Review: Aliens: Zone of Silence

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While news of alien abductions and UFO sightings seem to enter the mainstream in intervals, the horror industry has churned out a near constant stream of encounter films for years. While many of these have proven to be terrifying endeavors, like The Fourth Kind and Dark Skies, some have used far too many effects, leaving a product that is less than desirable, like Skinwalker Ranch. But still, the fear of the unknown has stood the test of time, whether through creepy atmosphere or the fact that if and when they come, we'll all have little power to stop whatever they choose to do. The latest film to enter the string of alien flicks is Aliens: Zone of Silence, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

Following a young woman searching for her brother after he disappears in a Mexican desert, annoyingly named the "Zone of Silence." Aliens: Zone of Silence is far too similar to alien flicks before it. Like a mixture of last year's forgettable but entertaining Phoenix Forgotten and the indie horror film Banshee Chapter, this search-and-rescue mission has an ending that anyone could have seen coming, but without the horror that'd allow you to overlook it. It stars Sarah Hestler (American Satan), Peter Gesswein (A Plea for Tenderness) and Jed Maheu (51).


Aliens: Zone of Silence might be worth your time if you're looking to lose an hour and 20 minutes of your life with little recollection of how it was spent. But otherwise, it's best avoided. Less likeable and shallower characters leave this half-baked flick feeling like a dud. Sure it's not offensively bad, but in some ways, maybe it should have been. Then maybe it'd infamously be remembered for something; even if that thing is laughable.


Sure, Phoenix Forgotten was just the desert version of the Blair Witch Project, but at least the characters felt more entertaining and the scares were at least somewhat adequate. But, this bland copycat never really makes any progression or moves that haven't been done better a hundred times over. So much of it relies on shaky, broken cameras and bright lights in the sky that the shallow characters never seem to be in the great of danger.


The fact is, Aliens: Zone of Silence is just plain and boring. There are no thrills, no interesting characters and little to zero plot line. Horror films don't have to be perfect, but they should at least fulfill something. By the time Aliens ends though, you'll have instantly moved on, having forgotten what you wasted time on and that is almost worse than wishing you had your time back. 4 out 10.

The Overlook: Thirst

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Today's article is brought to you by brevity. Brevity: because life gets busy.

Amazon Prime is kind of a wasteland when it comes to horror movies. For every semi-good one, there are about 80 others that are nearly unwatchable. It's a dumpster playground of poorly acted, mediocrely put together monstrosities that make horror look less like a marketable genre and more like a joke. That's why, when coming across even a semi descent flick, something needs to be said.

Today, we recognize the watchable film, Thirst. By no means as polished or entertaining as it could have been, the indie creature feature telling the story of a group of troubled teens escaping the clutches of a chameleon-like alien is sometimes over-the-top. But, for a movie with little to no stakes to put into it, Thirst is a pretty good find.

Thirst finds a reformation camp in the desert attacked by a giant alien who picks off the family run business and the teens who occupy it. It stars John Redlinger (Nashville), Jes Macallan (Mistresses) as Claire and Karl Makinen (Conspiracy Theory) as Burt.  Like many of the recent films acknowledged on this site, there is a collection of even lesser known supporting characters that, in various capacities, fill their role properly.

This movie is something someone would most definitely watch half-asleep on a rainy afternoon, but it'll be able to maintain and mandate enough attention to keep those willing, awake. It never becomes revolutionary but, for what it is, it can definitely put audiences in a nostalgic mood reminiscent of yesteryears' creature features.

Thirst isn't anything fantastic. It's a pretty ridiculous film, but definitely provides enough entertainment for an afternoon in. With what was a presumably small budget, the uniqueness of this film is commendable, even if its execution isn't. There aren't many scares but the stark landscape and love-to-hate characters give a certain easy-viewing vibe that can be calming, if nothing else. It's got deaths scenes that are fun and a Chiller network atmosphere, which considering all of the actual duds on Prime, is a huge step up.

 

 

Best in Show: Horror Landscapes (Pt. II of II)

The follow up to yesterday's list:

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5. Australian Mangrove Swamp (Black Water)

Having just recently seen this movie, there may be some relevancy giving it a boost onto this list, but having had had it in my peripherals for years, it is without a doubt, worthy. The murky, shallow waters of Black Water are deeply troubling. The foreign horror film is definitely one of those movies that greatly benefits from its remote and beautiful, but scary location. While the audience sits there hopeful that the mangroves will provide some sort of possible survival, the far out location of the watered forest, dashes a lot of the characters' determination. It's an impressive choice by the filmmakers because of the close proximity of a danger that potentially couldn't reach them. It's a die of starvation or die by crocodile situation that is all propelled through the setting of Black Water.

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4. Atlantic Ocean (Jaws)

The movie that scared a generation out of the water, it's hard to believe that Jaws wouldn't even exist without the ocean it takes place in. Sure this is a pretty grandeuous statement since none of us would exist without the ground we stand on, but the fact of the matter is, Jaws specifically hinges on the water because of the limitations gills presents. Which makes the film's setting all the more effective. For a horror movie that's scare tactic is so easily avoidable (just don't go in the ocean), it's amazingly effective at instilling fear in its viewers - even in 2017. Whereas, other ocean-based horror films are almost as scary, there is something so realistic about the waters in Jaws. Movies like The Shallows are great and terrifying in their own right, but the polished, gleaming waters in movies like it just aren't as scary as the Atlantic Ocean in Jaws.

