Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Michael Allen
Director: Brett Donowho.
Writer: T.J. Cimfel.
Cast: Angel McCord, Chelsey Reist, Johnny Hawkes, Rileigh Chalmers, Andrew MacFarlane, Stephanie Van Dyck, James Tyce, Heath Whitelock and Chalie Howes.
A no tell motel is a place for late night encounters. In Brett Donowho's movie, No Tell Motel, those encounters do not involve sex; they involve ghostly visits. This roadside getaway hosts and assortment of ghouls. Angela (Rileigh Chalmers) leads the supernatural charge, while five friends cannot offer much of a defence. Meanwhile, each visitor suffers from some hidden secret. Everything is eventually put out into the open including internal organs.
The film's story involves two tales. The first tale starts the film. A young girl is left unattended and she soon finds a bloody impact with a car's grill. She is killed instantly. The parents cannot let go. No Tell Motel then transitions into a second tale, which is set in the present. Corey (Angel McCord), Rachel (Chelsey Reist), Spencer (Johnny Hawkes), Kyle (Andrew MacFarlane) and Megan (Chalie Howes) are all heading out on a camping adventure. Their recreational vehicle flips when Kyle's drug yearnings spin out of control. They land at the Horak place, where the film started, with no way out. And, each character will interact with the ghostly visage of a young but very dead Angela.
T.J. Cimfel, in his first script, manages to give each character a minor backstory. Kyle has turned to medication to numb his failed sport pursuits. His dependency on intoxicants increases throughout the film. Corey is a cutter. Her scarred arms allude to an inner demon. Rachel is bad at dodging oncoming traffic (not really a subplot). Spencer is a rapist and his victim, Megan, is pregnant with his baby. Even the three ghosts in the film are given some storied treatment. The Horaks recovered from the loss of their daughter in a truly horrible way, another pregnancy! All of these minor stories add something to the characters and the film in general.
This is one of the few films this horror fan has seen where a junior actress outshines her older castmates. Perhaps actress Rileigh Chalmers' material was a little more tense, but her scenes are consistently more evocative. Her disapproving looks are enough to sell her ghostly pain. Her character also leads the plot along to confrontation. It is just too bad that her makeup in a few scenes is only partially painted. Her face is white while her neck is still flesh-toned. With this aside, Chalmers plays Angela effectively and when she is present, someone is soon to die.
No Tell Motel is an adequately produced feature. This is not an enthusiastic endorsement, but the film elements here create ambivalence. The music is usually on track when it is not distracting. The soundtrack seems to emphasize a scene or two a little too emphatically. The acting from other characters is pretty standard. Many characters only find a few lines before falling in a hole or flying over a car after impact. There are some dramatic scenes. Yet, there is very little tension between the friends. They all seem unconnected to each other. Each character hates another in the group. As well, the pacing develops in a steady fashion. There are, thankfully, very few pauses in the film's story. Finally, directing techniques from director Donowho are fairly standard. There is very little experimentation used here with the camera. Night shoots are shot competently, while many of the shots occur indoors on one set. All of these film elements combine to form a fairly average film, or above average if you are in a generous mood.
No Tell Motel might be worth a spin for horror film fans if they go into this title with reasonable expectations. Released on video-on-demand today (October 9th), No Tell Motel stands out for offering some intelligent characterizations and subplots. However, the film does not stand out in acting or shooting styles. Overall, this title seems to play both sides of the fence and the final vote for or against No Tell Motel will be left with the reader.
Overall: 6.5 out of 10 (good backstory, interesting characters, the acting is so-so, the finale is questionable, this is an adult picture because of themes: hard drug use, rape and murder).
*filmed in Vernon, British Columbia.
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