Film Review: Digging Up the Marrow (2014) – Review 2

SYNOPSIS:

An odd guy named William Dekker contacts filmmaker Adam Green with claims that monsters really do exist. Despite the urgings of others Green agrees to investigate and document these claims, but when everything is said and done he may just end up regretting his decision.

REVIEW:

Review- I’ve always been a huge fan of Adam Green and his work. I think that the Hatchet series is one of the best horror trilogies of all time and dig many of his other films such as Spiral and Frozen. I thought that Digging Up the Marrow sounded like it had potential to be quite awesome so I was pretty excited to check it out. Fortunately it was just as kick ass as I’d hoped it would be and I thought that it was just an all around interesting and excellent movie in general that has a lot going for it. Green totally hits a home run with this movie and I think that most of the people who see it will agree.

I really liked the way that it was shot as it appears to be a pseudo documentary of sorts and I thought that it was cool that Green (who also wrote and directed the movie) played himself. At first I was a little worried that it was going to be just another found footage film but that wasn’t the case at all. While it does have some elements of the that subgenre to it I would be very hesitant to actually call it a found footage film for a number of reasons (there’s actually a pretty funny scene where Kane Hodder-who plays himself-looks at some of the footage that has been shot and makes a comment about the whole found footage fad). In all honesty I’m not exactly sure how I would classify it as it is quite different than anything else I’ve seen in quite a while (and I mean that in a good way).

I also thought that it had a very interesting premise as well. On paper it sounds simple enough but believe me it is anything but and there are several great twists and turns thrown into the mix that helped hold my attention. In addition to entertaining the hell out of me the movie also made me think as well (what if monsters really did exist?) thanks to how well-written it was. Digging Up the Marrow poses a lot of questions during its runtime and while some viewers may be turned off by the fact that a lot of them go unanswered in the end I didn’t mind and liked that it was done this way as it allowed me to draw my own conclusions.

Did I mention that the monsters look badass? While we don’t really get to see a whole lot of them when they finally do pop up on screen it is well worth the wait. Designed by artist Alex Pardee (whose artwork inspired the film), the monsters all have their own unique and interesting look and I thought that they looked great. Some of them reminded me a little bit of the creatures that appeared in Nightbreed and for the most part they are nothing short of terrifying (the one with the umbrella for a head comes to mind immediately). It is obvious that a lot of time and energy was put into each monster and all the hard work pays off as they look realistic and amazing (no crappy CGI effects here).

The cast of the movie was excellent as well. Adam Green does a great job and shows what an awesome, all around likable guy he is in the movie. I like the fact that he goes from not really believing Dekker’s claims at first and then begins to believe them up to the point where it pretty much becomes an obsession for him. The always great Ray Wise also shines here in the role of William Dekker and does a very convincing job of playing a bizarre guy who may or may not be what he seems. I thought that he owned the role and I just couldn’t see anyone playing the part as he knocks it out of the park. We also get some pretty awesome cameos as well as Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, Mick Garris, and other horror icons pop up playing themselves from time-to-time during the course of the movie (and most of them do a good job of busting Green’s balls while they are on camera). Without a doubt the movie has a wonderful cast and they all played a part in making Digging Up the Marrow great.

I really enjoyed Digging Up the Marrow and think that it is the best horror movie that I have seen so far this year. There is a lot to like about it and if you are a fan of Green’s work then you are definitely going to want to check this movie out as I guarantee that you won’t be let down in the very least. It is interesting, funny, and scary (the last scene is one of the creepiest things I’ve seen in a very long time and stays with you long after you watch it), and I just had a great time watching it. I highly recommend that you check it out, you can thank me later.