death Tunnel" is a smart,fun,eerie, and entertaining B horror movie. But when they end like this people, you just have to shake your head in disappointment that they were so close to getting the entire equation right.
Pros:Very atmospheric, pretty good performances by the actors, very creepy and unsettling visuals, solid story, not extremely bloody and gory but it gets the job done thats for sure,and overall it's a lot of fun to watch.
Cons:The ending of course.
Overall:I would suggest this film as a dvd buy rather than rent. It's a great b movie that has alot of qualities many other b movies lack, mainly a good story and decent performances. Despite it's lackluster ending, it's definitely worth your time.