THE FINAL SCREAM
Directed by: Scott Jeffrey
Starring: Kate Lister, Mark Ozall, Becca Hirani, Cassandra French, Joanna Thea
Kia Anderson is an aspiring young actress, desperate for her big break. After a number of knockbacks, she finally has a bit of luck when Tim, the director of a low budget horror movie, invites her to participate in a weekend workshop which might lead to being cast as the final girl.
Despite the misgivings of her girlfriend, Kia goes along to the remote location and at first is enthralled to take part. However as the weekend progresses things start to get more and more eerie until the big twist is revealed….
Every now and then there comes a low budget film which exceeds its budgetary limitations to the point that you don't even notice. When I was sent this screener for review, it came with a note saying "made for pennies!" - It might have been, but I hardly noticed.
The opening doesn't particularly instil a lot of confidence, as we watch a group of actresses deliver lines from a horror movie script. These interspliced scenes are grainy and hammy at best - but later you realise that they were meant to be. Eventually we focus on Kia, while she auditions for a very sleazy cheapskate director, who is demanding she perform a full frontal nude scene for an unpaid role. This film really called to mind the excellent STARRY EYES in its commentary on the plight of young actresses.
The scenes between Tim, the director, and Kia are electric. His approach to drawing out her performance is enthralling, and Kia really seems to be drawing upon real emotion through her reminiscences. As you watch the scene, you start to admire the layers of Kate Lister's performance - being Kia, who in turn is being asked to be Melissa, the lead character.
Meanwhile, In a separate but nearby location, someone in a mask is tormenting a young woman, filming her fear and panic before killing her. Again, there is a brilliant performance (Joanna Thea) as Skye pleads for her life - she brings so much realism to her situation, compared to the audition tapes we see earlier.
The antagonists' reasoning for doing what they are doing seems to be born true by the characters in the film. There is a clear distinction between characters acting scared, and characters actually being scared and in fear for their very lives. There is a twisted poetry and symmetry to it (the initial script reading scene, mentioned above, turns out to be full of foreboding and is given its own "real" counterpart, where the raw emotion is much more elevated.
I mentioned earlier that this was a low budget movie, but for the most part the film manages to paper over any cracks. While a lot of the kills take place just off-screen ( for example on character being drilled into her brain), the actors manage to sell it by really acting it out, adding detail such as having to bear down on the drill to push through the skull. There is however a great gore gag in the finale, I only hope it manages to survive the censors…
THE VERDICT
The Final Scream works not only because it has great performances but also it has a really good script which peels back the lens to show life on a low-budget film set, and which tricks the viewer into discerning which performances are "real" and which are "for the camera". only have one tiny niggle and that is the scene where one character is having her teeth pulled out, only to escape and miraculously keep all her teeth intact!