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 he phenomenal success of "The Blair Witch
Project", and its micro-budgeted, cunning use of digital filmmaking
techniques, rejuvenated the horror film industry and unleashed a rapidly
overcrowded subgenre based around high tech voyeurism. Although this theme,
and the direct implication of viewers into the proceedings through the use
of the camera as a personalized eye, is obviously nothing new, these recent
films have been transformed by the presence of modern technology, notably
CCTV and Internet web cams. This influence is still strong today, and has
crossed over to the mainstream in big budget efforts such as the amusingly
awful "Halloween
Resurrection", and more interestingly in "My
Little Eye".
As with "Eye",
"Kolobos" concerns itself with another recent fad of popular
culture, the reality television show, in which a number of strangers are
locked away in an isolated location and attempt to live together in harmony.
The two films share another striking similarity in that both are set in a
large house surrounded by a snowy wilderness and rigged up with cameras in
the manner of the popular television program "Big Brother".
However, whilst "My Little Eye" strove for creeping tension and
psychological horror, "Kolobos" instead goes the route of the old
Euro-slasher film, throwing in some confusing surrealism and extreme gore
effects. Despite the fact that in hindsight it actually makes very little
sense, the film is intriguing, shows a good knowledge of its genre
influences, and stands above the drudgery of most direct to video horror
films.
"Kolobos" begins with the discovery of a
young woman in an alleyway, hideously mutilated and barely alive. The
woman, Kyra (Amy Weber), is taken to hospital where she is questioned
about her ordeal, and the story is gradually revealed through flashbacks.
It appears that Kyra had been a participant in a video project, which
brought together five strangers to live in an isolated, mysterious house,
with their every moment captured on film. Unfortunately, soon after the
project begins, the house's inhabitants find themselves imprisoned and at
the mercy of not only a series of deadly booby-traps, but a psychotic
killer. As they try to escape, the dreadful nature of the project becomes
clear, and secrets from the past are unearthed, leading them to suspect
that one of them may be the vicious murderer.
Although "Kolobos" is thematically focused
on its use of modern technology, right from the start it is apparent that
the main influence on directors Daniel Laibtowitsch and David Todd Ocvirk
come from the classic European horrors of the 1970s and 80s, in particular
the works of Dario Argento. As well as through William Kidd's musical
score, which is a blatant copy of the main theme by Goblin from Argento's
"Suspiria", this influence can be seen in the fact that
Laibtowitsch and Ocvirk borrow many of the Italian master's favorite
visual tricks, such as loving, fetishistic close ups of objects and of the
maniac's hands.
The plot itself echoes older 'Giallo' films, throwing
in a number of dream/reality sequences and some surreal scenes that give
the filmmakers the chance to utilize some disturbing, sadomasochistic
imagery. Unfortunately, whilst this does give the film a welcome injection
of style, it does tend to drag down the pace, and leaves the viewers
asking many unanswered questions. In this way, "Kolobos" most
resembles the Japanese "Evil
Dead Trap", suffering the same frustrating lapses in logic, and
with a similarly left field ending.
The influence of the generic 1980s U.S. slasher film
is also clear, as the young inhabitants of the house are isolated and
gradually killed one by one. However, to the film's credit, the characters
at least try their best to stay together, and generally make fairly
intelligent decisions rather than showing the usual predilection for
wandering off to have sex in dark places. It is at this point that the
house's traps come into play, and these give the film a real boost, being
cruelly inventive, and giving the viewer a few unexpected, grisly
surprises.
"Kolobos" makes up for its slow pace and
often confusing narrative in part through the inclusion of some startling
gory death scenes. These killings are long, drawn out and sadistic, and
the use of the grainy CCTV footage gives the viewer a genuinely unsettling
feeling, as if watching some kind of snuff film. As with the rest of the
proceedings, these scenes seem to pay tribute to other films, including a
nauseating teeth smashing straight out of Argento's "Deep Red",
and a gooey eyeball puncture that recalls the bloody classics of Fulci.
The main problem with "Kolobos", and which
threatens to ruin the viewer's enjoyment, is the acting. Apart from Amy
Weber (who would later become a mainstay on the WWE wrestling circuit) who
gives a reasonable central performance as the confused Kyra, the rest of
the cast are absolutely awful. Although a film such as this may have
benefited from some kind of naturalistic acting style, what we actually
have here is a bunch of talentless people who simply cannot act, and whose
grating performances slow the film down further, leaving the viewer
begging for their swift demises. On a bright note, genre fans will enjoy
seeing an all too brief appearance by scream queen favorite Linnea
Quigley.
Thankfully, the dreadful acting is not enough to sink
the film as a whole, and whilst not a classic by any means,
"Kolobos" remains a worthwhile viewing experience. It is
definitely one of the better examples of voyeuristic web cam/CCTV horror
of late, and despite losing the plot a little towards the end, it provides
enough gory shocks and twists to please genre fans.
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