Fantastic Fest 2014: TOMBVILLE – The Review

A nightmare is a creepy experience but ultimately short-lived. In the moment it can take you to a dark place, but once you wake-up, the experience begins to fade away, so much so that by the afternoon it is a distant memory. TOMBVILLE feels like this for many reasons – both in concept and in execution.

The film is a moderately effective trip into the subconscious of a man named David who it dealing with past trauma. Nightmarish visions complete with random sounds, strobing lights, and mysterious faces appearing from the dark form a nightmarish tapestry that attempts to envelope the viewer. Like most dark dreams, the journey itself doesn’t amount to much once the lights come back on. The director sticks with it though and his lack of budget – which is fairly evident throughout – doesn’t prevent him from delivering a psychological drama that trades substance for an attempt at style.

The most effective scene comes early on when young David is being lectured about the morals and behavior of men by his mother. Her profession and interactions with men have become a point of intrigue for him in a way  that you begin to get a Norman Bates-esque vibe from him – he even suffers from identity issues as well but for far different reasons. A dark twist between David and his mother in the final third is meant to shine a new light on the previous identity of our troubled main character, however the reasoning behind it is never fully explained leaving you to assume that the director is attempting to connect two different sexual ideas in a sloppy manner. I’d argue that he’s making an overreaching and broad statement about sexuality and perverse desires.

David’s descent into darkness begins to feel like a maze. Around every corner there’s new figures and new creepy voices to beckon you to keep going. As you move along though, the maze begins to feel more like a carnival funhouse. Creepy imagery and sudden shocks eventually lead the viewer to the same spot where we began. It may be short and all for nothing, but at least it was effective while it lasts.

Overall rating: 2.5 out of 5