A Far Cry From Home (2008) - By Duane L. Martin

Film Reviews: A Far Cry From Home (2008) - By Duane L. Martin
Posted on Monday, February 02, 2009 @ 18:06:15 Mountain Standard Time by Duane

A while back I reviewed another film from Alan Rowe Kelly called The Blood Shed. The talent I saw displayed in that film was beyond anything I ever expected, and the attention to detail was just unbelievable. For a while now, I've been aware of A Far Cry From Home, and just waiting with eager anticipation too see if the magic of The Blood Shed was just a one off, or if Alan Rowe Kelly is truly the talent I believed him to be. So how'd he do on this outing? Well, let's put it this way. To use the work genius to describe the talent I saw displayed here would be to diminish what was ultimately one of the best horror thrillers I've seen in a very long time, if not ever.

A Far Cry From Home is the story of an age separated gay couple out on a vacation, trying to get past the problems of their age difference and the problems it causes in their relationship. While out driving around in the Pennsylvania wilderness, they happen upon a backwoods hex shop run by a crazed sect of homophobic killers (Katherine O'Sullivan, Jerry Murdock & Benzy) led by "The Preacher Man" (Terry West). The vacation comes to an abrupt end when the younger of the couple, Kayle (Don Money), disappears into the store and doesn't return. After Lane (Alan Rowe Kelly) goes in looking for his lover, their car suddenly takes off, leaving Lane thinking that Kayle has abandoned him out in the middle of nowhere. He soon discovers however that something far more ominous has happened, and now as things become more and more frightening, Kayle just wants to get the hell out of there. Unfortunately, he escapes right into the grasp of The Preacher Man, and soon finds himself in a desperate and nightmarish quest for survival.

A Far Cry From Home is categorically one of the best films of this genre that it's been my pleasure to review. Every element needed to make a suspenseful, exploitation style thriller are present in this film, and it's all just flawlessly executed. The acting is beyond intense, the set design is immaculate, the gore and effects are incredibly well done as are all the other technical aspects of this film and the fight for survival against the psychotic religious zealots will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The best part, is that the way the story plays out to its completion isn't done in the least bit of a cookie cutter way, maintaining the suspense and shock value until the very end of the film.

So lets start with the acting. I don't know how to explain it, but the brilliance of the acting in this film is a huge reason why the story is so immersive and engrossing. I had expected brilliant performances, but man...the religious nuts especially were just over the top in creating a sense not only of disgust, but also utter terror.

The set design...I don't even know how to describe it. It truly was flawless. If you could picture some creepy, back woods hex shop in your head, you'd see exactly what we see in this film. All the bizarre items scattered around the shop, the building itself and the whole atmosphere of the place was just amazing. It's one of the finest examples of how set design is so incredibly important to the feel of a film. Aside from the shop itself, the rest of the film was shot outdoors, but there were a few man made settings out there as well that were crafted with equal skill. The corpses and such that were used all looked realistic and only served to add to the realism of the situation.

Then there's the gore and effects. I'm at a loss for words to describe how well these were done. Impressive just seems like too tame of a word, but highly impressed is how I felt when I saw the effects work done in this film. Michael Todd Schneider, Benzy and Brian Spears did the special effects and make-up fx for this film, and seeing how it was all handled, it was like a master course on how to do it right. These guys get a standing ovation from me for some genuinely fine work. Everything looked realistic and was so beautifully executed that it added immensely to the already overwhelming sense of terror.

The technical aspects of the film were also superbly done and highly professional. The sound was great, the lighting was perfect, the camera set up and shots were just as they should be for every scene. You can really see the hard work that went into crafting this film. The editing moved the story along nicely, and coming in at a bit over forty minutes, this film was tight and not any longer or shorter than it should have been.

All in all, there's not one single thing I'd change about this film. That's just how good it was. If you're a fan of exploitation, horror or suspense thrillers, then this is an absolute must see film. Even if you aren't, see it anyway. You may just become a fan after seeing it.

This film is currently showing at various film festivals and will be included in a horror anthology being put together by Alan Rowe Kelly and Anthony G. Sumner called Gallery of Fear.

If you'd like to find out more about this film and the other films included in the upcoming anthology, you can check out the MySpace page here.