Directors: Gez Medinger, Robin Schmidt.
Cast: Miranda Raison, Sam Keeley, Daniella Kertesz, Elarica Gallacher, Lorna Nickson Brown.
After Death
Five young people wake on a beach after being washed up by the tide. They have no idea where they are or how they got there while strange creatures surround them and prevent them from escaping.
They seek shelter in a hut upon the cliffs above the beach and after enduring several ear-piercing blasts of light from the lighthouse nearby they realise that it's some form of hell.
As they explore all the reasons why they may have been brought to this place, they realise there might be something connecting them and two paintings in the cabin could hold the key to their escape.
Miranda Raison was especially good as the level-headed Robyn, who keeps everyone protected and focused on findings answers and a way out. The opening scene where she wakes on the beach pulls you in; you are immediately confused and want to find out what the mysterious black blasts are that burst from the sand and what they want from her.
Sam Keely, Daniella Kertesz, Elarica Johnson and Lorna Nickson Brown brought a number of extreme characters to the story all of whom had secrets and regrets. It was powerful to watch them pick each other apart as they tried to establish who to blame for them being trapped in limbo.
The film relied on very few special effects and the depiction of the demons were simplistic but highly effective. It made you work your imagination, which is something not expected of audiences watching horror films these days.
I thought the concept was original; like nothing I have ever seen in this genre before. It can be hard to come up with something new in the horror genre, but these directors certainly give the audience a fresh take on heaven and hell. As there was no part of this film that was predictable, you were guessing right until the end along with the actors, which is a rarity.
Playing on the stereotype of a secluded house- Medinger and Schmidt toyed with this trope by setting it in a modern beach hut- something one usually associates with good things, which made it all the scarier.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It turned the genre on its head and I enjoyed the ride rather than anticipating what was going to happen- I took it one step at a time- just like the characters did.