Prowl and Amplifying Tension: A Movie Review

Director: Patrik Syversen.

Writer: Tim Tori.

Prowl is one of eight films produced by After Dark Films, as part of its 2011 After Dark Originals production program. This title was recently released on DVD March 29th and the film involves six friends on a road trip to the Windy City. The trip does not go as planned and soon a hungry supernatural element is introduced, which adds both tension and mystery to a solid independent horror feature.

Other film critics have given this film a peep and Matt Withers has said of the film: "Prowl rises well above most of it's kin" Withers talks primarily about the excellent performances of the cast, but Prowl is also creative in its execution. If you have not read the plot, then your knowledge of what will happen to six twenty-somethings locked in a semi-trailer will be limited. This not-knowing is what created much of the tension for this reviewer, despite having heard of some of the basic details of Patrik Syversen's (Manhunt) latest production. When the semi reaches an abandoned slaughter house, some of the tension is removed and instead, Prowl must rely on its cast e.g. Courtney Hope to develop the character arc in a distressing, vampire riddled setting.

And the acting does carry the film, even with almost no notable actors participating in the film. Actor Bruce Payne has been in films since the '80s, but without reading another review, there is no way to tell that Payne has been in 30+ films e.g. Dragnet, Highlander: Endgame. As well, the leads have experience in television, with the central heroine, played by Hope, having appearances in "CSI: Miami" and "Grey's Anatomy." The experience helps and so does the actor's interpretations of writer Tim Tori's script. The looks of fear displayed on the actors' faces, while on the run from blood-thirsty, flying beasts, is believable and well performed.

One final element that made Prowl an enjoyable time for this reviewer was the use of music, or, more specifically, knowing when not to use music to create further tension. Theo Green does an excellent job with the score in this film, much like he did in the 2009 thriller Hush. When the action is on, the soundtrack is frenetic. However, when there is dialogue between the central protagonist Amber and a female vampire matriarch, the sounds are hushed. The dialogue is amplified, by the lack of music in these scenes and this is what creates a great deal of the tension, in the film.

Prowl is not without its faults e.g. short run time, keeping vampiric motivations in the shadows, but the film is very cohesive in musical score, action and the interaction of the actors. The result is another great film from After Dark Films, with more from the After Dark Originals' to come. In the meantime, pick this one up as a late night rental, or queue it up on your next Netflix viewing for a fun time spent in a vampiric lair.

Overall: 6.75 out of 10 (good writing, a solid character arc, meaningful dialogue, some slow downs in pacing, some use of green screen while driving, villain's motives are never revealed).

A second review of this film at Joblo, by Matt Withers:

Prowl Reviewed at Joblo

The DVD includes:

-Director, writer & cast commentary
-Making-of featurette




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Posted in: bruce payne,courtney hope,movie review,patrick syversen,prowl,semi,tim tori,trapped,vampire,vampire movie review 2011