Coherence is a 2013 science fiction movie, but I'd wager that the term horror could be applied just as well. A great sense of foreboding and dread permeates the entire film. The movie is the directorial debut of James Ward Byrkit, also known for his work writing the Oscar-winning animated film Rango and serving as a conceptual artist for the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.
In interviews, Byrkit explains that Coherence was his attempt to separate himself from the Hollywood machine. He wanted to make a movie without a script, without a crew, and with little resources. Filmed for under $50,000, Coherence is a film that is much greater than the sum of its parts. The movie was filmed almost entirely within the living room of Byrkit's own house, utilizing actors well-versed in the art of improvisation. The science-fiction aspect of the story was borne from an attempt to make this living room feel much larger; an interesting approach to expand what is mostly a single-set film. As an aside, I've covered several other single set films on this site previously, including Last Shift and Alien Raiders.
The story begins as eight friends come together for a dinner party in a quiet suburb of California. The gathering happens to coincide with the arrival of Miller's comet. There's some exposition about the last time the comet passed by the Earth in the early 20th century when there were reports of radio interference and mass confusion. We learn that this time the comet's orbit will bring it into much closer proximity with the planet, setting the stage for the strange events that begin to unfold. I won't go into the story much more than this. Do yourself a favor and watch Coherence with as little prior knowledge as you can. Heck, feel free to come back to this review later.
The main character is Em, played by Emily Foxler. She is joined at the party by her boyfriend and three additional couples. Em is a professional choreographer and dancer, and, it is explained that a series of bad decisions resulted in her missing out on performing a dream project. Her relationship with Kevin is also on the rocks, evidence by Em's hesitancy to commit to accompanying him on a four-month work trip. Not helping matters is the presence of Laurie, Kevin's ex-girlfriend who also wants to get back together with him. Each of the eight characters is flawed in some way and, without spoiling anything, the film is ultimately about the rippling consequences of the decisions we make. Albeit, with a heavy science-fiction flare.
The dialogue through the early part of the film is natural and flowing, a welcome effect of filming with no script. Brykit says that on every day of filming he provided each actor with a series of 5 points that he wanted them to convey throughout that day of production. These points were not shared with the other actors beforehand, and so were naturally woven into the improvised dialogue. That said, Coherence is a complicated film, one that is trying to convey a (very) complex narrative. While everything in the film is serviceable, I can't help but think that some of the more exposition-heavy plot points could have benefited by more subtle conveyance. Any such lighter touch definitely would have required more scripting.
This isn't to say that the filmmaker relied solely on the improvised performances to create the narrative of Coherence. Brykit spent the better part of a year developing the backstory of the film, piecing together outlines for scenes and thoroughly tracking continuity. The resulting 12-page outline was used to keep the actors oriented and the narrative moving forward. There is an incredible attention to detail present here, layers upon layers that can only be appreciated on repeated viewings. There are few movies that I've seen that approach the mind-bending nature of Coherence, and fewer still that have done it this well.
Five stars.
The Collection (2012) is the sequel to the 2009 torture/slasher flick, The Collector. The story of this follow up begins shortly after the events of the previous film, and chronicles the ongoing and horrifying exploits of everyone's favorite etymology-obsessed, woolly gimp mask-wearing, booby trap fanatic, the Collector (Randall Archer). Also returning is the safe cracker with a heart of gold, everyone's favorite handyman and child savior, Arkin O'Brien (Josh Stuart).
Before the return of the good Mr. O'Brien, a new series of fodder characters are introduced, including new protagonist, Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick). Ignoring the news reports recapping the horrific event of the first film, Elena sneaks out of her father's mansion to attend a killer rave party alongside her two underdeveloped buddies, Josh and Josh's blonde sister. I feel sort of bad that this character's name doesn't appear in my notes, but between you, me, and the spoiler on the wall, she isn't around long enough for her name to matter.
Elena and pals show up to this exclusive, back-alley party and proceed to rave as hard as their little hearts will let them. The plot starts to move when Elena runs into her boyfriend, who is busy making out with a random party lady. The boyfriend's nonchalant shrug earns him a straight jab to face by Elena, and this draws the attention of our black-clad antagonist, whom is perched on the rafters above the party like a creepy, gimp-masked gargoyle.
Distraught, Elena stumbles backstage and the audience begins to get a better idea of just how screwed everyone at this party is. Hidden away in one of these backrooms, Elena comes across an oddly placed red steamer trunk. As one does in these films, she opens it, and out tumbles Arkin, last seen at the end of the first film being shoved into said trunk by the Collector. His release starts our first Rube Goldberg booby-trap activation sequence and, just like that, the first major set piece of the film is set into motion.
I've been describing the events of the film thus far mostly just to talk about this scene. The entire rave warehouse has been rigged with the business end of a farm thresher, which descends upon the multitude of party goers. To say that the blood begins to flow is a significant understatement. I was reminded of the oft-remembered opening sequence to Ghost Ship, but brought to the complete next level. This is one hell of a kill sequence, and is one which horror fans owe to themselves to see.
As the plot machine continues, Arkin manages to escape from the grasp of the Collector, and Elena is snatched in his place. Turns out, Elena is the daughter of a very wealthy man with his own personal private security team. The security team recruits Arkin to take them to the Collector's lair, so that they might save Elena from her horrible fate.
Without following the scenes of the film further, the rundown warehouse which serves to hold the titular Collection is a true horror show. Our would-be rescue team encounter horror after horror, and the full extent of the Collector's demented depths are more fully explored than in the first film. Highlights of the collection include people in drug-induced zombie-like state which are essentially kept as attack dogs, and a room full of water preservation tanks holding monstrosities of literally stitched together body parts. The Collector clearly sees himself as something as an artist, and its an interesting direction for the character given the narrow focus on torture and booby-traps demonstrated in the first film.
As impressive as I found the opening kill sequence in scope, I was somehow left with the impression that The Collection skews more towards action than straight horror. This basis of this feeling is difficult to adequately explain, as the amount of horrific scenes shown on the screen can't really be denied. Despite the abundant use of slow motion in the various trap sequences, I felt like the camera never quite hung on any of the special effects in a way that emphasized the horror of what's occuring on screen.
Despite this, The Collection is a worthy follow-up to the first film. The mythos of the Collector is suitably expanded, and the scope of the film is far grander than the single house setting of the first film could ever support. The imagery of some of the items kept in the collection are so vivid and provoking that I can't help but want to watch this film over again. Although the ending of the film is fairly clear, it certainly does leave room open for additional entries in the series. Should a third installment of The Collector appear, I'd be game for one more round.
Three stars.