THE OTHER SIDE - THE HALLOWEEN HORRORS COLLECTION

By Guest Reviewer The Creepy Concierge 

Cheap and cheerful and the horror genre go hand in hand. Not every title is going to be a masterpiece and some feel like they’re just not trying. Written and directed by Tom Lewis THE OTHER SIDE aka THE CHANNEL (2016) is somewhere on the curve and I’ll leave you, dear viewer, to decide where. The premise is interesting if not original.  A young woman has a near death experience, just missing her appointment with the man with the big scythe, and if that isn’t traumatic enough, she brings something unpleasant back with her. And it decides to stick around….

As a premise THE OTHER SIDE has the promise of something vaguely interesting happening but sadly the film isn’t entirely consistent at delivering on that promise. All the usual clichés are there, apparitions, Ouija, unusual happenings, throw in a couple of priests with the usual ‘Get thee behind me Satan’ histrionics and at least, if nothing else, there is something to giggle at. On screen talent tries very hard, letting loose every now and again, throwing some well-timed and reasonably well tuned acting shapes and in a couple of moments there are a few of effective jump scares. Unfortunately, no matter how hard it tries THE OTHER SIDE can’t beat the limitations of its budget. 

Leading actress, Kristen StephensonPine (Miracle Valley, Best Friends Vols 1 & 2) is relatively strong in the role of the girl with the demonic hitchhiker and in moments does look suitably mystified and terrified by the events befalling her but she is hamstrung by what feels like an underwritten script.

Visually the film is okay and the score tries its best to maintain the tension. The production makes the most of the low-rent budget but despite every department clearly trying it never really breaks free from the prison of lack-of-dollars the film is constrained by.

Is THE OTHER SIDE worth a look? Maybe. It depends on your tolerance for this budget level of production. In some ways it’s not unlike the ‘blind buy’ ex-rental titles from the VHS days when the cover would suck you in and you kept your expectations in line with the ‘on sale’ price. If you, hope upon hope, think you might have discovered an ignored classic sadly you’ll be wrong. Give it a go if you fancy a fairly undemanding diversion but don’t expect too much and you probably won’t be disappointed.

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