Adapted from the novel “Cold Moon
Over Babylon” by Michael McDowell, who is known for supernatural
tales like Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas,
Cold Moon, successfully creates a creepy vibe a few times,
but ultimately falls flat.
It’s 1989 in swampy southern Babylon,
Florida. The Larkin family has multiple tragedies, and Nathan
Redfield (Josh Stewart), oldest son of James Renfield (Christopher
Lloyd), a prominent banker, is the culprit. He uses his position to
manipulate Sheriff Ted Hale (Frank Whaley) and his daughter Belinda
(Rachele Brooke Smith) into getting away with murder, but soon
enough, the spirits of those he has murdered haunt him, seeking their
revenge.
While the late 1980s wardrobe worn by
Belinda Hale throughout the movie is enjoyable, there doesn’t seem
to be any reason why it should be a period piece, other than book
that it was based on was published in 1980. The plot could have
taken place in any small town in any time period, and there isn’t
anything else nostalgic to bring the audience into the zeitgeist of
the late-80s. Maybe someone blasting “Welcome to The Jungle”
would have given me more context for the decade. The plot reminds me
of a recycled Stephen King plot; a man being haunted, literally or
figuratively, by his past actions. This makes sense since Michael
McDowell also wrote the screen adaptation for Stephen King’s
Thinner.
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| Damn, dude. Stop with the fog machine already. I'm trying to eat. |
One of the most memorable and stand out
aspects of this movie is the manner in which the characters speak.
I’m assuming they are all trying a southern accent for the sake of
realism, since the movie takes place in a Florida town, but
especially in the case of Nathan, the actors incredibly difficult to
understand. By the middle of the movie, it had become sort of a joke
to me whenever he spoke. Though that was fun, unfortunately, that did
cause the plot and the relationships between the characters to be
tough to follow.
The two top billed actors in this movie
are Frank Whaley and Christopher Lloyd. Don’t expect to see either
one of them that much, especially Christopher Lloyd, who only has two
scenes. The majority of the film follows Nathan Renfield. Tommy
Wisneau is one of the top billed cast, too. He is briefly seen in
the background of an outdoor crowd scene.
The characters are one dimensional, the
special effects are good enough, and the plot is convoluted. While I
sit and try to write this review, I try to piece together exactly how
everyone in town fit in, and all I can think is “what a mess”.
This movie also fails as a mystery, since the audience knows who the
killer is fairly early in the movie. Sheriff Hale is perhaps the
most ineffectual character in the history of cinema.
All in all, watching the movie isn’t
a bad experience, but it also isn’t that enjoyable either. The
aesthetic of a southern small town is pleasant, especially here in
the middle of a Michigan winter, but even though the scenes with the
ghosts were effective, they weren’t enough to save the film. Fans
of the supernatural subgenre might enjoy this one (though not one of
McDowell’s best), but fans of mystery could find it tedious.
-Mara Powell
