12 Kilometers (2016)
2016
28 Minutes
Set against a backdrop of 1980s Russia, a team of scientists and their drill crew have dug the deepest hole known to man. Dredged from the abyss is an entity that brings them face to face with thei...
User Review
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WHAT I LIKED: 'The Thing,' is one of my all-time favourite horror movies, and after watching Mike Pecci's high-concept short '12 Kilometres,' (which serves mostly as a prologue to a potential feature film) it's not surprising to see that he cites John Carpenter's 80s masterpiece as a big influence. Yes, this story that centres around an isolated team of dig men in 1980s Russia who encounter a mysterious creature that forces them to meet their biggest fears is quite clearly a take on that horror premise that many of us know extremely well, but what makes this adaptation of the idea is that it's a very neat take indeed that consequently has the planned full-length feature looking entirely viable.
Indeed, in part this is because everyone is trapped together underground which undoubtedly unlocks the opportunity for plenty of great situations, but it's largely because exploring characters' own demons is always a fascinating thing and is equally of course something that's frequently portrayed in cinema when people are isolated for months on end.
Equally though, the short itself not only does a great job of establishing a brilliant premise, but it also perfectly establishes the overall atmosphere and mood, as David Kruta's cinematography and the use of lighting is very well-considered and successfully builds a palette that could be taken further, and the visualisation of the central creature and its affects is very inventive and beautifully-executed overall.
In the end then, you've got yourself a great horror premise that takes inspiration from the best places and does something interesting, and when you couple that with some very successful visual execution, what you've got is a great short that teases what could be a thoroughly brilliant feature film.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The focus of this short certainly isn't developing characters, and as a result it's difficult to care for the people on screen and invest in the peril that they're exposed to. This isn't helped either by the occasional moment of corny dialogue, or the hugely overbearing soundtrack.
VERDICT: A short that teases a great central premise executed in an interesting visual way, Mike Pecci's '12 Kilometers,' shows real potential for a full feature film.0 member like this review.
