I was browsing Scout Taylor-Compton’s IMDB page while considering her for the next entry in my Where Are They Now column. I ended up stumbling upon 247°F by accident and thought it sounded interesting. Not only did it star a promising actress who had previously appeared in a favorite horror franchise, but it also looked a lot like Adam Green’s 2010 survival feature, Frozen. As I researched 247°F I discovered that it was based on a true story. A group of friends in Georgia (the country, not the US state) were accidently locked in a sauna for an obscene amount of time. All of these facts combined caused me to click buy on Amazon Instant Video…and here we go now with the review!
247°F is written and directed by Levan Bakhia and Beqa Jguburia with Lloyd S Wagner. Cast members include Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie’s Halloween 1 & 2, The Runaways), Christina Ulloa (“Charmed,” “The Hi-Life”), Travis Van Winkle (Transformers, Friday the 13th remake), Michael Copon (“Power Rangers,” Night of The Demons remake), and Tyler Mane (Rob Zombie’s Halloween 1 & 2, X-Men).
” Jenna, Renee, Ian and Michael arrive at a lakeside cabin owned by Ian’s uncle Wade. Intending to enjoy a carefree weekend, instead, three of them become locked in the hot sauna. First they think its Michael playing jokes on them, but soon realize that help is not coming and they must find a way out before the heat kills them. As the heat rises they are pushed to their physical and psychological limits – staying alive is not easy any more.”
Well, let me say this… As a horror fan I was pretty disappointed in myself. The entire time I was watching 247°F my brain was thinking, “Something here looks familiar…” It wasn’t until the credits rolled and I read the names that I realize that the characters of Jenna (Compton) and Wade (Mane) played Laurie Strode and Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s Halloween films. It was a completely different dynamic for the pair and more importantly it was a new experience to see Mane as a friendly, woodsman stoner with a cute dog instead of a psychopath slashing his way through defenseless people.
With that said…
From the moment the movie began I was anticipating the accident to occur. I could feel my heart beating quicker and my anxiety growing just from sitting back and knowing what was about to happen to the three friends. The fear of burning (suffocating or dehydrating) to death is a primal fear, something that everyone can say would be a lousy way to go. Relying on that primal fear is a terrific way to captivate an audience and make them watch. I mentioned Frozen above, and while it was also a good movie, the fear of burning is more realistic when you compare how many people go to the mountains with how many people could burn to death at home, in a car, in a gymnasium at prom, or ya’ know in a sauna. Great concept! Hell, it drew me in!
I can only imagine the hardships that the production crew went through to make this movie a success. Lots of general make up needed to be applied – sweating, bags under the eyes, etc – as well special effects make up for blood, burns, and foaming at the mouth. Even with that aside, production was confined to a really tiny space to film. Do I think they crammed a whole production cast and crew into a 12×12 room? No, but space was certainly limited! As a film maker myself, I could think of a million different scenarios where filming was problematic; but luckily the movie is flawless in its design and I salute the production team for a job that is damn near perfect!
My only real complaint is not with the movie itself, but with whoever designed the trailer. I think 247°F would be just as successful and well received on its own without the use of a trailer that marketed the film as a true horror flick. In the trailer I viewed the editors made it look like the uncle was an ax wielding psycho who locked the kids in the sauna on purpose. This was not the case. If you happen to see the same trailer as me, then do not be fooled. I wouldn’t classify 247°F as a horror flick, not in the slighted. The only horror comes from imagining what it would be like to be in their shoes…in a hot, burning, barely breathable sauna. This movie is a dramatic thriller. It’s man vs. nature to an extent, not man vs. nature wielding man.
I’m not going to sugar coat it. I really liked 247°F. It gets 8.2 out of 10 stars from me!
