You know, usually the words “SyFy Channel Original Movie,” are not indicative of any kind of quality. In fact, they’re more indicative of a lack thereof. However, they’ve teamed up with After Dark to produce a series of After Dark Originals. Since 2006, After Dark films has put on an annual horrorfest, featuring “8 Films to Die For,” with varying success. Some shining moments have included great horror flicks like The Abandoned, Frontier(s), and Mulberry Street. Of course, After Dark has also produced stinkers like The Hamiltons and Unearthed (with Charlie Murphy!).
After a run in a couple of movie theaters in the middle of nowhere (seriously, it was pathetic), these After Dark Originals are now premiering on SyFy Channel and also being released on DVD, starting at the end of March. The first out of the gate? Husk, a scarecrow horror film and one of my most anticipated of the bunch. But was it any good?
Scarecrow horror movies…well, they’re usually shit. Let’s be honest. Has there ever been a good one? And don’t say that one episode of “Supernatural.” That doesn’t count. Scarecrows are friggin’ creepy, and cornfields? Perfect settings for scary happenings. But there has never really been a successfully done film that combined the two (at least in my opinion).
Well…until now anyway. For a film that premiered on SyFy Channel on a Saturday night, Husk kicks all kinds of ass.
Story is pretty simple – kids are on their way somewhere, car wrecks in the middle of nowhere, strange shit happens. Except that, for once, we’re not dealing with inbred rednecks or rape-hungry mutilated freaks. Nope, we’re dealing with some genuinely supernatural stuff, and some scary scarecrow goodness. As people get knocked off one by one (seriously, not a spoiler – it’s a horror movie), what happens with their bodies after death is really creepy.
What works so well about Husk is the attention to the “rules” of the story. There are actually well thought out rules to how all the crazy stuff goes down, and you spend a good time of the film figuring it out, along with the characters, and the film doesn’t break the rules. It’s nice to see some attention paid to making a horror film make sense, and not just assuming people won’t care.
Helping it along are some good gore effects (nary a CG-shot in sight!), decent acting, and solid direction all around. Husk is a darn good film, and I’d love to see it turn into a sort of franchise (though I’m not entirely sure how it would). The After Dark Originals are off to a solid start.
You can pick up Husk on March 29th on DVD.
