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Review: Mark Robins’ Antihuman

I received a digital screener of this title from Wild Eye Releasing and I was going to pass on it. I didn’t think it was going to be my cup of tea and I didn’t want to give it a negative review just because it wasn’t my thing. Despite my reservations, I watched Antihuman in full the other day and found it to be a memorizing experience. It was interesting and confusing (in a good away) and had the same effect on me that YellowBrickRoad did in 2010. You watch it and you know something fishy is going on, but you have no idea what. You have no idea what to expect and the outcome is just as mysterious. Based on the screenplay by Mark Robins, Antihuman follows a young woman and her three friends as they travel into the woods to locate an abandoned psychological research facility where her mother was held. Recently, the young woman’s mother passed away, leaving behind too many unanswered questions that refuse to remain buried. Once they arrive at the hospital, it’s legacy comes to life… as does the spirits and ghosts who were once experimented on within the building’s walls. Now, the ladies come face to face with evil that knows no limit of time and space.

I find the last two sentences of the overarching synopsis to be the most relevant. I’d definitely file Antihuman in the experimental film category. It doesn’t follow any typical form of plot and character progression and, for a very mild horror story, it doesn’t contain any stereotypes or cliches. I think co-directors & co-producers Mark Robins and Luke Gietzen put more effort into bringing this enchanting, diabolical, psychological thriller to life instead of attempting to scare the pants off the audience. And that’s completely OK because I’ll always give extra points for originality and extra applause to those who think outside the box and go for something new. It keeps the genre fresh. Elaborating on the experimental elements a little more, Antihuman does this through ominous yet relaxed voice overs and adequate shots of visual and digital effects that closely mirror acid trips. Cinematographer Seth Ward had his work cut out for him here, but he succeeded and his work behind the camera put this movie a notch or two higher in terms of production. I knew from the opening shots involving the “chase scene” that this would be a higher quality indie flick, and I was right!

My only gripe is that Antihuman is very low on the horror and science fiction side. But, hey, maybe Wild Eye Releasing is stepping up their game and releasing titles to a wider demographic. Get those coins, guys. Besides the lure of the research facility and its surrounding grounds, the viewer begins to realize there’s trouble when the main character starts to change in an unorganic way that’s darker and less in tune to reality. There’s a lot of talking about witches and ghouls and deranged experiments… but that’s all there really is. Talk. Lots of talking. I wanted to see more of what they were talking about it. And it’s really sad because they had two great locations to work with – the facility and the forest – that weren’t used to their full potential. There had to be a way that Mark Robins and Luke Gietzen could have brought this vision to life with the two most important aspects living together cohesively. Antihuman is a slow-burn horror film that never turns the heat up mast minimum level. But it did succeed on every other level despite this annoyance so I can’t complain too much.

I don’t know if I necessarily got “it,” but I enjoyed my time trying to figure the whole thing out. Antihuman was produced by Florencia Diaz and stars Anya Korzun, Danielle Arden, Andrew Jardine, Katie Keight, and Kathryn Goldsmith. It’s currently available on demand. Final Score: 7 out of 10.

Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

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