Going into Elsewhere, I didn’t know a single thing about it. I didn’t read any reviews (and still haven’t), so I had no idea of what to expect. I didn’t even read the back of the box, as it’s so rare I get a chance to go into a movie truly blind. I was relishing the opportunity.
The movie is good, there’s no question about that. From its opening sequences, introducing believable kids and true-to-life adults, I was thoroughly enjoying it. A third of the way in or so, the tone of the film changes from mysterious to ominous. You wouldn’t even know it was a horror movie until around this point, as you’re not given much if any indication of where the story is taking you. It’s a slow-going film, with lots of answers but not a whole lot of closure for any of them. Every time you think you’ve got a prime suspect, someone else jumps into the lead position. I am proud to say that my initial guess was the right one, but between then and the reveal there was a veritable cavalcade of potential bad men that popped up. Characters who may or may not know anything at all about what’s going on can still pose imminent threats to the protagonists.
I will say that the story is very well laid out. There aren’t any contradictions that I can think of despite the large number of characters and the long stretch of time the movie goes on over. If the film has one big flaw, it’s in its length and pacing, which feel at times like writer/director Nathan Hope is going for an early Dario Argento-style giallo feel without the body count, but that in itself presents a problem, as that style lends itself to awe-inspiring set pieces and dynamic cinematography. Elsewhere is very well shot, but with its small town architecture and small number of principal locations, it doesn’t really give Hope much opportunity to be wildly inventive, which is what made the slow pacing in Argento’s early films disappear. Without something eye-catching every few minutes, the film’s scenes appear to blend into one another and extend the running time well beyond what it already is. In any case, it’s a solid mystery, with a good payoff and no holes in its logic. That in itself is hard to come by.
Picture and Sound:
The image quality is really good, for the most part. Because of the visual style chosen, the black parts of the image sometimes seem to blend creepily with what’s being lit. It’s an interesting effect that comes across well in HD. Skin texture is noticeably high-quality. From time to time you may notice a bit of digital noise in front of the many scenic sunsets in the film, but unless you’re looking for them specifically they shouldn’t be very obtrusive. Most importantly, the color timing comes through naturally and convincingly, which could have caused some problems with the dark, muted palate the film uses. Audio is foreboding and engrossing.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Aside from the commentary by director Nathan Hope, there’s a myriad selection of disappointing features here. First is a bunch of deleted scenes, but with no Play All option watching them takes twice as long as it should while we wait for the Blu-ray menus to load.
The main featurette is "The Road to Elsewhere," a very loose behind the scenes short that looks like it was transferred from a 4th generation VHS of a shot-on-video movie. I actually wish I hadn’t watched the piece, as Nathan Hope seems to try his best at distinguishing the difference between a “Horror” movie and a “Thriller,” as if they have to be completely separate from one another, or it would bring the work down. He struggles to illustrate how a Horror movie is definitively about the act of murder or something shocking, whereas being in the higher class of Thriller means you focus on the characters’ responses to said event, focusing less on the horror directly and more on the drama it causes. It’s frankly absolute bullshit and makes me look at the film in a totally different light. I would consider the film a horror movie by my definition because it takes time establishing itself, builds up relatable characters, and then places them in dangerous situations, effectively building up suspense. To call that not a horror film is to say the same about Friday the 13th, Halloween or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I can tell you that listening to him talk even as briefly as this brought my score of the movie down a point.
After that there’s a cheesy photo gallery and a 3-minute trailer that’s just miserably put together and gives away most of the film’s strongest moments. Classy.
"Elsewhere" is on sale June 16, 2009 and is rated R. Horror, Mystery. Written and directed by Nathan Hope. Starring Anna Kendrick, Jon Gries, Tania Raymonde.
