Right after I got Deep Into The Rabbit Hole I hopped on Facebook to see if there was a page for this short horror film. It does have one, that states the premier was actually about a month ago at a college not too far for me. Wish I had this sooner or I would have seized the opportunity to go. I thought the opening credits for Deep Into The Rabbit Hole were really cool, and by this I mean the production company’s logo scene and the parts that give the name of cast and crew. Although, I have seen films where literally the first five minutes were very promising, and the rest of the film stunk. Was this also the case here? Read on to find out, but first let me tell you about the plot.
The premise of the movie involves a park or wooded area in your normal American town. However, this patch of trees and underbrush holds a dark secret. Something dark and unnatural lurks through the forest, attacking and devouring anything that it wants. When a young man becomes victimized by the beast, he sets off with a wacky group of friends to try and find it and kill it…for Max!
Ok, the rest of the review is pretty much my notes I typed into my phone while reviewing Deep Into The Rabbit Hole. Firstly, while this is a very indie production, I noticed there was a lot of attention to detail in the beginning. For example, there is a chase scene involving a young man and the beast. As the teenager crosses a small river you hear two splashes, and then you hear several more when the beast crosses as well. I was surprised because, believe it or not, not a lot of people realize how important actuality and continuity is in film making. On the flip side, the attention to detail seems to fade away as the film progresses. There is a scene where three characters are walking, one with a bike, and then suddenly…oops, bike is gone!
The lighting in Deep Into The Rabbit Hole is really good. I was very impressed with the lighting in place during a scene shot at night. On the flip side again, there was something up with the audio. It was very clear, almost too clear. I’m somewhat certain that all the dialogue spoken by the cast was taken out and replaced with voice overs. I’m not sure why this would be the case, but a lot of people have been doing this lately. The new season of the Power Rangers is an example of this new trend, too. Anyway!
There is a lot of unexpected comedy in this film. At one point, one of these kids who are no older than 12-years-old, pulls out a gun from a box in his room. My response was to laugh and say, “what the fuck?!” Little things like that tend to make me laugh. Also, a lot of the music used in Deep Into The Rabbit Hole sounds a lot like video game music and doesn’t really fit. It’s in the same mood as the scene, but much more intense than it needs to be. Another funny bit is how mature the kids seem in this film. Again, I don’t think any of them are over 12-years-old, but all the death and blood surrounding them at the moment…they are completely unfazed by it! And in this one part, one of them is getting dragged into the rabbit hole by the creature and he’s screaming, “Just shoot me!” What 12-year-old thinks like that?
Now, Deep Into The Rabbit Hole was a half hour long film. However, my viewing seemed much shorter. I think one of the clearest ways of knowing you made a good film is when time flies by while viewing it. That is how you know that you’ve captivated your audience. Let’s be real. Deep Into The Rabbit Hole will not be winning any awards anytime soon. But, it was very entertaining to watch. It wasn’t quite comedy, it wasn’t quite horror. It almost seemed like a dark sort of children’s story! The film has its flaws, but it was good and I remained entertained.
