This is an interesting low budget movie that is shot in a Blair Witch style with the characters carrying the camera around with them. Unlike the knock-offs, this movie has a different and entertaining story line. There are three teenage guys and a couple of girls who spend a few days in June driving to a nearby community called Boston Mills. There are all sorts of stories about the town, which is nicknamed HELLTOWN. They include a haunted bus, the crazy lady who killed her kids and the creepy church. Pretty much the standard legends that most small towns have that capture the imagination of bored kids. Along with visiting all the sites, they get into trouble with some of the locals, which results in some vandalism and several really creepy encounters. All of this comes to a bloody end when they return one final time to recover a missing purse.
This is a very well made and entertaining independent movie that I enjoyed way more than I thought I was going to. While I'm among those that wish the first person video camera movie phase that has been popular of late would pass, this movie still sucked me in. The story is different and combines the recent trend of kids taping themselves doing the dumbest things with a horror movie. I've never seen anyone approach one of these movies this way and found it very creative. The story is filled with the sort of local legends that anyone who grew up in a rural area will immediately relate to. Of course in my case, being from Ohio and knowing something about where they were shooting, only made that more fun. Now the movie does slow down a bit and get repetitive towards the end as they keep going back when most people would have bailed, but the ending is so killer that it more than makes up for that. I also need to say that I have no idea where director T. Michael Conway found his cast, but well done. They are all young actors that in most cases seem to have nothing on their resume other than this movie. They are all very good and natural. Not once while watching the movie did I ever even notice that they were acting. This is so rare to say about an independent movie that I just had to point it out.
This movie is supposed to be shot by one of the kids with a consumer video camera and looks like it was. If you are looking for well-lit, superbly polished camera work this is the wrong movie for you. Also if you are susceptible to motion sickness (like I am) you might just get a little sick to your stomach watching this movie (I was by the end). But for me, that just made the movie more effective and was part of the experience. In addition to the previous, there are also a couple of really effective creepy moments that are captured on the camera nicely. There is a bit with some night vision and a mysterious figure in the woods that was scary and another with a couple of people standing in a house staring out the windows that also worked nicely. Speaking of scary, the voice on the CB radio freaked me out just a bit.
This is one of the creepier independent movies that I've seen in a long time. My big rule with movies, regardless of funding, is whether they entertained me. While June 9 had a micro budget and looks like it, I still had fun with it. I've always thought that a talented filmmaker could make a decent movie on any budget and I believe June 9 proves my point. I recommend that horror fans give the movie a chance to surprise them.
This is a very well made and entertaining independent movie that I enjoyed way more than I thought I was going to. While I'm among those that wish the first person video camera movie phase that has been popular of late would pass, this movie still sucked me in. The story is different and combines the recent trend of kids taping themselves doing the dumbest things with a horror movie. I've never seen anyone approach one of these movies this way and found it very creative. The story is filled with the sort of local legends that anyone who grew up in a rural area will immediately relate to. Of course in my case, being from Ohio and knowing something about where they were shooting, only made that more fun. Now the movie does slow down a bit and get repetitive towards the end as they keep going back when most people would have bailed, but the ending is so killer that it more than makes up for that. I also need to say that I have no idea where director T. Michael Conway found his cast, but well done. They are all young actors that in most cases seem to have nothing on their resume other than this movie. They are all very good and natural. Not once while watching the movie did I ever even notice that they were acting. This is so rare to say about an independent movie that I just had to point it out.
This movie is supposed to be shot by one of the kids with a consumer video camera and looks like it was. If you are looking for well-lit, superbly polished camera work this is the wrong movie for you. Also if you are susceptible to motion sickness (like I am) you might just get a little sick to your stomach watching this movie (I was by the end). But for me, that just made the movie more effective and was part of the experience. In addition to the previous, there are also a couple of really effective creepy moments that are captured on the camera nicely. There is a bit with some night vision and a mysterious figure in the woods that was scary and another with a couple of people standing in a house staring out the windows that also worked nicely. Speaking of scary, the voice on the CB radio freaked me out just a bit.
This is one of the creepier independent movies that I've seen in a long time. My big rule with movies, regardless of funding, is whether they entertained me. While June 9 had a micro budget and looks like it, I still had fun with it. I've always thought that a talented filmmaker could make a decent movie on any budget and I believe June 9 proves my point. I recommend that horror fans give the movie a chance to surprise them.