In Deadly Revisions, Bill Oberst Jr.’s character Grafton Torn states that “a blank page is my nemesis”. And really, I have to agree. There are times when as a writer (or reviewer, whichever you prefer), I’m stuck for things to say. It’s one of those neverending struggles that even the best writers succumb to once in a while. How you get out of it is one of those things that varies between individuals. Hypnosis? Seems a little drastic and unorthodox. But when you’re a first-time director/writer like Gregory Blair with Deadly Revisions, I suppose going all out has its advantages.
After waking up in a hospital bed with no memory of the past six months, horror writer Grafton Torn (Bill Oberst Jr.) is left trying to piece together just what happened. Thorn’s friend and collaborator, Dieter McMannus (Mikhail Blokh), attempts to help Thorn get his life back together and get busy writing again. Unfortunately, Thorn’s memories are still clouded, and is haunted by terrifying visions of his own creations. A hypnotherapist (Cindy Merrill) visits Grafton regularly, and Dieter lends Thorn his secluded cabin in order to help jump-start things. However, as the memories start to come back, the visions increase, and so do speculations on what Thorn did six months prior.
I’ve mentioned before in my review for the lackluster Werewolf Rising how Bill Oberst Jr. was the sole bright spot in that film. In Deadly Revisions, he once again puts on a great show, and is a great character actor. Oberst wonderfully portrays Thorn as a damaged individual progressively deteriorating until he’s teetering on the edge of a breakdown. It also helps that he has that distinctively craggy face. As for the rest of the acting, both Blokh turns in an acceptable performance, and readily comes across as believable when it comes to the relationship between Deter and Thorn, particularly in the lighthearted conversations at the start of the film. Likewise, Merrill also performed well, showing compassion for Thorn in his struggles.
I’m always a sucker for great psychological horror films, and Deadly Revisions hit many of the right notes. Gregory Blair has crafted a story that starts out slowly, gradually builds up its characters and tension while throwing in a few twists along the way. And as always, the obligatory creepy imagery is a necessary ingredient. There’s little in the way of blood and gore, but when your story and its characters are the focus, that’s immediately forgiven.
Despite having a great lead and a good story, the film does suffer a bit in the pacing department. The film did drag a bit in spots, which could have been remedied with tighter editing. Also, despite Blokh and Merrill’s acting, they did have some moments of stiffness, and were largely overshadowed by Oberst’s performance. Lastly, while I can appreciate what Blair was attempting to do with some of the lower-lit scenes, there were shots that were almost pitch black and almost nothing could be seen. First-time directorial mistake on an indie production, so it’s not really major.
Frankly, even without Bill Oberst handling the lead, Deadly Revisions probably could’ve been a nice slice of indie psychological horror, thanks in part to a well-crafted story. Having Oberst on board makes the film that much more attractive. While it’s not without flaws, Gregory Blair manages to pull off the double duty as writer and director that all too often consumes and dooms ambitious indie productions. Definitely check this one out if you’re looking to see how the independent scene is handling slow-burn affairs.
Video/Audio:
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer sports some great colour and adequate details, although it’s marred by a few instances of aliasing issues, namely moiring in some fabrics. As previously mentioned in the review, there are shots where the purposeful lack of light leaves areas in pitch black, where nothing is seen. The transfer also seems to have either been shot at a higher framerate than normal, or had a “smoothing” effect done to the actor and camera movements, giving it an odd, unnatural feel. Apart from that, there’s no real glaring flaws in the overall transfer.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track does its job, with nothing really standing out or having any drawbacks. The score is balanced with the dialogue, and is unobtrusive. Likewise, speech is free of distortion, although there are moments where dialogue is muffled due to lack of a boom mic. The lack of any subtitles makes this all the more frustrating. Still, the track is serviceable and does its job.
Supplements:
The only extras are a Blooper Reel where actors blow their lines, mics get in the way, props don’t behave, etc., and two trailers.