Over the course of the year, I have been invited to watch and review the short films of an emerging filmmaker, and it’s been really fun. Being able to watch a filmmaker stretch themselves and challenge themselves is fun. It’s one of the reasons I have loved putting on film festivals: the ability to check out people who are learning how to do what they love.
THE AMASOL PROJECT
THE AMASOL PROJECT focuses on a man who investigates supernatural happenings and films the investigations for a social media channel. For his current case, he is investigating the home of a man who has recently passed away. The home has been said to exhibit paranormal activity, the source of which no one knows. As the investigator settles in to try to get to the bottom of things, we catch supernatural occurrences that he shrugs off, pushing him to create several scenarios that had inspired something to happen previously. As the night goes on, his attitude that the home may not be changed as he begins to experience phenomena himself, and he realizes he may have taken on more than he can handle.
THE AMASOL PROJECT is fun. As with director Rios’ other films, your mileage will vary on his approach, as it is a one-person show, with lots of dialogue explaining what’s happening. The movie moves along nicely, and there are a lot of creepy set-ups. The filmmaker does well with shooting and does a good job of creating a tone and atmosphere.
The problem here is that so much of the film is reliant on one person speaking to the camera that it becomes overwhelming. I think if he could do more set-ups where he isn’t narrating, and doesn’t explain everything to the audience would make things flow better. Also, the use of digital “ghouls,” while used sparingly, does cheapen things.
2 out of 5
The Amasol Project Slowburn Horror Full Movie
NIGHTBOUND
Here we have a man trapped in his home by unseen forces, and unable to escape. The film plays out in the dark, as the power has gone out, and the narrator must try to figure out how to escape his supernatural prison.
The film plays out very quickly, as the narrator searches for an escape. The digital effects don’t integrate well (save for a couple shots of a werewolf), which really knocks the movie. Saying that, the finale really works, with the narrator being transported to different locations. I am guessing these scenes are made with stock footage, but the way Rios has made the film, they integrate well, and add a creepy feeling to things that helps elevate the short.
2.75 out of 5
NightBound New Full Horror Movie
Fans of purely independent found-footage films will enjoy these and be surprised by how effective they are. Rios’s growth is clear, and I think if he can cut down on the monologues and change up the look of his location, it will really help. The introduction of what I guess is stock (or AI, perhaps) footage gives the films the jolt they needed. I understand the need to show “something” in the dark, some sort of attacker, but much more can be done with fleeting glimpses of something real (a prop, a mask, or something tangible) and with sound effects. These would go a long way in making the horror more immersive and unnerving.
Rios’s passion is clear, and anyone who keeps at his craft as he has deserves to have their work seen, and it’s been fascinating to see how he changes things up from film to film.
Check out his work today.
The Spooky World of Chris Ringler 