Now if you look at the poster artwork or even the same artwork on the blu-ray or DVD's cover you can easily tell that this film is a nod to the late 70's into the early 80's classic slasher films. That eeire feeling that this could easily have been another chapter in the Elm Street franchise or a part whatever for Friday the 13th. Its easy to assume that this film will be a throwback of sorts while not maintaining an original bone of its own to stand on. Though thr beginning of the film opens us up to the Drownsman origin it's one mistake was to not save this part for somewhere in the middle of the film but to have the film follow at a slow pace behind such an impactful first few minutes of the movie.
Now it could be me and my tiredness from watching the latest found footage flicks of lost idiots who can't seem to stay away from the woods or the fast and furious action of the latest martial arts flick where the bad guy is the good guy and Donnie Yen is still god. But deep down inside of me the Drownsman though easily seen as a nod to the films of Wes Craven, John Carpenter and that revolving door of directors for the 13th franchise. I found this film to be slightly if not entertaining for any horror movie fan thats looking to watch something that will savice for a late night adventure into whatever nightmare you wish to conjure up while you sleep.
Film Synopsis
After nearly drowning in a lake, Madison develops a hydrophobia that is emotionally crippling. When she begins seeing visions of an evil figure, four friends stage an intervention but accidentally open a gate to a dark place.
Now as I sat through this film and hoped it would eventually show its true colors and do something all its own it doesn't deliver on that note but does deliver on what horror movies use to be like back in the day. When fear was the key and not some bird popping out from behind a closed door because someone left a window open in the room. Also leaving open the door to logic in a horror movie as there are ALOT of unanswered questions that can be posed to the director such as if the film takes place after a year and the main character is so afraid of water how does her hair maintain its shine shouldn't it be thinned out and or matted to her head? If the film follows the days after one of the friends weddings where is her husband in all of this? Like how can a man allow his wife to go on a wild goose chase with her friend whose being haunted by visions of a man whose sole purpose is to drown women. Where is this guy to say, NO! Another thing that got me was when water started to pop up all over the place and I mean in places such as an elevator or a table where nothing remotely water was around. How does this happen? I really want to know so I can stop shaking my head at the plot holes that plague this film like who the hell are these girls and why are they friends in the first place?
Like I said where was this man at all when they practically destroy his house in the bathroom when they try to do an intervention with main character Madison. It is in the scene that their little hopeful plan of breaking their friend of her fear of water that they unleash the monster behind the water. After nearly drowning in the tub they used and after destroying it and breaking it open to save her and dumping water through out the house it begs to wonder what the hell. Because the moment they ended this some go on the goose chase with Madison and Hannah while others for friends don't seemingly care that much but end up becoming victims themselves. It left wondering with friends like these girls I'd hate to see what her enemies looked like because these girls were bitches and I felt nothing for them when they became victims. Its odd because your suppose to feel some remorse or sorrow for the victim but I felt like they kind of deserved it because of the way they were acting about the whole situation. I mean what do you expect from someone with a phobia? Its not like a common cold it doesn't just go away its a painful process that can be there for awhile or forever. You can't just walk up and try to wipe it away like it was a accidental spill.
The Drownsman himself appears to be a cross between what Jason Voorhees meets Swamp Thing would be like. He's well structured and has a decent backstory to help try and make him his own but its the feeling of nostalgia that doesn't help his case cause lets face facts that this film like I said before is a homage to days of the past when the horror genre was on top of the world and not resting in the muck that's called horror today. The ending of the film kind of ties up the whole story by revealing a twist of whose really who and steals from various other horror movies that used this idea. I will admit that this film was decent and I enjoyed it to a degree minus all the logical mistakes that were made and the fact that the ending is open to another movie if that is to ever happen. I would have to say the film is a 3 stars out of 5 film but that's me and I like a lot of crap. So if you choose to watch it then you may or may not enjoy and if you choose not to and pass on it your not missing out on the movie of the year here. Trust me.
reviewed by Bucky
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