“When police officer Carter (Aaron Poole) discovers a blood-soaked man limping down a deserted road, he rushes him to a local hospital with a barebones, night shift staff. As cloaked, cult-like figures surround the building, the patients and staff inside start to turn ravenously insane. Trying to protect the survivors, Carter leads them into the depths of the hospital where they discover a gateway to immense evil.”
“This Is Hell”
Aaron Poole, Kathleen Munroe, Ellen Wong, Kenneth Walsh, Evan Stern, Daniel Fathers, and Grace Munro star in the horror written and directed by Gillespie and Kostanski. Drawing heavily from H.P Lovecraft the two have crafted a claustrophobic but ultimately very satisfying movie.
From the slow build in Act One where the audience is introduced to the main characters. To the sequel promising final 30 seconds, ‘The Void’ is a movie that delivers. Gillespie and Kostanski have given the audience well thought out characters. Poole shines as police officer Daniel Carter. He plays a broken man trying his best to keep his sanity and other characters safe. Through clever flashbacks and jarring imagery, the audience follows as Carter is forced to face cultists and hellish demons in the claustrophobic hospital setting.
Kathleen Munroe also steals every scene she is in as Allison Fraser. Her traumatic past and fractured relationship with Carter provide a rich tapestry trying into the overall story. She is a character you can’t help but root for and despite having some of the more traumatic scenes in the movie. There is never any doubt in her character’s motivations and more importantly, you care about her.
“Statistically you’re more likely to die in a hospital than anywhere else.”
The abandoned hospital setting is just as important to the movie as the monsters and terrifying soundtrack. With the characters forced to stay there, it’s more than just a location. It was a clever decision by Gillespie and Kostanski to keep the action in a stationary location. Anyone who’s played a Silent Hill game will feel right at home with the setting.
Aside from a group of very talented actors, a fantastic and haunting soundtrack and tightly written script, it’s the makeup that truly shines. Without giving away any spoilers, the choice of using makeup and conventional effects is a breath of fresh air. CGI heavy horror movies are so commonplace it’s always a nice change of pace to see monsters made up from scratch. Comparisons to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser are understandable and while the movie is gore-heavy, at no point does it feel gratuitous.
If you like H.P Lovecraft, John Carpenters The Thing or Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. ‘The Void’ is the film for you. If you enjoy haunting soundtracks that will stay with you for days. This is the movie for you. If you love films that don’t tie everything up neatly at the end, then ‘The Void’ is for you. It may be too early to call the Best Horror of 2017 but ‘The Void’ is definitely a contender for the title.
