Review: ‘The Deaths of Ian Stone’ on DVD

The Deaths of Ian Stone was one of the eight 2007 Horrorfest films released in theatres, continuing a renewed interest in original horror. This is actually the first of the eight that I’ve seen, having just recently released onto DVD. I had intended to see this and perhaps one other while in theatres, but the films were limited to one showtime per day and it just never worked out. Now, after seeing this one, I am eager to check out the other seven.

The film stars Mike Vogel (Cloverfield) as Ian Stone, an average American twenty-something male who finds himself experiencing strange personal phenomena. He soon discovers that what is actually happening to him is far more dark and insidious as an incredible forgotten secret is slowly coming back to him. The story follows Ian as he struggles to maintain his memory as it slowly pieces together, ultimately allowing him to permanently eliminate the forces that have subdued his true power for so long.

The Deaths of Ian Stone is original, but does still borrow some things from other movies. The part I liked most about this movie is that it takes the age-old “boogeyman” concept and really creates something new out of it. No one individual part of the film is wholly original, but its the way the different elements are combined that makes this feel fresh.

I suppose you could say the structure of the film is like Groundhog Day, only its not a comedy. Ian finds himself being killed, only to find himself alive the next morning in an entirely new life. The details of his day don’t occur exactly as before, but what does occur over and over is that he gets brutally murdered, then wakes up in some new life and gets killed again.

[rating:3.5/5]

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