SLIFF 2009 Review: ALBINO FARM

Whereas audiences may usually expect a film festival to be comprised solely of artsy dramas and foreign films, ALBINO FARM is a breath of fresh air as one of three horror films that spice up the SLIFF lineup this year. The film was written and directed by Joe Anderson and Sean McEwen. The story follows four college students who venture deep into the Ozark mountains to research a school cultural project. When a flat tire leaves them stranded in a small backwoods town, their adventurous spirit and lack of respect and maturity lead them directly into danger from a secret society of deranged and sadistic redneck religious freaks.

The cast of unsuspecting college students includes four staples of the slasher genre, including Brian (Nick Richey) the Seann William Scott style smart mouth guy along with Sanjay (Sunkrish Bala) the straight guy, in this case along the vein of Kal Penn, Melody (Alicia Lagano) the up-tight control freak brunette and finally Stacey (Tammin Sursok) the fun-loving slutty blonde. Following suit, ALBINO FARM feature plenty of other genre staples, including a freaky old dwarf and a creepy old blind guy whose warning falls on deaf ears.

ALBINO FARM looks amazing. Anderson and McEwen have truly capitalized on the scenic beauty of The Ozarks, displaying a natural talent for capturing moody vistas and employing natural light with confident command. Overall, the lighting ends up being the most accomplished aspect of this film. Clearly, this seems an odd observation to make about a horror film, especially one that is at it’s core a run-of-the-mill slasher flick. However, truth is truth and these two filmmakers have successfully incorporated an otherwise uncommon element into the art of rednecks killing city slickers.

While the look of the film was a pleasant surprise, I feel the need to point out some irregularities in shot consistency and editing. Nothing that necessarily ruins the movie, it these minor faults due occasionally disrupt the flow of action and threaten to pull the viewer out of the story. The story unfolds in a bizarre inbreeding of one part WRONG TURN and one part Scooby Doo mystery as the college students attempt to piece together the truth about this strange town.

The filmmakers spared no expense in this relatively low-budget flick making sure to deliver everything the self-respecting horror fan desires. If it’s not enough having an albino redneck preacher villain (Kevin Spirtas) and a nymphomaniac mutant character literally called Pig Bitch, the film also offers up a mutated infant baby and a disturbing mute boy who attempts to help the college students by writing on his portable chalkboard.

As the danger rises and chaos ensues, the fate of our college victims is looking grim. From meat hooks, bloody bear traps and exposed breasts, to characters catching unclear video footage of freakish creatures on their camcorders, ALBINO FARM basically sticks to the standard genre script.

ALBINO FARM isn’t the most spectacular or most frightening horror film you’ll see this year, and the ending seems somewhat familiar ( I’ll let you figure that one out on your own) but for fans of the genre who want to support quality efforts from local indie filmmakers, this one is certainly worth 90 minutes of your time.

ALBINO FARM will screen at the Tivoli on Friday, November 13th at 9:45pm during the 18th Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival.