7th Day (2013) Reviews

• Nice indie horror

  horizon20082013-12-20

  I really enjoyed this little flick, its gory, but it also has many elements of (black) humour and I actually got a free preview of it online where the makers gave out a pass on their website for xmas. Its the tale of a delusional serial killer who spends his time picking "selections" for rapid murder and dismemberment while telling the story of what hes doing to some imaginary recording crew which seems to be a jellified zombie kind of character. This character doesn't actually exist however as its all in his mind, but its a cool touch to use this to convey whats happening. There are many funny scenes and it lightens the mood of what could have been a pretty grim film as the gore is on the extreme end of things. It kept my interest right to the end even though its obvious the movie was made on quite a low budget. Im pleased that there are small independent companies out there keeping the horror scene alive by producing stuff like this. While our cinemas spew "horror" out that's about as horrific as spilling some tea on yourself. I intend to buy this now to have a copy for my collection, which again proves that if something is worth buying, true fans of the genre WILL buy it. Thank you Dire Wit Films.

• Effective portrait of a serial killer

  Woodyanders2014-05-27

  Seriously depraved pervert and serial killer Allen (an excellent and convincing performance by Mark S. Sanders) makes his systematic rounds bumping off various folks while obsessing over the comely Denise (a personable portrayal by the pretty Daisy Gibb). Meanwhile, Allen suffers painful flashbacks concerning his abusive childhood and dysfunctional family. Director Jason M. Koch, working from a grimly engrossing script by Mark Leake, relates the sordidly compelling story at a steady pace, firmly grounds the premise in a thoroughly grimy and believable everyday reality (Allen works as a lowly put-upon dishwasher at a restaurant), astutely nails the dismal loneliness of Allen's miserable messed-up existence, and presents Allen's day-to-day routine in a plausibly detailed manner. Moreover, the matter of fact depiction of the brutal and gory violence packs a vicious punch. Both Steve Rubic's sharp cinematography and Paul Joyce's droning'n'rattling are up to speed. But it's the chillingly blunt and unflinching way this picture shows Allen as a bumbling, troubled, and socially maladjusted human being instead of making him out to be some foul one-dimensional creep that in turn gives it an extra unsettling edginess. Worth a watch.

• Weak 1

  begob2015-04-23

  Seven days in the life of a reflective but delusional serial killer. The mood of this is well balanced - not depressing, but not too whimsical. The voice over is engaging, if not all that witty, while the music is mostly grim and bleak. All the humour comes from the contrast between Allen's description of his predicament and how he actually reacts with people. But it's not that funny. I suppose there's a fair degree of psychological accuracy in his character and the way he lives. Maybe films like this are mostly a commentary on how awful life is for poor people in the US. The gore is contained, the violence simple, little engagement with the victims. The big fail on this is the specter of death holding the microphone in its flabby, grey hand - looks spooky, but its introduction was awkward and they never knew what to do with it. Overall tolerable, but psycho humour has been around since the '90s and this doesn't add to the genre.