Big brute killers are a mainstay in horror. A gigantic, mammoth of a man already puts potential victims at a tremendous disadvantage. As a viewer, heavy stature alone gives the impression that you’re going to be treated to a brutal throw-down that includes bone breaking and face smashing. Look how franchises like Friday the 13th and The Hills Have Eyes have flourished due to larger than life intruders. While maybe not as endearing as other films in its catalogue, Talon Falls features an over-sized killer with a healthy appetite for torture. The central villain is joined by a host of other crazy maniacs, which only reinforces my theory that this film perfectly equates to The Hills Have Eyes inside After Dark Films’ Dark Ride. In other words, Talon Falls is a dirty, sweaty, brutal torture flick that reminds you how devastating the subgenre of horror can be. Writer, director and producer Joshua Shreve has a hit on his hands and people, including myself, are taking notice!
The film starts with an opening sequence ripped straight out of Wrong Turn before continuing with a somewhat familiar plot. A group of marginally enjoyable teenagers visit a Halloween horror theme park for a night of fun and games as they enjoy the location’s gruesome exhibits. The attraction’s hosts are dressed to the nines, the actors and people players are VERY into their roles, and the blood looks realistic… almost TOO realistic. Soon, the friends discover that the theatrical deaths are anything but staged and real, helpless victims are being slaughtered right before their eyes. A family of murderous lunatics have taken over over the theme park and are looking to add the young onlookers to their list of participants.Now they must find a way out of the traps, mazes and dark corridors before they become a permanent part of the live torture attraction. Morgan Wiggins, Tim McCain, Ryan Rudolph, Jordyn Rudolph, Brad Bell and Matthew Bozone star in this scary thriller from executive producers Todd Ferren and Kent Hammond.
Typically, I’m not a huge fan of torture flicks because I feel like they’re a means of getting a cheap scare out of viewers. There’s no real suspense or mystery so much as there is fear of painful, prolonged, imminent death. It’s cheating, especially when the characters in the movie are locked in cages or strapped to certain surfaces. However, Talon Falls just worked and I was hooked from start to finish. Again, this was a reminder that not all torture flicks are the same. Somewhat in the same league as Saw, Talon Falls succeeds for numerous reasons and the biggest one is its location – a real life scream park in Melber, Kentucky. Writer/director Joshua Shreve and producers Jeff Steinborn & Leslie Mills were extremely intelligent in landing this location. The atmosphere of horror was already built in before filming started and it gave off a true Halloween vibe, which is perfect timing considering Talon Falls was released on all VOD markets via Terror Films this past Friday. I definitely think it’s a movie you should add to your challenge lists if you’re in the mood for a new title.
Other things I enjoyed about Talon Falls include an attempt to make this more than a basic brutal flick, especially from a production standpoint. The lighting and camera quality is pretty good from an independent horror film, but it’s loads better at night. Credit to cinematographer Jeff Steinborn for his efforts here and his involvement with the light up paint scene, the fan scene, and the areal shots. As a viewer, I appreciate the extra time put into delivering stunning visuals. The dog was probably my favorite character and I have to say the acting from the human characters was much better than I was expecting. Great performances all around. Talon Falls is far from perfect, though, and I have to point out that it does contain a strong resemblance to Circus Kane. Swap out killers and locations and they’re basically the same movie. Also, I expected Talon Falls to be bloodier and gorier than it is. That was a slight let down. Still, Talon Falls is a brutal, terrifying and claustrophobic slugfest and I’d certainly recommend it to horror fans this Halloween season.
Final Score: 7.25 out of 10.
