REEL ADVICE: From Within

So we're coming into the home stretch for this year's After Dark Horrorfest, and so far, I've been unsettlingly right. So far, the After Dark Horrorfest has produced mostly good movies, with only a couple that could merely be called mediocre. The fact that I've been this right so far suggests that I'm likely to be really, really wrong at some point, and the more I go through merely increases the chances that I've put the dog near the top rank. Okay, sure, maybe this is the year there isn't a dog, but we all know how unlikely THAT is, especially given the last two seasons.

And this time, we're seguing into From Within, a movie that has little if anything to do with the H.P. Lovecraft movie of the same name. In fact, this one's about an eighteen year old girl who's living in the midst of a serious problem--lots of people around her are killing themselves. But are they really killing themselves, or is something much stranger in progress around her?

When you first start watching this one you may get the distinct impression that it's yet another in a long string of "those" kind of movies that involve weird mirror images of people. From Within won't do a whole lot to dissuade you from that misconception, though they'll actually encourage it in more than a few points. But what they won't tell you is how little that actually means to the overall plot. The plot they're actually establishing will be much more diabolical.

Yes, I did spoiler just a bit there, but only to clear away a bit of the red herring fog so when you find out what's actually going on it will make a bit more sense. Otherwise, it might have been confusing.

You're welcome.

Anyway, once again I find I haven't been stymied. From Within is a solid piece of horror-thriller action with a lot going on. The town around our eighteen year old heroine hides plenty of unpleasant secrets that you'll find out over the course of the film, and though they seem extraordinarily pious on the outside, you'll find out that piety is little more than a whitewash for the town's true nature. Better still, there are lots of surprises and plenty of good scary moments to be had here.

The ending, in fact, may be one of the downright creepiest pieces of footage in a long while, despite the fact that you'll likely see it coming.

The special features include audio options, a set of trailers only accessible at the beginning of the film (I have to admit, I HATE when they do that), Miss Horrorfest webisodes and English and Spanish subtitles.

All in all, I'm pleased with From Within, and hope the last two of the series turn out at least as good as this one did.