Chilling, disturbing and thought provoking fantasy horror

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2014)

The proved Frank Darabont/Stephen King writing team shines through yet again. With hits like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile achieved I expected a lot from this despite its pitiful budget and very short filming schedule. I'm pleased to say I was in no way disappointed. The casting is spot on - for fans of the genre you will recognise quite a few regulars from the walking dead making appearances. All parts are extremely well acted and there are no irritating/unnecessary characters. Whilst first and foremost this is a science fiction horror what Darabont/King do best is portraying the human element to these situations. I mean after all if people don't react realistically to fake monsters movies can very quickly look ridiculous and laughable. The terror portrayed by the lead characters and supporting cast really puts you on edge and the tension doesn't let up until the credits start rolling. Some of the most chilling moments are the parts where the writers show human beings to be fearful, aggressive, fickle and losing all sense of morality and evidence of civilisation when put in a situation with no familiar modern infrastructure. I guess I should mention the creatures themselves. They are for the most part pretty terrifying. In the same vein as 'Jaws' the less you see the scarier the evil is for the viewer. They are only revealed at key moments and inspire all the things that make your skin crawl. I won't tell you what happens but my god what an ending. I think this is probably the most disturbing ending to a movie I've ever seen. Very very thought provoking and it does really get to you. This is a really fantastic horror and for fans of movies like Cameron's Aliens and Predator you will not be disappointed. Great movie, still stands up in 2014.