Horror Movie Review: Shiver (Eskalofrío)

Shiver (Eskalofrío)
Made in: Spain
Language: Spanish
Director: Isidro Ortiz
Starring: Junio Valverde, Mar Sodupe, Blanca Suárez, Francesc Orella, Jimmy Barnatán, Roberto Enríquez, Paul Berrondo, Pau Poch
Year: 2008

Review written by: Joe Yang

Originally published at: Foreign-Films-For-You.com

Synopsis: Santi (Junio Valverde) is a lonely teenager living in Barcelona with his mom, Julia (Mar Sodupe). He suffers from a condition called Photophobia, where he's hypersensitive to sunlight. As a result, he can't really do much during the day.

Other kids his age think he's a freak, his father, Oscar (Paul Berrondo), is a compulsive gambler, and his best friend Leo (Jimmy Barantán) is a pop culture geek who's as much of an outcast as he is.

At the advice of his doctor, Santi and his mother relocate to a remote village in the north, where the days are known for being short. The house they find is a little rustic, but it has all the necessary amenities for modern life.

But as in most horror movies, it comes complete with spooky shadows, window shutters that rattle really easily, and an attic full of stuff that belonged to the previous tenants. Yup, that's right. Nothing out of the ordinary around here...

The landlord, Dimas (Francesc Orella), seems okay, and although school isn't great, it's not as bad as it was in the big city. Santi befriends Tito (Pau Poch), a kid who's small for his age, and Ángela (Blanca Suárez), the attractive daughter of the local police inspector, Antonio (Roberto Enríquez). But before Santi can settle in, he learns that there's something strange about this quiet little town.

Something scary lives in the woods, and it's known for viciously attacking livestock. When it starts killing people, Santi just always happens to be around. Naturally, he's blamed for the deaths, or at least he's suspected of being a part of them. But as the frights escalate, Santi tries solving the mystery himself with the help of his friends. And before long, he uncovers a dark secret about the small town...

The Good: Cinematically, Shiver looks great and much credit should be given to production designer Pilar Revuelta (who worked on Pan's Labyrinth).

The story moves at a good pace, and unlike horror movies done in the US, the acting here is very good. Although the storyline isn't too different from a scary movie that you'd see Stateside, the higher caliber of acting gives the film more depth and intelligence.

The bloodshed isn't over-the-top. In fact, since many of the gory scenes take place in shadows or under shaky flashlight beams, director Isidro Ortiz leaves much of the horror to your imagination. Shiver contains plenty of solid suspense, and instead of going for cheap, jump-out-at-you scares, most of the creepiness is carefully constructed and plays more upon simple fears (being home alone, thunderstorms, lost in the woods, etc).

The Bad: Shiver doesn't make full use of all its major elements. Santi's photophobia is interesting, but it never plays out in a major way. It would have been better if, for instance, his "handicap" became a strength at certain times. If he can't come out during the day, then it's only logical to assume that he's at his best during the night. But no. Here, he's as scared of the dark (and ineffective in it) as anybody.

Tito has the potential to be an interesting character, but he sort of just disappears halfway through the story. And the love interest, Ángela, is underdeveloped as well. Without spoiling the ending, there are also some minor questions of logic that'll bother you if you think about them too much.

Who would like this movie: You should watch Shiver if you're fan of foreign films, and horror movies (particularly Spanish ones) that are focused more on scares than gore. Parts of the movie will make you think of movies such as Sleepy Hollow, Lost Boys, and maybe even the Blair Witch Project.

The overall premise is pretty familiar, but it's told very well. I suppose this counts as a teen movie in some ways, but it doesn't look cheesy nor does it insult anyone's intelligence.

There are no boob shots (which may be a disappointment to some), and since it's made in a country with no drinking age, I was mildly surprised to see that none of the main characters (or victims) got trashed. Perhaps that a cultural thing, which proves that foreign films are indeed educational.

For the most part, Shiver is an engaging thriller. It's not perfect, but it easily surpasses a lot of Hollywood stuff aimed at a similar demographic.

(3 out of 4 stars)

What's scary these days anyway?

By Joe Yang

A few years ago, when "torture porn" schlock such as the Saw and Hostel movies arrived in cinemas, people really started getting scared that the nation's youth was (yet again) headed down the path of destruction.

