Leaping Around in Time with Fading of the Cries: A Movie Review

Director/writer: Brian A. Metcalf.

Cast: Brad Dourif, Mackenzie Rosman and Elaine Hendrix.

The Fading of the Cries is primarily a fantasy film with a few horror-styled monster trappings. The walking dead and unassuming vampires are used in a tale about a young lad, Jacob (Jordan Matthews), who rescues an equally aged, Sarah (Hallee Hirsh), from certain death. All they mostly do is run around town in a vain attempt to find a safe haven.

A tiny bit of interest with Jacob and Sarah is developed. But what happens is hardly Twilight. The interest is there, but they do not go the extra mile. The chemistry developed has the feel of Matthews giving a very early Keaanu Reeves-like performance and Hirsh with the presence of Sandra Bullock. She’s clearly in charge, but not by much.

When the little township she lives in suddenly becomes zombie central, nobody is interested in learning why. When audiences start to wonder, nothing gets explained. However, some viewers will not realize some moments in the film that try to satisfy the puzzling aspects of the tale are actually flashback sequences.

The jumping around of the two narratives is not all that clear until much later. To watch this film is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. But to see how it all assembles is a bit perplexing even after the parts of the picture are perfectly laid out.

A connection does exist with the side-story about Michael (Thomas Ian Nicholas) who summons Mathias (Brad Dourif), into the physical world. Jacob may be related to Michael, but the reveal is very rushed. To understand where this film is going is almost a guessing game. It’s like watching a vintage episode of "Dark Shadows." Jacob is very clearly a guardian of something, and there is some kind of family drama occurring.

All of this somehow ties in with Sarah’s family. But when the movie cannot be bothered to include a family name or even fill in some blanks, the movie simply needs to be more enlightening.

Overall: 4 out of 10.

The film's trailer has previously been posted on 28DLA:

Fading of the Cries Trailer on 28DLA

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Posted in: 2012,brad dourif,fading of the cries,fantasy,movie review,nightmare,thriller,zombies