Starring: Liam Seamus Murphy, Paige Foskett, Steve Kasan
Directed by: Lee Foster
I’ll admit that whenever I see the line ” inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, I get the chill-hairs standing up on the back of my neck. I mean let’s face it, the man was revered for his horror, sci-fi & mystery writing, and if you consider yourself a fan of any of these genres in the slightest, you’d be doing yourself a massive disservice if you hadn’t cracked one of his short stories in your lifetime. Therefore, the idea of supplying yourself with a back-brace of his framework for a project is not only inspiring, but daunting as well, so let’s break out the autopsy tools and crack open IN ITS WAKE: the latest film from Director Lee Foster.
Right off the rip we begin the film following a distraught priest (Elvis Stojko), who is confiding in the assistance of God while he’s suffering from an impasse when it comes to his faith. As if his rivaled sense of belief isn’t enough to put a ruffle in his robe, he’s blindsided by the accidental death of one of his parishioners just outside the doors of his church…talk about a response from the man upstairs! Afterwards, we’re introduced to a somewhat large gathering of characters (seven in all, if my failing memory serves me), and it’s not before long that our small but contentious group begins to get dispatched by an otherworldly creature that has come to ravage this land.
With a title of “The Duke Of Crows”, this ridiculously constructed-looking demon appears on-screen after a while and literally lays waste to damn near everyone it crosses…if only there was a re-purposed man of the cloth to save the day!! Time for the beloved, belabored, and literally beaten-down Pastor Kurdt to enter the fray, and he’s comin’ with help to send this maligned spirit back to wherever the hell it came from – sounds good in type, doesn’t it? Well, kiddies…this was like opening up an Xmas present from Ol’ St. Nick, then having him punt you square in the chestnuts – wishful thinking at best is where I’m heading with this one.
With a defined & exhausting pacing, the movie lugs along at a snail’s pace, and by the time you actually get to see the unholy abomination that has been sent to eradicate all before it, you’ll probably strain a lymph node from belting out some seriously throated laughter. Another detriment is the movie’s evenness, with a disjointed layout and confounding ending segment that will leave more questions than answers, which is truly disappointing because I had severely high hopes when I hit the play button. When the curtain comes down on IN ITS WAKE, I’d recommend this SOLELY to those who have a little time to spare, a little time to question their motives, and a little more time to ease that pain in their gut from laughing so much.
The film has been released on DVD and Digital formats as of August 8th.
At the tender age of 6, Matt was indoctrinated into the horror genre by his mother, who asked him to sit down and watch "The Exorcist" with her - ever since then, it's been a blood-soaked, neon-lit, fever dream of an existence. "You don't make horror...horror makes you."
(Can't remember who came up with this quote, but he was probably off-kilter like I am).
