After Dark Film Fest has unleashed their newest batch of wannabe horror movies. Some have the heart to make it in the horror world, but Ian stone just doesn't.
The After Dark Film Festival, which brings lesser known horror films to the big screen and then releases them to DVD, first appeared in 2007. Following suit, 2008 brought forth another 8 films to die for. Unfortunately, even after a lackluster first bunch of movies, the 2008 films are even more disappointing.
Take for example the film The Deaths of Ian Stone. This film should come with a disclaimer stating that it is not a horror film. Just joking! But seriously, it is more like a thriller done in the style of Minority Report or Blade Runner. The story starts off great and does an excellent job of capturing the viewer’s attention. However, everything goes downhill after the plot is revealed. Imagine taking Groundhog Day, Dark City, and Monster Inc., and combining them into one movie. The product would be The Deaths of Ian Stone.
The Set Up
In the beginning, we see a young man seemingly at the top of his game. However, the viewer gets a quick, unsuspecting glimpse of the tragedy that is Ian Stone after the young man encounters a demon on a set of train tracks. At first, the movie is gripping and confusing (the good kind of confusing). The viewer is dragged into the movie as Stone begins to switch lives after being killed by demons. He is, of course, none the wiser to his situation, as he tends to forget all about his past life when he awakens the next day. Fortunately for Stone (but not for the viewer), he runs into an old tramp that has the low down on Stones’ situation. This is where the movie gets bad. Turns out there are an elite group of demons who survive by scaring innocent people and feeding on their fear. Of course, Stone is one of these feeders turned rogue. The story takes form of various chase scenes, blurred death scenes, and grimacing one-liners. Stone eventually embraces his evil spirit and meets the demon onslaught head on.
After Dark Film Fest Disappointments
Because the ADFF bills their movies as too scary for theaters, or too graphic for most viewers, people tend to watch the movies without researching them. Obviously, if the movie was really any good, it would get a wide release outside of the film fest. But, truth be told, horror movies are better when they aren’t mainstreamed. This film however really just does not amount to anything. The acting is sub par, the story is dull, and the effects are laughable (check out Stone when he turns into a demon, and then compare him to Ron Perlman from the live action Beauty and the Beast TV show from the 80’s).
Horror movies need to stick to their archetypes; cheap scares, gore, sympathy for the protagonist, and tense moments of decision. When a movie, like this one, strays and tries to hard, it simply comes up flat. Anyone trying to refute this lackluster movie should be referred to the Nickelodeon series Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. This kid’s show has the same plot as The Deaths of Ian Stone, but is much scarier.
