Review: Digging Up The Marrow
DVD: Digging Up The Marrow (2014)
Isn’t ‘Digging Up The Marrow’ probably the strangest title for a film?
It conjures up images of dead things, bones, shovels, graveyards, necrophilia…. just me?
‘Digging Up The Marrow’ is actually the title of the new horror film from Adam Green. Adam Green is a name well known as one of the new wave of American horror film makers, along with Joe Lynch and Adam Wingard. With a modern horror ‘hero’ already under his belt in the ‘Hatchet’ trilogy, several other movies and a successful TV show, Green is really making waves as a kind of ‘Horror’ Kevin Smith.
‘Digging Up The Marrow’ was high on my list when I saw the trailer, the film is both entertaining and imaginative but seems to lack a solid direction, and crucially, a bigger budget.
Filmed as a documentary and beginning with interviews with horror artists and actors such as Tony Todd, Lloyd Kaufman and Alex Pardee whom the films monster designs are based on, Green talks about how he loves the enthusiasm he shares with his fans over horror and monsters. We are then taken from the ‘real’ world into the ‘movie’ as Ray Wise’ fan wants Green (playing himself) to come to his town to film what he is convinced are real life monsters that dwell in a local graveyard after dark. Over the course of the film we follow Green, Wise and Green’s cinematographer Will Barratt as they try to capture footage of said monsters. Green’s childlike hope of seeing something mirrored my own, as I too have a deep love of monsters and think that maybe, out there somewhere, something may be creeping around at dusk or hiding in a dark corner of a graveyard. We are not disappointed as some genuine scares begin and the wonderful designs by artist Alex Pardee are seen in the flesh. Wise keeps the film together as he keeps us guessing about his role in the hidden world of monsters, he adds pathos to a film that without him wouldn’t be anywhere near as convincing.
This is where I come to my gripes about this film; it runs out of steam towards the end, and as I mentioned earlier runs out of MONEY. So much more could have been made of these bizarre creatures, just as we are getting into the fact that there are big (and very little) monsters out there it seems to grind to a halt and flips some odd plot turns where it didn’t need to at all. No spoilers here but you will see what I mean.
I will recommend Digging Up The Marrow as its nostalgic feel and horror geek heavy setting is excellent. The FX are awesome too (when used). If you are a real horror fan, seek this out and enjoy its spooky monster world.
A good idea almost brilliantly executed, but not quite the perfect horror film I was hoping for.
Review by Ramrod (co-host of 60 Minutes With)