Movies

[Sundance ’12] Review: ‘Black Rock’ Survival Hampered By Character’s Dumb Decisions

Published

12 years ago

January 30, 2012

One of the Sundance films I was personally most excited to see was Black Rock, Katie Aselton’s survival horror tale that followed three childhood friends as they set aside their personal issues and reunite for a girls’ weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine. One wrong move turns their weekend getaway into a deadly fight for survival.

Written and produced by the Mumblecore kings known as the Duplass brothers, who burst onto the scene with their Sundance entry Baghead, I expected a bit more. Here’s what Ryan Daley had to say:

“There’s plenty of nail-biting tension in ‘Black Rock’, but that tension fades with every stupid decision the characters make, and audience frustration eventually builds to the bursting point. It‘s one of those movies that makes you want to yell at the screen.”

Click the title above for the entire review. Keep up with all of our Sundance coverage here. Watch for interviews this coming week!

Brad Miska

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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Movies

‘Monster’ – Indonesian Remake of ‘The Boy Behind the Door’ Heading to Netflix

Published

29 seconds ago

April 24, 2024

Meagan Navarro

An Indonesian remake of Justin Powell andDavid Charbonier’s intense 2021 thriller The Boy Behind the Door, titled Monster, is on its way. Netflix has unveiled images from the twisted thriller ahead of its debut on the streaming service.

In Monster, “After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.”

As of now, Netflix hasn’t set an official date for Monster, only that it’s coming soon.

Monster is directed by Rako Prijanto and written by Alim Sudio. It stars Sultan Hamonangan, Anantya Kirana, Alex Abbad, and Marsha Timothy.

The Boy Behind the Door follows twelve-year-old Bobby and his best friend, Kevin, as they’re abducted from a park. Bobby wakes alone in a trunk and escapes, only to return when he realizes his best friend is still held captive inside a desolate house.

The Indonesian remake gender swaps the ill-fated kids embarking on a harrowing cat-and-mouse chase to escape, but, according to an interview with Kapanlagi, Monster also updates the original story by making one of the main characters mute. Meaning, expect very little dialogue in this update. The change will likely make the horror-thriller even more suspenseful, which is saying a lot considering how intense The Boy Behind the Door is.

I wrote in my review of The Boy Behind the Door that “it gives a unique and intense spin on the home invasion. The constant ratcheting of tension leaves you alternating between edge-of-your-seat panic and cringe-worthy repulsion; this thriller isn’t afraid to put its children through absolute hell.”

Check out new images from Monster below, as well as a tense trailer from the film’s premiere at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival last November.

Stay tuned for an official release date as it’s announced, but expect this to arrive on Netflix soon.

Scary woman in Monster