Cryptic Plasm

Director - Brian Paulin (Blood Pigs, Bone Sickness)
Starring - Joseph Olson, Brian Paulin, and Kevin Barbare
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The unexplainable should be left unexplained"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love a good bloody film topped with gore and amazing practical effects.  I know most of my reviews make you feel otherwise but I do love a good bloodbath on film but I hate when a film is super gory with no story or substance.  Seems like modern indie horror has always tried to give viewers overly bloody films that have horrible stories and that do nothing other than showcase tons of practical effects.  A few years ago I came across the name Brian Paulin.  Several horror fans told me to check his work out because he incorporates solid stories and a lot of gore into his films combining the two perfectly.  I have been meaning to check out his films, more specifically Bone Sickness, but time and funds have been an issue as of late.  A few weeks back I learned that my friends over at Black Lava were sending out review copies of Paulin's newest film Cryptic Plasm.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to to send one of those copies my way.  Thanks Black Lava!

     The film follows a young man that captures a strange creature on camera while one day walking through the woods.  He takes that footage to the owner of a production company who falls in love with the young man and his video.  He wants to get him going with his own show where he explains the unexplained.  He gets him in touch with a producer who gets him some gear.  The man enlists a friend to be his camera man and they visit several locations where they hear stories of the paranormal and cryptozoological.  One such case sends them to a small community where everyone there disappeared without a trace and a clear, sticky substance is found on everything in the community.  While there the young man gets a severe headache and an uneasy feeling.  He then sees what looks like him walking through the doorway.  They start to suspect that some sort of worm hole is at fault and tries to learn about it. Soon, they find themselves in the midst of an exorcism but it turns bloody when the man kills a young woman.  Panicked, they leave but something is not right with them.  Soon other worldly forces, possibly from a parallel dimension, starts invading their lives resulting in lots of carnage.
     I had heard a lot about Paulin and his film's before I was able to check out Cryptic Plasm.  People always told me his films were more than just flicks full of gore.  I love gore but it has to fit in the story otherwise the film loses me.  That is why friends recommended his work to me knowing I need something to tie all the gore together and I have to say I am glad I checked this one out.  The acting in this one is a little rough starting out.  The film's lead, Joseph Olson, is solid in his role but it does take some time before he finds his groove and character development.  His character slowly comes into his own and you can see that development on film.  Towards the end of the film he is spot on.  Sadly, the first portion of the film is a little hard to watch him struggle to find himself and his character's role in the film.  It feels as if he is just saying lines and not trying to act.  His co-star is the film's director Brian Paulin who really surprised me with his performance.  Not only is he a talented filmmaker but he has some acting chops as well.  The story for this one is really hard to discuss.  The film starts out like several of those bigfoot hunting shows that we see an abundance of on t.v. now but then takes an unexpected bloody turn with tons of gore and some sci-fi elements that puts you in mind of From Beyond meets Loren Coleman.  This was a great angle that I did not see coming and really justifies the gore.  With that being said, the story is a bit of a slow burn starting out.  The first half of the film just creeps by.  It does set the second half of the film up perfectly but it does try the viewer's patience.  Finally, the film has some fucking amazing on screen kills that takes the cake for best kills I have seen in an indie horror flick this year.  The kills are few in numbers but they never end.  Paulin refuses to turn the camera away and we get every blood soaked moment to fully enjoy.  The practical effects in this one are fucking top notch as well.  I was honestly caught off guard by how great they were.  The gore is amazing and we get more just just some fake guts tossed about.  We get entire creature like things that just look fucking fantastic.  Overall, Cryptic Plasm is one impressive piece of indie horror and is honestly one of the goriest films of the year.  If you love gore with some decent story then check this indie gold out now!