Fell

Fell is the latest film from director/effects guru Marcus Koch. Rather than serving up another fun onslaught of vicious kills and gore like his previous film he took the more psychological approach this time around. Fell has a little bit of everything going for it. It is very artsy at times but it never gets too self indulgent.

Our main character Bill is really going through a difficult time in his life. He's being pumped full of prescription drugs and is creeping slowly down the path to full blown insanity. Everything is falling apart right in front of him and his delusional mind is certainly not helping matters. Though things may seem bad enough they really take a turn for the worst when he awakens to discover a dead body in his bathtub. Bill doesn't remember much about the previous night and he believes it is just a random girl he snagged up at a club. He turns to his best friend for help when he meets his wits end and much to his surprise he isn't too frightened.

The atmosphere in this movie is extremely thick. From start to finish the feeling of claustrophobia is very prominent. Bill is confined in a house that is torturing his psyche every waking moment and as the audience you can sympathize with his mental unraveling. Going into this expecting a straight up horror film may be a little disappointing to some. While the movie does have a very creepy, odd vibe going for it this isn't your typical horror flick, it delves deep into the very real horrors of someone's mind withering away. The blood is very minimal and is never over the top when it makes an appearance. There are also a few nice shots, the best examples of this would be the camera lingering above the bathtub and Bill laying on the kitchen floor on his radio. Moments like this add to the already gigantic atmosphere the film possesses.

Fell is an outstanding film. It may not be for everyone, but those with a taste for this sort of thing will without a doubt be pleased. All in all Fell never really misses it's mark, it takes a depressing, downtrodden atmosphere and runs with it. Given the vast amount of difference between this film and his last (100 Tears), a jump this big in style is a huge risk for an independent filmmaker. Luckily in Koch's case it really pays off. This is the perfect testament that Koch isn't just a one trick pony and opens more opportunities in the future to dive deeper into more story/atmosphere driven films.