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[Review] ‘Harbinger Down’ Is a Bleak, Tiring and Vanilla Creature Feature

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Harbinger Down

With Hollywood abusing CGI, the promise of a practical effects heavy creature feature is just what the horror doctor ordered.

Arriving on VOD and in select theaters on August 7th is the crowd-sourced Harbinger Down, the directorial debut of Stan Winston protege Alec Gillis, with ADI (aka Amalgamated Dynamics) co-founder Tom Woodruff, Jr. producing. The duo promised to deliver a tense, claustrophobic creature film that would feature only practical animatronic and makeup effects. The latter proved to be true.

While the concept behind Harbinger Down is simple (alien-like creature running amok on a ship), the actual plot is dense and confusing. The press release explains that it’s about a group of grad students studying the effects of global warming in the Bering Sea. The ship’s crew dredges up a recently thawed piece of old Soviet space wreckage that contains the film’s “creature”. The Russians experimented with tardigrades, which are tiny resilient animals able to withstand the extremes of space radiation. The creatures survived, only they’re now mutated and incredibly deadly.

And while many of the effects are cool, per se, the lack of filmmaking experience bleeds onto the screen. Gillis and Woodruff, Jr. may know how to create the coolest of horror effects, but they have no idea how to capture them on film – nor hold back when necessary. The creature work on screen becomes gluttonous, hanging on many shots until the viewer can see just how fake and rubbery everything is. On the other end, the camerawork at times is frantic and messy, as if done in hopes of hiding the rubbery look of the filmmakers’ creations that look way too fake in HD.

The worst offense Harbinger Down makes is becoming a The Thing/Alien fan film. Instead of doing something new, it feels like a poorly executed and assembled rehash of the aforementioned classics. Was it overly ambitious? Maybe. But, at the end of the day, a film needs to be judged by what ends up on screen, not how much love went into it. With that said, Harbinger Down is more of an extremely boring Syfy movie than a new sci-fi horror classic.

Even with the overuse of effects, Harbinger Down could have been saved with a solid screenplay. Unfortunately, there’s no good news here, either. Beyond the frustratingly complex set up, it’s impossible to tell who the film’s protagonist is. Is it Aliens star Lance Henriksen? Or maybe it’s the bland and forgettable Saide, played by Camille Balsamo (above, right)? Weirdly, I started to think the Russian character, Svet (Milla Bjorn), was the film’s homage to Ripley. Bjorn (above, left) delivers a powerhouse of a performance that holds the film on her back, at least until she’s abducted by the creature.

I really wanted to like Harbinger Down, but felt burned out by the end credits. It’s a bleak, tiring and vanilla creature feature that’s sadly forgettable. I don’t recommend going down with the ship.

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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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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