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Review: Jared Cohn’s The Horde

12524427_972611732792058_4224516716847096395_nLet me be honest right from the get go… The Horde is the type of movie you have to watch with popcorn and a friend. The Horde is the type of movie that could have done well in theaters if it got a limited theatrical release. The Horde is one of the best action/horror crossovers in recent memory. It’s a beast and my viewing took me back to time of Predator and to the time of Rambo. It’s a kick to the face and a shock to the system, a wild ride with blood splatters and shootouts. I loved it, obviously, but read on for more details…

The Horde is written by Paul Logan and directed by Jared Cohn, most known for creating Bikini Spring Break and 12/12/12. Paul Logan served as fight coordinator and Tony Snegoff served as stunt coordinator. Paul Logan also stars in The Horde after previously starring in The Curse of the Komodo (2004), Way of the Vampire (2005) and “Days of Our Lives.” He’s joined on screen by horror icon Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects, Texas Chainsaw Massacre II), Vernon Wells (Commando, Mad Max II), Costas Mandylor (“NCIS,” Saw 3D), Matthew Willig (“Agents of Shield,” We’re the Millers), Nestor Serrano (“Dexter,” “Revenge”), Tiffany Brouwer (“South Beach”), Sydney Sweeney (John Carpenter’s The Ward), Jonathan Erickson Eisley (Zombies vs. Strippers), Thomas Ochoa, Frankie Ray, Jack David Frank, Elizabeth Ferrara and Zac Goodspeed.

“Ex-Navy Seal John Crenshaw accompanies his girlfriend and her students on a weekend nature-photography expedition deep in the woods. What should be an educational and fun-filled trip turns into horror as the group is besieged by an unspeakable evil: a horde of hideously disfigured, mutated humans with an insatiable taste for blood. With the stakes higher than ever, John must once again embrace the life he left behind and
become the unstoppable combat soldier he was to track down and kill the horde.The mutants have no idea who they are up against when the hunters become the prey in this life-or-death, kill-or-be-killed conflict that proves how much one man will do and endure to save the woman he loves and get them out of this Hell alive.” – Gravitas Ventures

Any film that starts things off with body parts hanging from the ceiling followed by a couple drinking wine and a good old fashioned chase is bound to grab the viewers attention. It certainly grabbed mine! The Horde can best be described as taking Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character out of Predator and sticking him in a Wrong Turn and The Hills Have Eyes situation. Although this film falls more into the action category, it is still about 40% horror and has scares, suspense and torture scenes. This also means that the film, unfortunately, falls into the typical horror movie plot progression that we’ve seen thousands of times in the “kids go in the woods, kids die” and “hillbilly cannibal attack” subgenres. There are a few typical cliches to be found, but they are easily excusable because once the action starts… All I can say is buckle up!

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Being that Paul Logan wrote, produced, starred and lead the stunt department in The Horde is a clear indication that he was always meant to be the standout here. And, boy, does he stand out. Women will love him for his muscles, chiseled jaw, eyes and deep voice and men are going to love him because he’s a bad ass hero who wants to get the girl. Logan is equally as talented as an actor as he is a stunt man and this pleasantly surprised me. He has a long career as an actor already, but he only recently started getting involved with stunts as seen in The Terminators (2009) and Mega Piranha (2010).  Paul Logan is the Jean Claude Van Damme of a new generation and he is more than capable as a leading actor and as an action hero. The only problem with The Horde is… It’s him verses twenty or so mutated savages. Even as the hero, can he beat the odds and save the damsels in distress? You’ll have to find out when The Horde hits VOD on May 6th!

What surprised me most of all is that The Horde is an extremely polished, professional and well production action/horror flick. I was under the assumption that it was going to be a lot smaller budgeted and I’m happy to see that this is Blockbuster worthy material. The cinematography and camera work, even at night, is flawless and has some of the best night scenes I’ve seen recently. All of the actors are incredibly talented and have a solid background in the industry and I think their careers are only going to explode further after The Horde gets out there. I’m not sure of her name, but an actress gets her hands nailed to the table and she delivers one of the most believable, realistic, perfectly acted torture scenes I’ve ever seen in a horror film. Very gripping! The amount of effort that went into producing this is unimaginable and I sincerely hope that this does well in the market. It’s definitely a cult classic contender and undoubtedly sets the bar for any action/horror film that will come after it. Just wow!

The Horde has bar fights, romance and sexuality, and photography students as canon fodder. It’s got more rounds of suspense than a machine gun. It’s a Hills Have Eyes styled bloodbath with explosions, arrows and screams. It’s a throwback to the great action films of the 80’s and is impeccably acted. Holy crap. It’s awesome. Tremendous rewatchability! Congratulations to 313 Films, Razors Edge Productions and Taplight Media for filming something so action packed, gory and enthralling. Final Score: 10 out of 10.

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Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

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