Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The Black Spot - Byway to the Danger Zone!

You may recall back in 2012, I reviewed a short film by UK filmmaker Luther Bhogal-Jones.  A short fear flick that had me thinking twice about checking out that strange noise I heard downstairs.  Now Luther is back with a new tale of terror, this time ensuring that I'll never stop for another stranded motorist or car broken down again!  Damn!

Comin' at ya in Psychotronic 3D!!!!!!!!

The Black Spot is a six minute micro-budget shocker that was shot on a £28 3D camera not much bigger than your standard Blackberry.  Without even getting into plot, I can already tell you that this is AWESOME!  Not only do you get the 2D version...but you also get a choice between the good ol' fashioned Red/Cyan anaglyph 3D (which of course requires a pair of hokey Red/Cyan cardboard 3D glasses to enjoy!) and also a more modern stereoscopic 3D for viewing on modern 3D televisions!  I've watched it all three ways and I personally love the good ol' fashioned Red/Cyan.  I'm a sucker for nostalgia.  So sue me.  The stereoscopic 3D is also very nice and actually produces a much crisper 3D image.....like I said, it was purely nostalgia that won me over with the anaglyph 3D.  Of course if all else fails, there's nothing wrong with good ol' 2D, though Bhogal-Jones specifically made this film to be seen in 3D...so you should at least attempt to view it that way.

Okay, so what's the film about?

A guy named Paul is stranded on a lonesome road out in the countryside.  Having no other options but to walk for help, Paul wanders his way down the road....passing an usual amount of missing person posters as well as floral arrangements commemorating someone's roadside death.  He eventually comes across what appears to be another car broken down on the side of the road.  What happens from there is what will keep me from stopping to help another stranded motorist ever again!  To say any more would be to give away the twist and of course you know that's not how I roll.

That is NOT a safe way to shave......
What I will say is that this is a worthy follow up to Creak.  It is quite opposite Creak in a good many ways.  Where as Creak took place at night, The Black Spot's horrors unfold during the day....granted it's a dreary, rainy day.  Creak involved a supernatural danger.  The Black Spot's antagonists are quite human.  I think.  Hey, I could be wrong!  Creak was very subtle and it built it's scares on tension and fear of the dark.  The Black Spot is in your face 3D, baby!  Get some!

Once again, Bhogal-Jones has proven himself a capable director.  He uses the film's 6 minute run time very well.  At such a length, there is no time for lengthy exposition....or much exposition at all.  It allows the viewer to fill in the blanks themselves.

Judging by the look on Paul's face this car is more trouble than it's worth

The soundtrack is quite effective in this film.  Written and orchestrated by  Mikolaj Holowko, the industrial soundtrack is a long way from it's original conception, which was a horror themed take on Art of Noise's "(Close) To The Edit"!  Coincidentally after learning this, I decided to watch the film silently, replacing the soundtrack with said pop song on loop.  Let's just say that it's a totally different experience.  Not quite on the level with The Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon....but still.....a fun little experiment!

The Black Spot is the second feature to fall under the Sincerely, Psycopath banner, which is reserved for horror fare from Faster Productions.  Next up is the short "Knock, Knock" which is currently in production (and I'm sure we'll get a chance to view here at Midnight Cinephile upon it's release!)

Luther Bhogal-Jones sets up a shot.

If you would like to watch The Black Spot, you can check it out here:

                                                  www.vimeo.com/fasterproductions

Final Thought:
The Black Spot is s tight little thriller that invokes a trashy grindhouse vibe in the best way, especially when viewed in Red./Cyan anaglyph 3D!  I can't wait to see what Luther comes up with next!

2 comments:

  1. I'm glad you had the opportunity to post a nice write-up of Mr. Bhogal-Jones 3-D short. I watched and enjoyed it, but my mother broke her hip a few weeks ago, and I haven't had any time to devote to a proper post. I was feeling a little guilty! I'm tempted to try it with Close (To The Edit) now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Luther is a great guy and I'm so pleased that he he sent me the film to review. I've been a fan of his since I reviewed his first film, Creak, last year.

    I hope that your mother is doing better and able to get back on her feet pain free soon, my friend. if ya need anything, let me know!

    Definitely give it a shot with Close (To The Edit)! It's fun!

    ReplyDelete