Talon Falls is a gruesome slasher film that tries little to apologize for the fact that it is utterly horrific in every aspect. A combination of Hostel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Houses October Built, this gory thriller is directed and written by Josh Shreve. The film centers around a haunted house attraction that possesses real terror, and in the end, all boils down to the question if the house really holds torture victims in its claws or not.
Like almost any indie film Talon Falls has an unknown cast which for the most part did ok in their mostly limited roles. In this feature, which is 74 minutes long, there is a lot of suspense and real terror and even though it doesn’t have much of a budget, the lack of excelent special effects is carried by the understated but still present supporting actor: grit.
A group of four average college kids go on a road trip through Kentucky that they will surely come to regret. While visiting the heart of rural America, Lance Brad Bell convinces his girlfriend and friend to visit a haunted house attraction which makes him remember events that happen around Halloween. They are not the most memorable main character’s seeing as they are two young couples, but in the end they play their parts perfectly as victims. The two lead actresses Morgan Wiggins and Jordyn Rudolph, however, do a great job of portraying scream queens and make the audience completely believe that they are fighting for their life.
The couples are line when they bizarrely get the chance to skip ahead, but they begin to panic when they see the blatant torture and gore of the room. Within the attraction, bloody victims are seen behind glass as menacing employees with masks walk around torturing them. The group wonders why everything is recorded by cameras, which seems odd. Very soon these unwilling participants of Talon Falls will discover the true horrific reality of Talon Falls and the sick, deadly game that its employees play.
In terms of watching sheer, monstrous grief, Hostel does not come close to Talon Falls. For gory special effects, this is the real deal. While guests are watching, victims get their ears cut off, their feet ripped along with many more unspeakable, gruesome acts performed on them. The haunted house is effectively creepy due to its grim setting and the enigmatic masked employees that work at it.
This is the first time, Talon Falls has made its way to the big screen, and it is well constructed as a horror thriller. The tight plot doesn’t bother trying to develop the characters in depth beyond the minimum requirements and that is a good thing. This works much better for an indie horror film with an inexperienced cast so it isn’t a problem. Director Josh Shreve clearly knows what horror fans want. There are enough twists and turns for the audience to remain engaged throughout the not-so-surprising climax.The only logical reasoning would be everyday gruesome torture scenes and nothing else, but this is a fresh approach to horror storytelling.
Talon Falls does not beat around the bush, and stays true to its strengths. The haunted house theme’s primal and visceral danger is kept intact, keeping the audience on edge and curious. The detailed torture scenes have a certain realism to them and the pig-faced antagonist could easily be a breakout horror icon. Even though nothing here stands out as new or creative to horror enthusiasts, it doesn’t bother us. The polished directing and sullen feel of the film makes Talon Falls a good and even persuasive horror film.
To watch more movies like HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: TALON FALLS (2017) visit hurawatch.
To watch more movies like HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: TALON FALLS (2017) visit hurawatch.