CONSUMED

Consumed may feature impressive practical effects and grotesque moments, but not even this can help the cast escape a convoluted, generic and sadly uninteresting horror flick.

A young couple camping in the woods, one of them recovering from a terminal illness, a supernatural entity hunting them, and an eccentric unpredictable stranger with the ability to protect them. All these parts have worked together before in the horror genre, and they have led to chilling experiences. Themes of past trauma, sickness and regret swirl around in Consumed, building a narrative that feels familiar within the genre in a setting that is frequently utilized. It all comes across as fairly stereotypical, which is not necessarily a detriment in the realm of horror, as there are only so many unique stories to be told. But, nothing interesting is done with the ideas at play. Predictable twists occur while the story does not progress far beyond its simplistic premise nor provide much character development for the three characters, all culminating in a slightly psychedelic and disorienting final act that squanders anything the story has going for itself.

While the story is lacking, the cast tries to elevate the material. Scream king Devon Sawa chews up every second of screen time as the eccentric and crazed man that Jay and Beth encounter in the woods, making for one mysterious character and sinister performance that is without question the highlight of the entire film. Courtney Halverson handles the dramatic weight of Beth’s story with grace and caring, allowing the audience to feel her pain as she grapples with the collapse in her remission and the dark fate her character faces, both in terms of her health and with the skin stealing monster. As the only other character, Mark Famiglietti is good as Jay, Beth’s husband, though sadly his character is left unconscious for over two thirds of the film. Sawa, Halverson and Famiglietti have a great on screen dynamic that helps to elevate the tension within the story, especially in the first half of the film, but the script unfortunately lets them and the audience down in the film’s second half.

The one element of the film that never fails to impress is its visuals. The cinematography, especially in the final act, does a wonderful job of utilizing light and colour to take the characters and audience on a true trip and captures the inherent beauty and mystery of the forest where the story unfolds. Impressive practical effects bring to life the danger present in the woods with a sense of urgency that creates an uncomfortable feeling for the audience, while the makeup and set design does a great job of showing the destruction left behind by the creature. It’s yet again a testament that you don’t need the biggest budgets imaginable, to create fantastical elements not naturally occurring in our world, especially within the horror genre.

In a year full of such great horror, Consumed sticks out… but not for the right reasons. While the cast, especially Devon Sawa, are great in this film, there is little for them to work with. Impressive practical effects and cinematography go a long way in the horror genre, but when dealing with an underdeveloped screenplay that blends in with so many other films in the genre, it is hard for Consumed to be anything more than a forgettable and disappointing horror despite strong performances from its ensemble cast.