Starring - Austin Woods (American Horror Story, Sneakerheads), Amanda Wyss (A Ngithmare on Elm Street, Highlander), and Michael Pare (Village of the Damned, The Virgin Suicides)
Release Date - 2021
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Evil...from beyond"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I'm not above giving credit where credit is due. A huge part of my childhood and teenage years was spent with films that starred William Butler. Savini's Night of the Living Dead remake was the film that got me into horror. You can't forget his roles in Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Ghoulies II, and Spellcaster. Since these roles Butler has moved on to other positions behind the camera like directing, editing, and writing with a lot of his work being for Disney and Full Moon. He has written and directed several films for Full Moon over the years and recently helmed their newest dive into Lovecraftian lore with The Resonator: Miskatonic U. I had heard a lot of good things about this one when it aired on Full Moon's streaming service but I never found the time to check it out until Full Moon and MVD sent a review copy of the blu release for review.
The film follows a group of students are Miskatonic U who are the brightest minds on campus. One of them, Crawford Tillinghast (Dane Oliver), is trying to finish his late father's work. He was working on a resonator that could bridge the gap between this work and another plain of existence with hopes of curing mental illness and help answer the question where psychics and mediums get their powers from. However, every time he turns on the resonator and beings from the other plain crosses over and madness ensues. While debating on destroying the machine or not he is interrupted by a college professor who worked with his father. He wants to use the machine for evil and forces him to turn it on to disastrous effects.
I was interested in The Resonator when it was first announced and the positive reviews from some of my horror friends made me even more interested in it but hearing that William Butler made it a must see for me. The movie did not disappoint but I felt that it was a bit of a missed opportunity to expand From Beyond which was an Empire International Pictures release which was also founded by Charles Band. However, it was great as a fresh new start. The acting in this one was decent but no one really stands out. The characters are fairly generic and one dimensional but everyone really does give it their all. They dive into their roles and try to bring unforgettable characters to life. Sadly, the flat characters and their lack of personalities made their performances feel underwhelming. The story for this one is meant to be an episodic series based around the same story as From Beyond but was released on blu edited as a film. I thoroughly enjoyed the way Butler approached the story and I loved the build up. With that being said, the abrupt ending doesn't really fit well and I seriously hope we get a follow up soon. Finally, the film has some fun practical effects and some very inconsistent visual effects. The practical effects we get look great while the visuals are hit and miss. Some of the visuals, like the creatures from the resonator, all look fantastic while a few of the one off visuals here and there looked horrible. The worst of this is the gunshot wound on Crawford's arm. Overall, The Resonator: Miskatonic U is a must see for Full Moon and Lovecraft fans. It's a fantastic rendition and a great beginning to what could be an unforgettable series. I highly recommend it.
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