Craig J. Clark
At a time when indie filmmakers are increasingly turning to crowdfunding platforms to bring their modestly budgeted visions to life, many genre films arrive with a cult audience baked right in. The Void doubles down on that by being about a cult, specifically of disciples in thrall to a Lovecraftian entity bent on altering reality as we know it. All that stands in their way: an out-of-his-depth cop and the skeleton crew of a hospital the hooded men have laid siege to, as well as a pair of trigger-happy vigilantes who don’t work or play well with others.
To their credit, writer/directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski (veterans of the Astron-6 film collective, which has produced the genre spoofs Father’s Day, Manborg, and The Editor) play this one straight and insisted upon practical effects for the realization of the film’s slimy creatures and generous helpings of blood and guts. (In this sense, they delivered on their proof-of-concept trailer in spades.) While The Void received a limited theatrical release in the spring, now it’s possible to join its cult in the comfort of your home. No triangle-adorned hoods required.
Availability: Netflix, Amazon, iTunes
