Film Review: Under the Scares (2010)

SYNOPSIS:
A documentary about independent filmmaking featuring interviews with Lloyd Kaufman, Debbie Rochon, Amy Lynn Best, and several other people involved with independent films. The movie discusses the trials and tribulations of making your own film and offers tips on how to get your movie distributed.

REVIEW:
 I personally love most documentaries, especially if they are about horror films. I thought “Under the Scares” was interesting, entertaining, and even educational. I think anyone who is interested in making and distributing their own film should definitely check out this movie as it provides tons of insight and advice on the world of independent film.

One of the things I liked most about the film was that it had a huge variety of independent filmmakers talking about their craft. (Even cooler is that I have met many of them at conventions such as Lloyd Kaufman, Brinke Stevens, H.G. Lewis, and some others.) I enjoyed hearing them give their different points of view on filmmaking and it was very interesting to hear them speak candidly. I think that the person who made the most impact on me was Debbie Rochon, for her intelligent and poignant comments. It is obvious that she (and everyone
featured in the movie) knows what she’s talking about and has a genuine love for low-budget horror.

I have actually written and directed a few low-budget horror films myself and I understand how much of a pain in the ass that it can be. I am familiar with the horrors you must go through (lack of budget, unreliable cast members, limited time, limited resources) so I totally feel for all of the struggles that independent filmmakers face. “Under the Scares” talks about all of the potential problems one might face making a movie and they really drove the point home. (I especially liked how it was said several times how important it was to
be prepared before and during shooting.) The film made it clear that making a horror film is not just some easy task and that it’s difficult to produce something with a real scare factor. Overall I think the film offers invaluable words of advice and wisdom, and it is obvious these people know what they are talking about.

I also liked the fact that the film introduced me to some movies I never even knew existed. It showed clips from several films and the majority of them looked like something I would want to check out. I am going to search for a copy of several of the featured film (such as “Rise of the Ghosts” and “Bikini Girls on Ice”) of course there are also clips from classic Troma films such as “The Toxic Avenger”, “Tromeo and Juliet”, and others that I enjoyed seeing again. I like the fact that this film showed these clips as it helps introduce great films to viewers that they may not have been aware of previously. This film was definitely full of good promotion for these previously unknown films.

“Under the Scares” is a great film that I think both filmmakers and non-filmmakers alike will enjoy. I have always been a fan of independent film and believe that the majority of them are better than the dull mainstream garbage Hollywood has been churning out over the last several decades. I think that anyone interested in underground movies (and those who may want to start making their own) will enjoy getting a behind the scenes view of what goes on before, during, and after the filming of an independent movie. It actually motivated me to want to get off my ass and shoot some of the stuff I’ve written and I believe it will probably do the same for other viewers. If you get a chance to check out this movie then I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Under the Scares (2010)