Being a protégé of the late, great Stan Winston has some baggage to go along with the greatness. On one hand, you helped create some of the greatest movie monsters and creatures in film history. On the other, you’re expected to live up to and carry on the quality that Stan Winston left after he passed away in 2008. Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis certainly proved themselves capable on the creature effects part, but Stan Winston also dabbled in directing, most notably Pumpkinhead. Unfortunately, Alec Gillis’ directorial debut Harbinger Down failed to live up to expectations, despite having fellow Winston pal Lance Henriksen in tow. Now after directing a couple of shorts over the past few years, it’s Tom Woodruff Jr.’s turn to take the plunge with Fire City: End of Days. From the results, it looks like Woodruff came out the better of the two.
You might not know it, but demons live amongst us. Disguised as us, they walk around, contributing to and feeding off of our miseries. For Atum Vine (Tobias Jelinek), his role is to keep the balance between the humans and demons in the apartment complex where he lives, so that this relationship continues. This involves him dealing drugs, but also preventing humans from getting killed. However, according to Cornelia, the Interpreter of Signs (Danielle Chuchran), things are changing. Humans are starting to no longer dwell in their misery, and as such demons are growing weaker. Atum must find out the reason for the change. And, after an encounter with a little girl named Sara (Keely Aloña) reaching out for help, also begins to question his role in this world, and what it means to be a demon.
In what seems like a no-brainer, the effects work in Fire City is amazing. Even on a Kickstarter budget, Woodruff and his company Amalgamated Dynamics, Incorporated (ADI) brings the skill and knowledge required to bring these creatures to life in a convincing fashion, and it’s very impressive. The ultimate test is in the scenes that occur in broad daylight, where you would think that work of this nature wouldn’t quite hold up. Luckily, the effects still manage to hold up, which is obviously a testament to how good Woodruff and company really are in their work.
Of course, it doesn’t matter how good the effects are if the acting and performances don’t pull their weight. Thankfully, we get some good performances from our principals. Tobias Jelinek turns in an emotional performance, and even in the scenes without his demon makeup, still maintains a threatening presence when needed. Keely Aloña also performs well as Sara, managing to turn in a believable performance for a child actor, without coming across as one-dimensional or annoying. On the antagonistic side of things, Danielle Chuchran also does well as Cornelia, providing a ruthless and almost desperate character wanting to end her people’s famine, no matter the cost. Thanks in large part to the script by Michael Hayes and Brian Lubocki, the film manages to have both the more intimate and emotional moments (such as Vine’s interactions with Sara, and his increasing internal conflicts), as well as the darker moments. It really does come across as a film noir with demons thrown in for good measure. Plus, in a particular scene involving Kimberly Leemans’ character Amber interrupting a meal between two residents in the apartment, Woodruff puts in a little humour and cheesecake. Much appreciated.
On the negative side of things, the film’s indie origins raises its ugly head a few times. There are some effects, that while impressive, don’t quite hold up as well as others (some questionable CGI effects at the end, for instance). The Tarqus and Ford demon characters exhibit some questionable ADR, and in one club scene, it’s pretty obvious that plastic sheets covering the walls are covering up the fact that the location isn’t exactly a club. Also, in spite of some good performances, there are a few moments where the acting is on the amateur side. As a result, the film feels more in line with a TV pilot rather than a theatrical production.
Still, the good aspects of Fire City: End of Days outweigh its limitations and shortcomings. Woodruff and company have taken a film noir concept and tweaked it to the horror side of things, which is definitely interesting. Also, it can’t be said enough how the makeup effects outshine the film’s indie origins. Coupled with some consistent acting, Fire City: End of Days is certainly worth watching at least once for horror fans looking for a unique spin on demons and their place in the horror world.
