Movie Reviews

Details: Created: 10 December 2019; Written by Loron Hays

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Crypsis

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You can run! You can hide! There’s no escaping the terror that awaits on this island of horrible things. We learn this from the wild and wicked opening of Crypsis as a woman, tripping over herself to get away from the creature behind her, is finally snatched up and silenced. Something is alive and wild out there and it has an appetite for flesh.

When camping trips go awry, it is not usually because of an unknown species hunting and gathering the campers. Usually, it is because campfires can’t get lit or the weather makes a turn for the worse. Here, in Uncork’d Entertainment’s latest (Ho! Ho! Ho!) horror release, a harmless bet among five friends about who can survive spending the night on an island closest to the mainland leads to a wicked fight for survival.

It turns out that they aren’t alone here on this island. That becomes clear as night descends upon the heavily wooded island. Now, the friends - who are all pushing 30 - must work together in order to survive the creature that is hellbent on picking them off one by one. Make no mistake about it, all bets are off when it comes to surviving this island trip.

With challenging POV camera work from Jeremy Traub and a guitar-driven soundtrack from Scott Francisco and Charlie Waymire, Crypsis builds most of its suspense from the sheer confusion these poor souls - Michael Armata, Anthony Hoang, Jordan Mitchell-Love and Eddie Nason - experience while being hunted.

Because the island they have chosen for their little bet is already occupied by a mysterious old creature (played by David Racki) that winds up hunting them throughout the night. There is a method to his madness and that leads to a jaw-dropping twist ending which helps sell the movie to those tired of the bickering by the boys in the movie.

Written and directed by Paul Anthony Rogers (who also stars in the movie), Crypsis falls into the trap most horror films slip into because we immediately are annoyed by these five “friends” and wish the worst upon them. The rest of the movie doesn’t help our concern for them either. That means, obviously, that the creature at the center of this horror flick - however evolved it is at not being detected - is who we are ultimately rooting for and it's for the win here, too.

From the howls to the grunts, the creature design is absolutely legit. That’s the reason Horror Hounds will “dig through the bins” to find this title. The practical make-up effects on this creature - designed by Mike Kadomiya and Nick Dennis - are effective and frightening as we watch it hunt through the dark forest, lift its victims off the ground, and choke them to death.

Crypsis is available On Demand and on DVD December 17 from Uncork'd Entertainment.

Details: Created: 06 December 2019; Written by Frank Wilkins

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