Putting a unique spin on a tired genre, ‘The Last Winter’ may be this fall’s best hope for a solid horror flick . . . if it can truly be considered a horror film rather than a suspense thriller - though if we call that into question, we might also ask if it’s truly an independent feature given the size of the budget, the number of career cast members, and the fact that it’s backed by a major independent studio (is that an oxymoron or what?) - but I digress, so let’s not split hairs. Perhaps we’ll discuss the politics of ‘True Indie Film’ and ‘Hollyweird Indie’ at some later point. That said . . .
Using environment and natural circumstance as the basis for the chills (pun intended, and yes, it’s a bad one), the unpretentious tension of the film is evident even in the less-than-two minute trailer. Furthermore, unlike many of its ‘horror’ counterparts of late, the fear in this film is tangible because of its clever concoction of probability and uncertainty. Are the spooks a manifestation of isolation psychology resulting from the research team’s long exile in the remote Alaskan tundra, or is there some supernatural force working upon the group? Given the mystical history of the natives and/or the scientific facts of human psychological reaction to existence in such a scenario, either could be true.
Even without the spatter-encrusted special effects of films like Rob Zombie’s ‘Halloween’ revisitation, this film has potential as an honest heart rate accellerant, with a side of blood chilling (yes, there’s that bad pun again) introspective analysis on the human psyche.
Technorati Tags: The Last Winter, independent, Alaska, horror, tundra, native, isolation, supernatural, Halloweeen, Rob Zombie
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