October 17-19

Haunted October heats up as Temps Cool Down

Haunted House

At Madison Barracks in Sackets Harbor 6pm-10pm tonight Friday, October 17th, call 315-646-3575.

Burrville Cider Mill presents:  An Afternoon with the Authors

Noon to 3pm, Saturday October 18th, 18176 route 156, Plank Road, 315-788-7292

Authors:

Marcus Martin, Author of the thriller series: “The Carthage Chronicles” Don’t Pay the Ferryman, Don’t Fear the Reaper, Revenge of the Reaper

Joseph Sweet:  Author of horror novels: Hell 101, The Fall

Hope Marston, Young Adult and Children’s Author: Against the Tide, Little Book of Manatees and others.

THERESA SCARECROW CONTEST ongoing from October 15th through 30th.  $25 prize for each of the winners in these three categories:  Funniest, Most Original and Scariest.

BOOK SIGNING

John Briant, author of the Adirondack Detective Series

1PM Saturday, Borders Bookstore, Salmon Run Mall, Watertown, NY

Email: jbrnt@capital.net

QUARANTINE

By Doug Rice

On March 11 2008, the government sealed off an apartment complex in Los Angeles. The residents were never seen again. No details. No witnesses. No evidence. Until now…

That’s the tagline for the new horror flick from Screen Gems that just hit theaters, and right on time for the chilly Halloween season. It’s the first of several horror films set to make their wide release in an effort to cash in on this spooky time of year, but if you ask this reviewer, it’s easily the best option to send a shiver up your spine.

The plot follows a late night television reporter, Angela Vidal (played strongly by Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter) and her regular cameraman Scott (Steve Harris), as they are looking to shoot an in-depth look at the life of a fire fighter in Los Angeles.

The two start their night at a firehouse making their rounds with the smoke-eaters, camping it up for the camera and shooting the run of the mill glop that usually comprises such late night filler. Also, as the camera continues to roll, you also get to see a lot of the real life antics of the station and the personal side of, Jake (Jay Hernandez) and George (Johnathon Schaech), the 2 firefighters they are shadowing for the night.

It’s just when the night seems to be winding down when the station gets a call that sends the men to action. To the delight of Angela and the promise of more interesting footage, they climb aboard the truck to ride along for what they think will be a run of the mill call. Unfortunately, as with the premise of all horror films, they were terribly wrong.

Within a few minutes of arriving at an old apartment building in the heart of the city, the tone and atmosphere change drastically as the firemen and police quickly try to piece together the reason for the call and what exactly is happening. The residents of the building are visibly upset and confused by the situation and relay the strange circumstances that brought the emergency crew there.

Its only upon entering the apartment of an elderly woman do we realize the reason behind the mysterious call as the woman shows signs of a strange illness that she is quickly succumbing to. That’s when the excrement hits the electric air-circulating device.

A sudden attack turns the situation upside down and as residents and rescue workers attempt to flee, they are greeted with locked doors and confusion as to why they are unexpectedly trapped in the building.

Panic and emotion quickly consume the group as they try to assess the circumstances while looking for other possible exits. These attempts are inexplicably met with armed soldiers that are doing their very best to seal off the building. With no way to escape, the confined group is forced to deal with the stark reality of their situation and the oddly familiar illness that is turning the infected into mindless flesh-eaters!

What makes this film different from most is that is shown in the reality point-of-view that made the, Blair Witch Project, such a startling success. The entire film is shot with Scott’s camera (!), with no editing and very few cuts. You are an actual witness as these terrifying events continue to unfold in real time and put you in the middle of fray.

From the fun banter and interaction at the fire station to the frantic and frightening images captured during Angela and Scott’s plight, the film captures a true voyeuristic approach that is at the heart of the world’s fascination with reality television.

The action is uncensored, out of control and very unsettling. Some may complain about the swaying camera and moments of jittery shooting amidst the more intense sequences, but I had no trouble following along with the action or the progression of the story. Not to mention that if shot in a conventional way, you would definitely sacrifice the tension and overall dread that you feel from being directly involved in the story.

Quarantine, is actually a remake of the popular Spanish horror flick [REC]. The film was only released a few years ago very successfully and quickly caught the attention of American producers who wanted to bring the horrifying story to U.S. audiences.

The writer/directing duo of John Erick Dowdle and his brother Drew Dowdle, whose previous film, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, was done in the same style as Quarantine, were so enamored by the original that they are rumored to have recreated most of the film’s action shot for shot with their remake.

From what I’ve read, the only things that were changed by the duo were the circumstances behind the mysterious outbreak and some additional material that added 12 minutes to the running time of the film. Not having seen the original, I would have to say that the Dowdle brothers did a phenomenal job at replicating what is said to have been one of the scariest films in years.

As a whole, Quarantine, delivers throughout with solid acting from its ensemble cast (including Marin Hinkle- probably known best from our viewers as, Judith, from the CBS comedy, 2 ½ Men, and Jermaine Jackson!). The plot is setup and executed in a very believable way and the situation, though extreme, is never hokey or implausible.

Though not gratuitous, the violence is extreme and well placed throughout the film, adding a very real sense of menace to the threat. The scares are many and the suspense is thick, especially in the film’s last 15 action packed minutes!

Quarantine, will definitely play better in the theatre than in your home and is not for the faint of heart, but if you have the stomach and are looking for a real Halloween treat, the cost of going to the movies could easily replace the admission for most haunted attractions this time of the year.

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