One of the best
experiences you can have when watching a low budget shocker is finding a film
that knows exactly what it is and strives to stay within the confines of its
resources. Dena Hysell demonstrates her mastery of this concept with her newest
offering, Ascent to Hell, by fully committing to the B movie facade and
ultimately breaking through it with the use of restrained camerawork, a handful
of well-placed homages, and a cast who have fun with the material. Hysell
combines these elements to deliver a ghost story that revels in the simplistic
foundation of its design and comfortably toys with the inherent boundaries.
Azura Skye stars as a
real estate agent who is given an odd assignment which involves selling an old
and possibly haunted factory to an up and coming millennial celebrity and her
entourage. Skye is no stranger to the horror genre and she approaches the lean
material with a graceful sense of commitment, keeping the focus on the story at
hand rather than her character's initial plight. She is supported by
Cayleb Long who portrays a construction expert who becomes enamored with the
unusual elements of the factory. As with Skye, Long does an excellent job
in keeping with the theme, but it is his understated display of academic
curiosity that steals the focus. The rest of the cast is an expected
mismatch of victims, but how they meet their various ends is one of the film's
strongest advantages. Golan Ramras's script is surprisingly abrupt with
its killings and conservative with the violence, contrasting other small
projects who attempt to mask shoestring budgets with buckets of blood.
Will Turner's
cinematography initially appears innocuous, however once the action moves inside
the factory, his adherence with the film's theme of moderation shines.
The use of odd angles, typically found in horror films is remarkably low
and instead long, sweeping takes are used to capture the budding group dynamics
between the victims and to enhance the feeling of lonely suffocation that runs
throughout the movie. Natural light and deep shadows are used to great
effect to keep everything mysterious. One of the more interesting visual
choices is that vibrant coffee colored historical scenes are edited within to
mirror their modern counterparts, symbolizing the "life" of the
supernatural and the impending doom of the living.
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| I guess hell is up these steps. Cannot wait to get there! |
Hysell allows more
indulgence in the homage department. William Ryall's central specter has
an unmistakable similarity to Herk Harvey's harrying wraith in Carnival of
Souls, showcasing Jessica Toth and Kaela Dobson's creepy makeup designs. Black
smudges of former victims who hunger to be among the living conjure references
to Kurosawa's Pulse, while Mj Mynarski's horn infused score is a throwback to
the noir atmosphere that pervades the past world intruding on the present.
Available now for
digital rental, Ascent to Hell is a film that gives you exactly what you expect
and even a few surprises. The usual suspects are present, such as a cheesy,
but fun script filled with cliché' characters hamming it up and doing their
best to appear scared despite it being obvious how much fun their having.
However, Ascent to Hell never tries to be anything more and that is the
best part. There's some excellent aspects that are punctuated by an
ending that you will almost certainly see coming, and yet will still be
surprised by how Hysell takes the predictable into unexpected territory, the
undeniable hallmark of this scrappy, architectural haunting.
Score
-Kyle Jonathan