It’s always a tricky business to go back and what the early
films of a director you admire. On one hand you have to be careful not to
simply give the movie a pass because of your foreknowledge of what the
filmmaker would accomplish, on the other hand its not exactly fair to expect
the work of prodigy on a low budget, “We have one take for most of this” Film.
You have to try to watch the film with the question “Would this have impressed
me if I didn’t know who made it.” Firmly in mind.
Honestly, I don’t know if I would have been all that
impressed with The Roost had I walked into it blind. But in the context of Ti
West’s career it’s an interesting watch. Displaying lots of raw talent and
personality in what is a fairly haphazard film.
From the beginning, The Roost shows West as a director
deeply attuned to horror’s past. He frames The Roost as part of an introductory
horror show called “Frightmare” with Tom Noonan playing the horror host in a
wrap around that telegraphs “My cut of the movie did not make my contractually
obligated eighty minutes.” While its always fun to see this stuff, and it draws
a connection with his later work the Frightmare material is problematic. On one
hand Tom Noonan, which is never a bad thing. On the other hand, it just is so damn
unmotivated, not to mention the fact that it allows for a moment that just
screams “I’ve just seen Funny Games” and not in a good way and then let’s West
end his movie with the exact same jump scare twice in a row.
The rest of the movie follows a car full of twenty
somethings on their way to a wedding. They end up stuck on an abandoned country
road where they are attacked by bats with a virulent strain of rabies (or
something damn close) that ends up infecting them. Hijinks ensue. The concept speaks well of West and his ambition, there are enough challenges for
a young filmmaker to deal with without having to wrangle a horde of real,
puppet and CGI bats. The fact that
The Roost is surprisingly effective in some places,
surprisingly clumsy in other. There are several great moments of tension, a few
great shots (including one of an old man walking up to a barn that could come
right from the pages of EC) and a couple of great Ti West patented “We know
something the characters don’t” beats. But like I said, this is obviously the
work of a growing filmmaker. Though West showcases his austere patient style in
some places in others he relies on the type of shakycam antics that would never
really be seen in one of his films again. He overplays his hand in a couple of corny moments to (At one point the moon turns red! Blood Red I Tells Ya!) In one hilarious moment when
switching locations West cuts to a black screen with a giant red NEARBY written
on it, for no other reason then the fact that he apparently believes that basic
film grammar is beyond our ken.
So perhaps it would be to much to say that The Roost is an
auspicious beginning, but it is a beginning with potential. That in itself
doesn’t mean much, there are few commodities cheaper than potential. But West
capitalized on his, and if The Roost is nothing else than the film that got the
ball rolling then it’s well worth a place in any horror fan’s heart.
2 comments:
I enjoyed House of the Devil, so I think I'll give this one a watch, it looks like a fun watch. I enjoy seeing new horror directors emerging and making their first batch of films. Ty West seems like a promising director, I hope he sticks with horror and grows into making great horror films.
@ FC: I think there's a better than good chance that he will. If you're interested in West it's well worth a look.
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