For a brief moment, people wondered if the initial popularity of such films was going to become a major trend. Parents to pundits, including Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly, voiced concern over what these torture movies said about modern society. These movies, after all, were brutal. And they made millions.

But years later, the Hostel sequel and the Saw franchise haven't enjoyed the same kind of box office successes that they had when first released. Although still somewhat popular, they don't seem to pose any kind of major cultural threat.

In other words, the world didn't come to an end because of a few sick movies.

So what scares people these days? As a horror writer, who's undoubtedly also fascinated with horror movies, I wonder if there are any ideas out there that can grab people the way Tobe Hooper's original Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Hitchcock's Psycho did.

When director Wes Craven methodically deconstructed the modern horror movie with the Scream series, he exposed every laughable flaw and formulaic plot turn of most scary movies. This was fun for a while, but seems to have had unintended consequences for later horror movies.

Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees have practically become caricatures of themselves. Aliens and Predators have made more of a mess out of their reputations than Democrats and Republicans. Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead took the scariness out of zombies (albeit brilliantly), and now it seems that all we're left with are remakes. Sure, an original killer is created every now and then, but when's the last time a slasher's name carried the same weight as Freddy or Jason?

And with the rise of ultra-realistic video games on advanced game consoles, it looks like the horror film industry only has more to compete with.

However, I remain optimistic. Horror is an element of popular culture that will always be in demand. The basic instinct to purge our deepest psychological fears is as necessary as breathing. So what will they think of next? I have no idea.

But believe me, it's coming...

I like horror, not extreme violence

By: Joe Yang

Every time I tell someone that I write horror stories, very often they assume that I must like watching horror movies too. The reasoning seems logical. I write "scary" stuff, therefore I must always be the first one in line whenever a new Saw movie comes out, right?

Wrong.

I'm not sure how it is with other horror writers, but for me, horror isn't actually my favorite cinematic genre (comedy is). That isn't to say that I avoid horror flicks altogether. For instance, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of my all-time favorite scary movies. Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original, not the terrible remake) was a brilliantly made psychological horror movie, in that there was very little (if any) gore but plenty of frightful stuff left to the imagination. Night of the Living Dead captured the nihilism and emotional despair of the Cold War 60s, and the recent Spanish film, The Orphanage (El Orfanato), is not only a great ghost story, but a moving drama as well.

Whenever I find myself talking about horror, I inevitably get into a discussion about movies containing extreme violence. Or "torture porn," as it is better known (what an overused term). I have not, and absolutely have no interest in seeing movies such as Wolf Creek, Saw, Hostel, or Barney vs. The Teletubbies.

But at the same time, I'm not going to rant about how depraved society is becoming, and that the movies mentioned above will breed a generation of desensitized Columbine copycats. The films of Eli Roth and his oft-criticized compatriots simply aren't my cup of tea, and I'll leave it at that. And for one, I don't think movies like Saw or Hostel will bring about the end of civilization as we know it.

After all, people thought that Elvis' swinging hips, the Beatles, and shows like The Simpsons were going to spell doom for the children of tomorrow. But did they? Hmmm. Let's see. Today, Elvis' songs are innocent, the Beatles were actually pretty well-dressed (in their early days, at least), and The Simpsons is now arguably one of the cleaner shows on TV.

So no. I don't think the fleeting popularity of "torture porn" movies is evidence that the world is going to hell in a Happy Meal. In my opinion, it's pointless shock value (but I can't say for sure since I haven't actually seen those movies). The controversy and hype will draw a lot of curious viewers. But like pinball machines, the new Volkswagen Beetle, and MC Hammer, it's probably just a fad until the next big thing comes around. And I'm almost certain that civilization, and all the iPods included therein, will still be intact when it does.

So just what kind of horror do I like, if you must know?

First off, I like the kind of horror story (a book and/or movie) that actually has a coherent storyline. Secondly, I like a horror movie that has some sort of purpose beyond the story being told. This can include, but is not limited to, social/political commentary, satire, the exploration of personal or collective fears, and why we shouldn't build giant robots that can't be controlled.

To me, a horror story that scares the piss out of you without being in-your-face graphic is always a winner.