Unrest (2006)

by Rizzy

Unrest is one of the 8 Films to Die For that are "considered too graphic, too disturbing, and too shocking for general audiences" by their trailer. So, of course, I feel a responsibility to make sure each one of these films gets Bviewed eventually. I got to admit that I was not excited about renting this film, I thought that theses movies were a lot of hype and had little hope that they would live up to them in anyway, but after watching Unrest? All I can really say is wow, now I wonder if any of the others will live up to this one. I really enjoyed this film a lot, but if you're looking for a cheesefest, I'd avoid it, the film actually has substance!

When I first saw Corri English appear as Alison Blanchard, I got to admit I had little hope for her acting ability.  I thought oh God, another pretty girl that's just going to be ghost fodder. It didn't take me long to warm to this girl though, and not just because of her award winning smile, but she actually felt real to me.  And when I say she felt real, I don't mean in that she felt like a real mindless teenager out to have fun, strip and die, but I mean she felt like a real interesting person that I'd actually want to get to know in real life. She wasn't the only one, but most of the characters had just a real normal person feel to them. I really cared about the characters in this film, which made it a lot more interesting.

Let's take a step back though from the personalization of this film to look at it atheistically. This film had a really strong look to it. See how the whites aren't really white, but greyish, the scrubs and skin pigments, even the blood, they are all muted. This really gives you a feel for the cold, dark tone of the morgue that they are in. You almost feel as if death is on the air. It also helps distance you from the sight of the dead bodies, which is welcome.  I don't need to see the open human body in all it's glory, thank you very much. For a film that has a group of students dissecting a body throughout it, it's not as gory as you might thing and I thank that in a large part to the muted coloring, which hides the detail.

So, the film is about the spirit of the body (aka the cadaver) that the students are dissecting at the medical school.  This thing is creepier than all hell, let me tell you that much. It's got an amazing look to it though, especially with the muted coloring.  They apparently used real bodies on this film, which I don't know how I feel about, ok I do, I think it's terrible, but I got to admit that it only made the film all the more creepier. It's not the only film to have done this, either.  Poltergeist also used bodies, well skeletons, for the final pool scene. I wish we treated our dead with more respect some times. I don't know if I would have watched this film if I would have read that before renting it, but having seen it, I got to admit that I now want to buy it. Damn.

That being said, the deaths in this film are not really shown and when they are shown it is show with minimal gore. For a movie that is so blatantly unafraid to show dead bodies with full glory, opened for all the world to see, this is fairly ironic, but I think it works well to maintain the tone of the film. In so many horror films the gore and cheese that showing death inspires gives almost a lighter feeling to the film. You jump and have your scare and then you can rest, but they don't really give you that pleasure in the film, which helps it maintain it's haunting film.  Everything that is going on is out of sight and all we really see is the results of it, which makes it feel like something that's harder to stop and understand. (Did I mention that I love this film?)

The thing that really makes this film though is the building suspense.  What starts out as just a feeling for our poor leading lady Alison slowly grows into a death and then another. You really get the sense that she's really struggling with her faith and what she believes about the world and so doesn't want to admit that she knows exactly what is going on around her. What could have been a 2 hour gorefest actually turned into an interesting film and I have to thank director/co-writer Jason Todd Ipson for that.  Seriously, good job.

This film is not my traditional horror film favorite. It's not one that I'd recommend for a big group and a some beers.  That's more reserved for films that are cheesey and filled with jumps. This movie would be better watched in a small group with people who are actually interested in following the plot, because that's what this movie was made for. So the next time you feel like cuddling up with someone and feeling creeped out, then rent this rent this film. I suggest even making it a priority.