I’d never heard of the film KOLOBOS which is odd having been
a horror film fan all my life as well as a video store owner well aware of even
the most obscure horror films being released. And yet somehow this one missed
my attention. Arrow Video is now giving me as well as other horror fans the
opportunity to correct this mistake and trust me, it’s well worth it. I found a
new slasher film to love.
The film opens with a young woman running for her life,
wounded and making her way down a rain soaked alley. When a couple comes across
her the only thing she can say is “Kolobos”. Fast forward a few days and the
same woman is now in a hospital, treated for her wounds and under the care of Dr.
Waldman (Kim Thomas) a psychiatrist there to find out what took place.
The film goes back three days prior and we find out the
girl’s name is Kyra (Amy Webber), a young down on her luck artists who has
landed what appears to be a great job. She’s to take part in an anthropology
experiment where several young people will be gathered into a house to live and
be filmed 24/7 to find out how they react to being there (Keep in mind this is
well before shows like this were common place having been made in 1999).
Picked up by the others she meets them for the first time.
Her roommate will be Tina (Promise DeMarco) an all too bubbly and energetic
fast food worker who find the entire experiment and home beyond her wildest
dreams. Also on hand are ex-college student Gary (John Fairlie) who considers
himself an intellectual, wanna be professional comic Tom (Donny Terranova) and
struggling actress Erica (Nichole Pelerine) who wants to be taken seriously.
They adjust to the house and begin to settle in with Erica
suggesting they watch the series of movies she starred in, a series of horror
slasher films made on what has to be a shoestring budget. Between movies Tina
goes to get something from the kitchen only to find herself slashed open by a
trap planted in the cabinet she opened. When the rest discover her they try and
help but not before the doors bolt shut and are covered with sheets of metal
along with the windows. They are now trapped with no hope of escape.
Erica calls out to the director of the film she’s been in
touch with only to receive no answer. At least at first. It isn’t long before
his body is literally dropped in on the group wrapped in saran wrap and leaking
blood. Fearful that the entire house is booby trapped with good cause they
survivors try and figure out who is behind this, why they’re doing it and how
they can escape. Is it someone they have yet to see or could it be one of them?
Between blackouts and the drawings Kyra has drawn the group begins to think she
is the killer. But is she?
The movie is a taut thriller made on as low a budget as the
films that the character Erica starred in but uses every single dollar to put
something new and interesting on the screen. It does so with stunning effect
and the movie comes together perfectly. The acting is far better than one would
expect in a film like this and the story is such that it keeps you guessing as
to what will happen next. What was probably one of those faceless unheard of
movies that lined the shelves of video stores across the country was actually a
hidden treasure that horror fans now have a second chance to find.
And what a find it is. Arrow Video once more shows why they
are perhaps the top company when it comes to releasing films of this sort. To
begin with their releasing it in a 2k restoration from the original film
negative. It’s never looked this good before. In addition to that they’ve
included a number of great extras as well including an audio commentary track
with co-writers/co-directors Daniel Liatowitsch and David Todd Ocvirk, “Real
World Massacre: The Making of Kolobos” a new feature on the making of the film,
“Face to Faceless” a new interview with Ilia Volok who plays “Faceless” in the
film, “Slice & Dice: The Music of Kolobos” a new interview with composer
William Kidd, a behind the scenes image gallery, “Super 8” short film by Daniel
Liatowitsch with commentary and the original trailer for the film.
If like me you’ve never seen this movie then by all means
make a point of seeking it out. Horror fans should insure that this film earns
a place among their collection. It’s nice to find a movie that delivers that
you’ve never heard of before. KOLOBOS is one of those films.
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