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[Fantasia Review] ‘The Night Eats the World’ is a Well-crafted Nightmare

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If you’re fatigued from an over-saturation of zombie movies, don’t lose faith just yet. Writer/director Dominique Rocher’s feature debut The Night Eats the World is a refreshing take on the zombie film, meditating on the toll that trauma and loneliness can take on one’s mind.

The film follows Sam (Anders Danielsen Lie) who, in an effort to retrieve some of his belongings, arrives at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment just as she’s throwing a huge party. She sends Sam to a quiet room and tells him to wait there for her so they can have a chat. Sam falls asleep there, only to awake the next day and find Paris overrun with the living dead. He goes into survival mode, ultimately deciding to hunker down at the now-silent party house and make do for as long as he can. From there, the film captures Sam’s decline from an optimistic survivor making the best of a terrible situation to a fearful waif.

A slow burn throughout, The Night Eats the World keeps its cards close to its chest. The film is low-key, save for small bursts of tension-filled dread. Taking on the narrative from a seldom-explored perspective, most of the horror of Sam’s predicament – stay and risk running out of resources or leave and risk being caught by the undead lingering outside his door – actually stems from the character’s own psyche rather than from the monsters. Relatedly, horror is found in the mundane parts of life that become difficult in moments of crisis. This allows viewers to consider their own actions in such a situation, and makes us that much more invested in the story. There will certainly be those who will miss the chaos and violence found in most zombie flicks, but Rocher’s film deftly ratchets up plenty of tension without those elements.

While some of the dialogue may be clunky, writers Guillaume Lemans, Jérémie Guez, and Rocher give Sam other, more intriguing means of expression. For instance, he is provided with a confidant in the form of one of the undead, trapped in the apartment elevator, reaching and biting slowly and hungrily at Sam each time he walks by or talks at him.

Additionally, Rocher’s subtle direction articulates a true vulnerability and sense of terror in our protagonist. While Sam may not have many full conversations wherein he can express how he’s feeling, we can see it in the way his body gradually becomes more gaunt, in the ornate, visually compelling rituals he performs to maintain a sense of normalcy, and in his sheer desperation for companionship. Where The Night Eats the World stumbles in terms of messy dialogue (and some awkward delivery), it regains its footing with its imagery.

The Night Eats the World is a great choice for the patient horror fan who appreciates a film that takes its time. The Night Eats the World is a well-crafted nightmare that holds its own among the best zombie films in recent memory.

Dog dad, film lover, horror fan, and bookworm. Used to be 5% more punk than he is now. Please follow @DaxEbaben on twitter

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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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