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3. Black Hills Forest (Blair Witch Project/Blair Witch)

Iconic; this is the only word to describe the fictionally named patch of woods outside of the very real Burkittsville, Maryland where a team of young filmmakers disappeared under haunting circumstances. Later, when the film was revisited in the Book of Shadows sequel and the 2016 Blair Witch, the mythology surrounding this forest continued to grow. While the follow-up films received some negative reviews, the one constant was this: that the Black Hills Forest would be a terrifying place to visit. The very plain, very unpolished forest that the mysterious Blair Witch calls home is perhaps one of the scariest plots of lands and one that made hikers fearful of the woods for years to come.

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2. Mayan Ruins in Mexico (The Ruins)

Based on the book of the same name, The Ruins placement on this list is basically a twofer in honor of Earth Day; an ecological horror with a visually stunning backdrop. All of this culminates into truly outstanding scenery for a terrifyingly vivid destination horror film. The overly sunny, super saturated ruins of Mexico make for a similar atmosphere to The Hills Have Eyes but with added humidity to make you sweat. It's one of those movies that'll make you think twice about visiting popular tourist attractions - even if the ruin featured is off the beaten path.

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1. Unmapped Caverns in the Appalachian Mountains (The Descent)

Is there anything more effective than claustrophobia? By far one of the most common fears, the use of it in horror has been near constant, but no other film captures this sensation better than The Descent. By far one of the scariest horror films ever, the setting of this film is the most worthy of this number one spot. The deep, dark underground cavern the women of The Descent get trapped in is a hauntingly terrible and the main reason many have crossed spelunking and cave diving off of their must-do lists. While not the first thing one might think of when they think of Earth Day, the underground caves in The Descent, are definitely a part of nature.

Best in Show: Horror Landscapes (Pt. I of II)

Spring has sprung and as everyone begins venturing outside, it's important to remember the dangers that lurk in the places we go. From sprawling mountains to deserts and deep forests, horror has been using sprawling outdoor settings to instill fear in vacation-goers since the dawn of time. For the characters central to these films, the unknown dangers lurking in these landscapes often take on different forms, but the ending is almost always the same. In honor of Earth Day (April 22), here's a list of horror's scariest landscapes, featuring the threats that lurk within: 



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10. Desert in New Mexico (The Hills Have Eyes)

I saw The Hills Have Eyes 2 prior to ever seeing the first remake or it's original. Yet, there was something so troubling about the arid plateaus surrounding the formerly radioactive site. From the off-putting holes and crannies used by the sequel's somehow more aggressive mutants to the visual dryness of spaces surrounding the home, this desert setting should make anyone long for the comforts of A/C and rivers. This is by far one of the harshest settings of any horror movie around.

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9. Remote Forest (Evil Dead/Cabin in the Woods)

With so many films taking place in a desolate cabin in the wilderness, who pick these two? For one, Evil Dead is perhaps the most emblematic of the horror convention and secondly, The Cabin in the Woods resonated most with me. Each offer similar visuals; a dark and dense tree line with nothing but forests in sight, but each also offers its own unsettling aspects. The woods of Evil Dead seem cold and harsh, with plenty of twisting and turning roots to upset the stomach, while the warmer, more polished forest of The Cabin in the Woods looks far more safe than it actually is. Add in the booby traps and higher intervention of Cabin in the Woods, and what seems like another plain old setting quickly becomes a daunting maze of epic proportions.

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8. Rural New England (The Witch)

There's something drearily plain about the forests surround The Witch, but anyone who's seen the movie knows just what unsettling atmosphere it creates. Sure it looks like any other woods, but exasperated by the dark brooding stories and mythology surrounding it make for a hike that no one would want to take. It's a dimly lit, grey backdrop to an already dark and desolate film. The woods surrounding the farmland of The Witch is visually one of the most on-point settings in modern horror as it pairs a sense of familiarity with an impending feeling of dread.

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7. Amazon Rainforest (The Green Inferno)

Plenty of films take place in the jungles surrounding the Amazon River and Cannibal Holocaust most certainly did so the most prolifically, but it's Eli Roth's The Green Inferno that deserves the credit for encompassing the deep, lush colors of foreigner's image of the rainforest with the stark realities of its dangers and the mythological threats within. It feeds it's audience with imagery that'll make them fall in love with the idea of visiting but then lampoons that with terrible situations that'll make them want to look away. Tie in the unknown-lands aspects of the characters central to this film, and viewers are left with a truly terrifying journey.

 

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6. "Mount Holliston" Ski Resort (Frozen) 

Okay, so this one's not quite the spring/summer destination others on this list might be, but it undeniably deserves a spot on this list. Following a group of skiers who become trapped on a chair lift on the fictitious Mount Holliston in New England, the visually freezing and stark setting of this film is sure to send chills into its viewers- regardless of the weather outside. It's a grounded, mostly realistic tale of survival that should make skiers and snowboarders weary of chairlifts everywhere.