Phil Herman's Unearthed

We enter the film in a dark and dingy forest, it's winter and the trees are bare. We meet the storyteller called Doom, who has taken a journal from inside the grave of his true love, Lucinda. This is a captivating introduction, and he is a creepy looking character. When he opens the book, the viewers sense of anticipation is heightened, as we look forward to the stories within its pages. The first words he utters are very chilling, "The definition of unearthed is the discovery of something hidden, lost, or kept secret from investigation." This is a great way to kick off the film.

Story One: The Ties That Bind This story is about a detective who faces a personal struggle, as he submerges himself into a murder case, realising that unravelling its mysteries might shatter lives. The question is, whose lives will be shattered?

I got the sense I was watching a full movie length feature film, not a 45-minute short horror film. Because the story arc is so well done, it's very easy to comprehend, the tension, suspense, terror, relatability and believability, and to appreciate elements like, the cinematography of closeup shots, drone shots, angled shots all capturing the different settings and location changes. The dialogue is very well delivered, it's authentic and compelling. The revelations, and the turns and twists as this story progresses, will surely make viewers happy as the intensity ramps up. I like the lesson, sometimes people aren't who they seem to be. Just because the story concluded, it still played on my mind, and I was left with a wonderful feeling of excitement, pondering on the plot and how the filmmaker managed to fool the viewer right up until the credits rolled! Well done! There are great tonal changes, from deeply dark, and where monstrous atrocities occur, to more light-hearted mood shifts in the moments of normalcy, like the family at home in cohesion, where everything is fine, until it isn't. Will detectives Herman and Grier find the person who murdered Judy? The twist at the end was so unexpected, I did not see that coming. I commend Phil Herman for his characterisation and the intricately woven drama threading its web throughout this ghastly tale. We nicely segway into the next story.

Part Two: Look Towards the Sky In a quest to locate a missing man named Frank, his wife Julie and father, Dan, stumble upon unsettling clues suggesting that something otherworldly is taking place.

There are excellent special effects in this one, that really captivated me. The concept of this, the information being revealed about the world as we know it, is not only thought provoking, but it also challenges the viewers own beliefs and world view. I like the way it questions if we are truly alone in the universe. The sound effects are gruesome, sure to make you slightly uncomfortable. The characters are authentic in the sense they're believable, we see the different perceptions of the scenario, and I like the emotional journey that Frank goes through, as he unravels the truth in a compelling and interesting way. Nice gradients of colours, they add depth to the scenes. The images of horror are truly incomprehensible and deliver the situation in a gruelling way. As this is an alien abduction story, I have to say that the alien and spaceship were top notch and effective. The twists and turns at the end are truly frightening. Will this be our future? I hope not! I was blown away with how this all turned out in the end.

Part Three: Clean House This is a story about a woman alone in her house, where she experiences inexplicable occurrences which prompts her to seek out an expert paranormal investigator, to help unravel the mysteries within her home.

Lovely classical music brings us into the scene. I like the setting, rural with a nice contrast of colour to give off the vibe of a perhaps simpler time and era. There are indications this is set in a foreign land, by the language they use, and colours used in this segment as well as on old ringer phone, sets this in the past. We are introduced to Andrea as she approaches a witch. Graphic depictions tell a devastating tale of some disastrous events that have taken place. It's a believable and intricate story. A dark undertone draws the viewer in, wanting to know what is going to happen. The music in this scene really adds an extra layer of horror. The sound effects are wonderfully enhancing the scenes and adding intrigue to the setting. There is possession delivered in an extremely morbid way to gratify all horror lovers. Religious artifacts are nicely placed to set the tone and how this all ties together is very well done. The conversation between the priest and the otherworldly being, is very interesting and actually very poignant to the story arc. And here we once again have been delivered an ending I didn't anticipate, so it was a nice surprise. An added bonus at the end adds something sinister into the overall plot.

Part Four: Highway Rivalry We follow a woman Teri and her accomplice who are being pursued by a psychotic cop on the open road. The more you learn the more twisted this gets.

This particular story is a little more complex than the other ones in this anthology. We enter the scene in a car, with an interesting colour variant - it's like we are viewing this introduction through sunglass lens. It's a very intriguing use of colours. I would say the narrator, The Road Reaper, a YouTuber vlogging as he talks about the Highway to Hell, is a great hook. I really appreciate the POV, the camera shots, and it gave the sense of not only being in the first-person view, but that we're about to go on a wild ride. I really enjoyed the witness accounts of their encounters along this stretch of road, as it brought a sense of mystery and something otherworldly into the storyline. There are dark forces at play, that add a good amount of terror. The shocking events and images are amazing and depict the tone, which is dreadful and intense. The gore is not overdone, I think it was well contained and delivered to not tip this into a gore fest, it's balanced out well in my opinion. A news reporter reveals vital information about the serial killer they are hunting down who has been leaving death and devastation along the highway. We learn that this particular serial killer who police have dubbed 'The Highway Man,' is on a deluded mission, to become the most prolific serial killer of all time. I like this premise as it adds depth to the characterisation of this horrid individual.

There are a married couple, who initiate a chain of events that will surely have you on the edge of your seat. It is great to see Phil Herman himself play one of the characters. Twists and turns happen, ramping up the tension. The suspense is building nicely too. Appropriate music and visceral sound effects add texturing to the scenes. I also enjoyed the conversation between Teri and the man who picks her up hitchhiking - it'll make you think twice about getting into a car with a complete stranger. I appreciate the lesson in this one, don't get into cars with people you don't know, and don't pick up people hitching a ride either, as you don't know their intentions. It feels like a cat and mouse game, nice play. Police enter the story and we get glimpses of horrifying images of what happened to the serial killers victims. I liked the flashback scene, it's gut wrenching - excellent! The sound effects of horror are visceral and sickening in places. We get to see some of the damage this monster has caused. The scene in the public restroom has amped the story up until the climax at the end. More morbidly dark events take place as the story begins to unravel its truths. Secrets are uncovered, death is but a breath away. This ends in the most unbelievable way, and like all the previous stories in this anthology, we are left reeling over the unexpected ending. Well done.

Then we segway back to Doom, and I like the way this wraps around the film to tie it all together.

Overall, I highly recommend this one to watch, when it is released. In the past I have reviewed three other films by Phil Herman and his team. They just keep getting better and better with each one. I really enjoyed the scenes with the storyteller, Doom, he is a frightening looking character, played by Christopher Kahler. His voice is deep and gravelly and the reverb helps with adding the creep factor into these interludes between the stories.

The costumes and makeup are brilliantly frightful. The special effects are fantastically realistic in a surreal way. It all looks realistic, and the horrid imagery look shockingly believable. Experimentation of colour gradients worked well and are so effective how it carries through all the films in various ways. Great horror scenes and images. The gore is nicely contained and balanced. Brilliant characterisation well thought out, authentic characters. The acting is really good, great to see the return of some familiar faces and names, especially seeing Phil Herman himself playing a role in his creation. There are a great amount of twists and turns in each story, to keep the viewer invested and intrigued. The amazing cinematography was expertly done, with many different angles, formats, camera points of view, enhancing each tale. The tonal changes are expertly positioned and gave us a bone chilling account as I believe the tones were very vital to this film. The ghastly sound effects add intensity to the storyline and the overall plot. Also, good choice of music to accompany the scenes in a wonderful way. The editing is masterful. Great to see this team go the extra distance, I can tell they all worked together very well, and a lot of work, passion, and commitment has gone into the making of this film. This is one anthology you need to add to your collection.

Thank you, Phil Herman for sending me this to review. I am honoured.

Reviewed by Del Gibson.