I think I need to make a new category of movie. Namely for those I often see trailers for (via Apple’s site, at Alamo, Hulu, etc.) and then they never play at any theaters around Austin. Including the Great Hills 8 which is my city’s “art house” for the north side, Alamo Lamar seems to be the south side. Fortunately, they may turn up on Netflix to sit in my queue for weeks. Well, I’m trying to clear out my movies on Netflix to make room for others and since Hulu focuses on TV series, it will be tricky.
Anyway, another candidate in my new category (joining Cashback and High Rise) is this promising little indie horror film. The premise isn’t super original, a horror version of Jumanji but I wanted to check it out.
Beyond entails two estranged brothers (John and Gordon) who reunite after their father’s disappearance. It isn’t the first time he’s run off without telling anyone for days on end but after six months, I’m guessing he can be declared officially dead. Besides selling the house they grew up in, the brothers need to liquidate all the inventory of a horror-based video store their father opened in 1992. When they gain access to the office, they discover a VHS-based board game amongst the paperwork. The tape was still in the VCR too. Obviously John, Gordon and Margot (John’s girlfriend) take the game home and play it for laughs. They initially get more than they expected, especially when the game’s MC/Narrator Evelyn interacts with them, something we all know is impossible from a linear medium like tape.
Afterwards Beyond just turns into a gore-laden mess with a disappointing conclusion as the trio successfully retrieve the four keys to “win” the game. I was really bummed. The movie started off strong despite the acting being a tad stiff but after the second key is “found” (the first two keys have very awful consequences), Beyond takes a lame turn. I can handle the gore and bloodletting slowing down; it was the fear, suspense and mystery getting thrown out the window during the final act. The movie begins like HBO’s Tales from the Crypt and then devolves into an episode of the syndicated, not scary Tales from the Darkside.
The people behind Beyond do have potential though so I look forward to their next attempt in any genre. Maybe they’ll get it right.