The Control Group – Unpopped Review
Synopsis:
Five college students wake up in an abandoned, locked-down insane asylum – with no idea how they got there and no means of escape. They discover that they are the subjects of secret experiments, but these tests have awakened something that cannot be explained by science. The group must now fight to escape both the human and supernatural threats if they are to survive and break out of their prison.
Review Summary:
The Control Group is a gruesome horror flick that offers thrills and scares from beginning to end. The only problem is that it deserves a bigger budget and platform that it inevitably received.
The Good:
The Cast: Not very often do I mention the cast in an independent film. That is usually because I feel the budget and inexperience of the director give and indie film some leeway. But in The Control Group the entire cast does fantastic! Brad Dourif, who is most known as Wormtongue from The Two Towers and the voice of Chucky, plays the lead scientist. Also, there are numerous other actors and actresses that give great performances.
The Story: A small group of college kids that don’t get along wake up in an abandoned insane asylum. Only to discover the supernatural is running rampant, what more can you possibly ask for? The Control Group has the perfect setup, horrific violence, numerous twists and turns, and great character development to make a great horror movie.
The Gore: Horror films today are filled with over the top gross out scenes. Normally I’d say that I’m over it, but for some reason The Control Group has just the right level. It has enough that I wanted to look away but couldn’t. And not too much that I thought it was over the top and just doing it to gross out the audience. I think a lot of the reasoning why it was so effective was the use on practical effect. Many movies, including horror, rely on computers to amp up the gross factor. This usually pushes them over the top. But The Control Group has to rely on make up and acting to provide the gross-out factor.
Phenomenal Directing: The Control Group is directed by first time writer/producer/director Peter Hurd. The film has some experienced actors, numerous novice actors, and a semi-convoluted plot. So for being his directorial debut, it is truly incredible that Hurd was able to turn out even a decent film. So for The Control Group to be a great movie is even more impressive. I’m honestly excited to see where Hurd goes from here. I honestly believe he will have a bright future.
The Ehh:
The Budget: The only issue with The Control Group is that I wish it had a bigger budget. This would have allowed for better filming equipment, higher quality actors (even though I thought they were great), better visual effects, and more script refining. But don’t worry, even though I put this in “the ehh” section doesn’t mean I think it hurts the movie. I simply wanted to express how it would have gone from really good to great with a better budget.
Verdict:
The Control Group is a great, gory horror movie that deserves to be seen by all horror fans. While it wasn’t perfect, it delivers perfectly in all the right areas. My only hope is that this opens the door for all in the film.
The Control Group is available now for streaming on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Dish Network, Vudu, and YouTube!
