The Hive

source: The Hive

I put this movie in the second tier of zombie (zombie like if you're technical) movies. First tier being, original NofTLD, Dawn of Dead remake, 28 Days, and Zombie Land. There are a LOT of zombie movies out there. And other than the for mentioned, finding a good Z flick is few and far between. But this was a find. I'll group this with The Girl with all the Gifts, and the Night Eats the World. 3 Thing I liked. 1)camera work was great for low budget. 2) Actors had great chemistry. 3) This movie had the best transformation from human to zombie I have ever seen. If you're a zombie junkie you should try it out.

The Hive Directed by David Yarovesky. Written by David Yarovesky and Will Honley Sometimes Fathom events will have a one night only screening of some independent movie usually of the horror variety. These movies have fascinated me every time I see them. I wonder how they get picked. What makes Primal Rage, The Hive and The Final Wish eligible for inclusion? Fathom events are usually special events and therefore cost more than an average movie. Very few people would take a chance like that. So naturally my curiosity is piqued. So what makes The Hive, a little low budget movie about a virus that turns people into mindless black tar spewing monsters infecting a summer camp, eligible for inclusion for the Fathom events? I think it being produced by Nerdist might have something to do with it. They haven't produced a movie before or haven't produced a movie since. It is an interesting idea for a horror movie. A virus that forces people in the grisly way possible to be connected all at once. They can see what the others see, they can feel what they feel and you find out exactly how they use that and you can recall memories from the others infected. Visually this movie is like a Jackson Pollock painting riddled with caffeine pills on an empty stomach. It uses black light to a good effect. It uses the black blood and the gnarly veins to good effect. The color scheme to the movie makes it stand out among other low budget horror movies. It looks visually stunning. It doesn't look cheap. That's the big difference between something like this and Scream Park. Scream Park was not able to utlitize what it had to make things more cinematic. The Hive is able to do that. The effects as mentioned are terrific. It's gruesome but unappealing. The color scheme works well with making things stand out and capture your attention. I was on board with the hive mind lunacy. The thing I felt lacked and brought this movie down some was the relationship between the protagonist and his best friend and love interest. I'm sure they have names but I can't remember them. The hero is a womanizing douchebag bedding down as many of the girls in camp as he possibly can. He tries these very same tricks with Jessie(I think that is her name but honestly I have no clue). She shuts him down because she knows all about the way he operates. He tries to profess his love. She is having none of this. We now have our character arc. Of course his best friend has feelings for a girl who his friend beds. He takes this personally. We have this soap opera bit going on amongst the disease and grue. It doesn't work. The music is telling me that it should work but it simply doesn't. This is not a bad film. It is enjoyable and I dug what it was trying to do. It is not scary. It tries to be with its jump scares. It is visually insane and it makes up for its low budget with its camera work and great make up work. I give this movie a B.

HOW old were the "kids" in this film...twelve? That's what it felt like...watching a bunch of pre-middle school kids trying to act grown before their time and failing miserably at it. I wanted ALL the characters to die...really...I've rarely been so irritated by immature acting. Maybe I'm just old and square. Disappointing because the concept was quite new and different and Elya Baskin is always a pleasure to watch. Not sure what direction this movie was trying to go in, but the immature conveyances they chose (disguised as hip teens) left a LOT to be desired. Pass this movie by...do yourself a favor.

Maybe I shouldn't write the review since I shut it down at minute 40. Stupid, non scary, convoluted mess. Waste of time. Basso can go back to working at Burger King now.

Not much of horror as I had hoped. It is heavy on drama but it was quite interesting how the story was developed. There was a sort of filter on the film too, giving it a video game feel.

The Hive: Adam wakes, confused, suffering from amnesia. He has some infection but his girlfriend, Katie, is in a far worse state. Ala Memento he finds cryptic information written on walls. Through flashbacks he remembers how he, Katie, Jess and Clark (summer camp counselors) saw a plane crash.. Reaching the scene they are attack by a zombiesque survivor. Fleeing their car crashes and Jess is infected by the survivor (he vomits a black liquid on her). She speaks in other voices, appears to have multiple personalities. Adam also has flashbacks of being in other bodies, of participating in Soviet mind science experiments carried out through viral infection of unwilling human subjects, then of similar US experiments. Telepathy, Dybbuks, Zombies and Mengelesque human experimentation meld in this harrowing SF/Horror thriller. 7/10

This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen and that's not me being hyperbolic that's the honest truth.

I tend not to look for horror films anymore. Call me jaded but I grew up in the '80s. By the time I turned twenty there was nothing I hadn't seen, whether it was done well or badly. CGI ruined the rest! But the past few years has seen a resurgence in excellently crafted and executed horror films and The Hive is the latest that I must rank so highly. I believe this to be one of the best of the decade. Don't think zombies when you see the trailer. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Evil Dead. Don't think tweeny love story like it was marketed. Although it has those elements, and they are a driving force, they're done well and quite maturely. This is one of those movies that wades neck deep in the kind of horror that gave you nightmares as a kid and yet it also has the intelligence of Christopher Nolan's Memento, yet with a dash of Friday 13th and the late '90s Liev Schreiber sci-fi horror Phantoms. I had very few hang-ups, going in with zero expectations, and left with zero hang-ups, all but for the choice in music at the end credits and the slightly cliché end narration. The rest, from beginning to end, is an exercise in creepy, suspenseful, horror with a mind of its own; and possibly a secret subtext with a message about our modern society. That dormitory scene later on...

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, as there's been a spate of 'Virus' horror/thrillers of late. To be fair, it was a lot more engaging than I anticipated with 'Memento' styled flashbacks and some great acting. The characters start out being typical teenage horror fodder but develop into interesting and well rounded people that as a viewer, it's difficult not to like and feel sympathy for. The action does jump around a lot and at times you're not sure where in the time-line the characters are currently, but this is a minor annoyance. Despite being a bit lost during the first 10-15 minutes, as the plot unfolds everything comes together and tells a fascinating tale, warning of the foolishness and greed of humanity. Honestly, this movie is the best and most engaging I've seen in a while and doesn't just rely on special effects and/or make-up, but actually tells an interesting and gripping story.