DEADLY REVISIONS (2015)
Label: SGL Entertainment
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 94 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Gregory Blair
Cast: Bill Oberst Jr., Mikhail Blokh, Cindy Merrill, Dawna Lee Heising, Gregory Blair
In the psychological killer-thriller Deadly Revisions (2015) we have noted indie actor actor Bill Oberst Jr. in the role of horror movie writer/director Grafton Torn who one day wakes up from a six month coma in the hospital, with little memory of what happened or how he got ended up there. His long time movie-making friend Dieter McMannus (Mikhail Blokh) does what he can to aid his friend in regaining his lost memories, beginning with setting him up at a tranquil rural cottage in the woods far away from Hollywood. As Grafton settles into his new digs slowly but surely the lost memories start to come back with the aid of an attractive hypnotherapist Ally Morris (Cindy Merrill) who lays Grafton on the couch for some sleepy-time therapy, the sessions are working but the horrific vision and nightmares they unleash might just prove to be Grafton's undoing.
This one certainly has the feel of a Stephen King novel, we have a horror movie writer set-up in a secluded home in the woods who begins to crack under psychological duress, this definitely had me thinking of Stephen King's 'Secret Room'. Even the name 'Grafton Thorn' sounds like a name right out of a Stephen King book. Bill Oberst Jr. is quite good in the role of Grafton, embracing the madness of it with loads of conviction, the actor is a staple of low budget horror movies and more often than not turns in performances far beyond what the you might expect from cash-strapped horror production. Oberst zeros in on the heart of the disturbed writer who is haunted by not only his own creations come to life, but with the possibility that he might have murdered his wife Kat (Lise Hart), whom is not exactly painted in the most positive light by the movie, she plays a great bitch, but the role also offers her the opportunity to play a more sympathetic and empathetic character at times.
We get some nice moments of unreality as Grafton gradually unravels into a nightmare world with a building body count and plenty of good moments of suspense and tension. I warn you though, come into this one expecting a low-budget production without the benefit of all the Hollywood bells and whistles you might enjoy and the cinema, it's a small movie and can be rough around the edges, but it does offer some good psychological twists and turns.
Aside from some strong Stephen King influences, the disturbed writer holed-up in a small cabin in the woods, writer/director Gregor Blair also dips his toe into Sidney Lumet's gem of a thriller, the Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine, classic Deathtrap (1982), which I adored. For general horror audiences this might be a bit rough around the edges but I love the meat of the story and how it plays out. Bill Oberst Jr. turns in a very solid performance in a role with some serious meat to it as his character struggles to maintain his grip on sanity as murderous unreality threatens to sweep him away. 2.5/5
In the psychological killer-thriller Deadly Revisions (2015) we have noted indie actor actor Bill Oberst Jr. in the role of horror movie writer/director Grafton Torn who one day wakes up from a six month coma in the hospital, with little memory of what happened or how he got ended up there. His long time movie-making friend Dieter McMannus (Mikhail Blokh) does what he can to aid his friend in regaining his lost memories, beginning with setting him up at a tranquil rural cottage in the woods far away from Hollywood. As Grafton settles into his new digs slowly but surely the lost memories start to come back with the aid of an attractive hypnotherapist Ally Morris (Cindy Merrill) who lays Grafton on the couch for some sleepy-time therapy, the sessions are working but the horrific vision and nightmares they unleash might just prove to be Grafton's undoing.
This one certainly has the feel of a Stephen King novel, we have a horror movie writer set-up in a secluded home in the woods who begins to crack under psychological duress, this definitely had me thinking of Stephen King's 'Secret Room'. Even the name 'Grafton Thorn' sounds like a name right out of a Stephen King book. Bill Oberst Jr. is quite good in the role of Grafton, embracing the madness of it with loads of conviction, the actor is a staple of low budget horror movies and more often than not turns in performances far beyond what the you might expect from cash-strapped horror production. Oberst zeros in on the heart of the disturbed writer who is haunted by not only his own creations come to life, but with the possibility that he might have murdered his wife Kat (Lise Hart), whom is not exactly painted in the most positive light by the movie, she plays a great bitch, but the role also offers her the opportunity to play a more sympathetic and empathetic character at times.
We get some nice moments of unreality as Grafton gradually unravels into a nightmare world with a building body count and plenty of good moments of suspense and tension. I warn you though, come into this one expecting a low-budget production without the benefit of all the Hollywood bells and whistles you might enjoy and the cinema, it's a small movie and can be rough around the edges, but it does offer some good psychological twists and turns.
Aside from some strong Stephen King influences, the disturbed writer holed-up in a small cabin in the woods, writer/director Gregor Blair also dips his toe into Sidney Lumet's gem of a thriller, the Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine, classic Deathtrap (1982), which I adored. For general horror audiences this might be a bit rough around the edges but I love the meat of the story and how it plays out. Bill Oberst Jr. turns in a very solid performance in a role with some serious meat to it as his character struggles to maintain his grip on sanity as murderous unreality threatens to sweep him away. 2.5/5
