Sometimes you just magically pick the right film for the right mood. Today I was feeling kinda down and depressed, it just so happens that 7th Day; the horror film I chose to watch for review is a bleak, miserable tale about the futility of life, so a great choice.
Allen the narrator of 7th Day is a pervert, a weirdo, and a serial killer of quite epic proportions. He works washing dishes at a crummy diner where he obsesses over Denise; the girl of his dreams who he doesn't realise cannot stand him. In the evenings he hunts his targets, usually women but sometimes men too, he thinks by killing them he makes them aware that they are alive for the first time in their sad lives. As the title clued us into the film takes place over seven days, seven days in which Allen begins to loose what little grasp on reality he has left, to become more and more frequent in his dealings with death as he tries to work out what his real love is; Denise, or his beloved murders.
A very bleak, miserable film in which there are no good guys. Starting off it is almost funny, a thick line of dark humour as Allen; a complete mess of a human narrates how he is a fun guy, good at his job, well liked all the while the camera showing us his opinion of himself is so different to the reality. This continues for the whole film with him talking about how people are a waste of space and they don't deserve to live when he himself is the biggest example of his theory but is too self deluded to realise that.
There is a lot of blood and gore here, it all looks suitably stomach churning as well, felt quite queasy at times, chopping off fingers, writhing around in someones intestines, or trying to cut the spine out of a still living victim, pretty darn nasty stuff, but the world the film takes place in is a nasty place. The diner Allen works at is filthy, the people he interacts with all horrid people such as his bullying drug dealer, perverted next door neighbour and his co workers who hate him. Allen has body parts strewn around his house and wears the dirtiest clothes. rancid vests and pants covered in giant skid marks but he fits into the films setting that has an unclean feel to it, just a hellish existence.
I quite liked the directing, not the kinetic series of jump shots and wobbly views expected but more stable, measured shots, especially during the violent scenes. It is the soundtrack that really amplifies the whole film though with a truly messed up collection of white noise and distorted tunes that just saps your energy as your forced to watch and listen to Allen's thoughts. I love the fact that he hallucinates a monstrous reporter to make sense for the constant narration, and it is constant. He is practising for when he is caught as he believes the fame from the news (of which he is obsessed) is far more than other means.
The true question comes of just what is actually happening, with the amount of murders he does it is hard to believe he hasn't been caught which leads you to wonder if it isn't just all in his head, he is seen talking to a dead woman in his TV, as well as the monster reporter, and his dependency on drugs and alcohol as he tries to get the will to kill himself. It is never explicitly revealed if everything is all in his head which I appreciated. A film like 7th Day is very hard to review, it is so odd and out on it's own and uncomfortable viewing that it can never be called fun to watch. Some of Allen's musing head into student level blathering but some good points about the media and modern day society at least get mentioned.
The film is well made, and mostly good acting but can be tough to watch with such an unlikeable, ruined lead and scenes of bloody violence (kinda reminded me of Rob Zombie's style at times), something different at the very least, and really has a style that is perfect for the subject matter.
SCORE:
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