|
 |
The Demons In My head
Directed By Neil Johnson
Released: 1998
Starring: Matthew Mariconte, Greg Bowman-Miles, Jane Rowland, and Amber
Allum
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Released By Brain Damage Films
Travis Brown (Matthew Mariconte) is a complete loser. His stereo has been
repossessed, he’s about to lose his house, and he pines over his roommate
Larissa (Amber Allum) who couldn’t be any less interested in him. Luckily,
Travis’s other roommate, Regis (Greg Bowman-Miles), is head over heals in
love with him but there is one problem: Travis isn’t gay. One day, Travis
finds an alien headset imbedded in a meteorite that landed in his backyard
and he meets Marcia (Jane Rowland), a missionary dedicated to God, who he
immediately falls for. The headset allows Travis to make objects and
people appear using just imagination which is great except it also unlocks
a portal between Earth and the world of the demon-like Nephilim. Even
worse, repeated use of the headset is transforming Travis into one of the
Nephilim.
How weird is too weird? When an Australian sex comedy is grafted onto a
science fiction story with tummy biting demonic aliens, that’s when.
Director Neil Johnson is definitely ambitious and his use of community
college level CGI effects reveal as much. The camerawork is acceptable
with a few inspired shots and the editing is tight. The Demons In My
Head moves along quickly and it introduces so many bizarre elements
that it entertains by default.
The melodrama that is at the core of the story is too weak to stand on its
own and the actors seem to be struggling. Regis is a great character
(despite being too stubborn to stop trying to turn Travis gay) and Greg
Bowman-Miles certainly goes overboard with his performance. Travis as a
protagonist is terrible in that he never rises above his cowardice to do
anything to improve his situation and the headset granting him seemingly
limitless power just makes things worse. Mariconte is decent at playing a
hideously dull, goofy, and pathetic person but I just kept wanting Travis
to die horribly. Maybe that’s just good acting.
Viewers wanting to get weirded out by a freakin’ nutzoid Australian indie
flick should definitely check out The Demons In My Head. This one
definitely won’t appeal to everyone but it does have tummy biting demonic
aliens with electricity shooting out of their heads, a little gore, a guy
covered in sewage, and really, really trite dialogue. That's it, I’m
officially never going to Australia ever.
To Become One
Directed By Neil Johnson
Released: 2002
Starring: David Vallon, Emma Grasso, Jay Gallagher, and Spencer Slasberg
Running Time: 90 minutes
DVD Released By Brain Damage Films
Ever since the brutal murder of her mother, Melinda (Emma Grasso) has been
a little touchy about dead bodies. So when her friends start getting
murdered by a vicious psychopath in a gasmask, she is understandably
upset. Melinda and her surviving pals flee the city to hide out in her
father’s cabin. The strikes yet again and Melinda is captured and rendered
unconscious. She awakes to find herself in a mysterious hospital under the
care of Dr. Hatcher (played by David Vallon) who wants to reattach Melinda
to her long lost Siamese twin brother, Michael (Jay Gallagher).
What starts off as a horridly clichéd slasher flick switches gears into a
truly bizarre art film involving medical horror and a tripped out
religious cult. Neil Johnson is back with another strange one but To
Become One never reaches the levels of insanity that The Demons In My
Head attained. While it is shot well, the film switches between black
and white so often it becomes distracting. Plus there are some nutty zooms
and shaky cam action to further accentuate scenes where very little is
happening. There is also a great deal of padding in the film and many
scenes wear out their welcome very quickly.
Most of the performances are awful but David Vallon (who played the wisest
man in the universe in The Demons In My Head) is perfect as the
very insane Dr. Hatcher. Emma Grasso cries a whole bunch during the
slasher portion of the film but thankfully gets better by the time she’s
in the hospital section of the film. Jay Gallagher is excellent as the
extremely twitchy Michael, Melinda’s long lost brother.
To Become One is definitely weird but feels so much longer than its
ninety minute length. Neil Johnson is quite an eccentric indie director,
so you know that you’re in for something out of the ordinary. When the
killer abandons his sword for a friggin’ machine gun and some dynamite, I
couldn’t believe my eyes. So yeah, weirdness for weirdness’s sake works
for me but doesn’t make the film worth watching. To Become One
feels like two very strong short films that were stretched out (with a
great deal of padding) and taped together. Like most horror movie
reviewers, I want to do one of those “should/could have” reviews to say
what this film needs. But I won’t. Just skip this one.
DVD Specs:
The Demons In My Head DVD looks very good in its widescreen but
there are some audio issues. While the dialogue is clear and not muddled
at all, the volume jumps several times making the remote control very
handy. There are several interviews with director Neil Johnson talking
about some of his influences (Kevin Smith!) as well as the philosophy
behind the film. There are a couple trailers as well as a feature length
director commentary track.
To Become One fairs better in the audio department and also looks
very good in its widescreen presentation. There are a couple of features
with interviews with director and cast where Johnson talks about making
this film for $2000. There are also a couple trailers on this disc as
well.
For more information, check out
Brain Damage Films.
|
|
