THE FACELESS MAN
AVAILABLE ON DEMAND AUGUST 28
Emily is a recovering cancer survivor of three years. Faced with her fear of getting sick again, her best friend Nina plans a weekend away. Six friends venture out to a country holiday house to party over a weekend. Cut off from the rest of the world they soon learn the inhabitants are unsettling red neck individuals who terrorize and humiliate travelers. At the same time a para-normal monster seen as the faceless man haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits.
Commentary: It took me a beat to catch the rhythm of James Di Martino’s Australian horror film THE FACELESS MAN. Once I realized it didn’t have one I was able to actually get into the plot. If you go into this one with expectations of a straight on horror film or a typical teen, party, slasher you will have the same frustration I did. Instead realize that there are many things at work here and even if they don’t always jive the many times they do sync is highly entertaining.
Maybe I went a little too deep in the sub context but I often felt like the Faceless Man was a metaphor revolving around the main character Emily (Sophie Thurling). She is a three year cancer survivor and this constant beast clawing at her from behind during times of weakness could symbolize her fear of a relapse. I can only imagine the mental struggle that comes with fighting cancer and how that nagging feeling can materialize. Having this creature be the horror entity gave it multiple layers for me.
Far removed from that are the local townspeople in the remote area the young people are staying in. They are quirky and funny but at the same time so unhinged that you never know what they will say or do next. They live by their own rules and take their town seriously. Any outsiders better toe the line or face some backwoods, redneck, crazy-justice. Throw in the mix some brutal drug lords and a random serial killer and this one will keep you hopping to keep up.
The make up and creature design in this is worth mentioning. The faceless man – whether you ever know who or what it is – is highly detailed and terrifying. When he is present the film jumps to a whole new chill level. The cast is decent and work well together, but at times I felt like there were a few too many characters to keep up with. This does allow for a higher body count but little else.
If you are looking for a decent on-demand horror fix this will probably do the trick. Just be prepared for several holes and unanswered questions. There is a lot going on with Emily and much of that never comes full circle and ends up being weight that drags the movie down. I give it a B- over all. The humorous characters and Faceless Man itself being the biggest part of that. It is unrated but certainly for mature audiences. Lots of blood and guts and scary imagery. Keep that in mind before hitting the play button.
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