Beneath the Surface (2007 film)

Beneath the Surface is a 2007 American horror comedy film written and directed by Blake Reigle. It stars Kyle Stanley as a high school student who uses voodoo to resurrect his crush, played by Dominique Geisendorff, when she dies.

Beneath the Surface
Directed byBlake Reigle
Written byBlake Reigle
Produced byBlake Reigle
Starring
  • Kyle Stanley
  • Dominique Geisendorff
  • Christian Munden
  • Brett Lawrence
  • Jerry Schumacher
  • Gloria Grant
CinematographyNathan Tieman
Edited byBlake Reigle
Music byKyle Rector
Production
company
Northwood Films
Distributed byWell Go USA Entertainment
Release date
  • June 3, 2007 (2007-06-03) (STIFF)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4500[1]

Plot edit

High school senior Ethan has a crush on his childhood friend, Kahlah. Ethan believes that Kahlah's boyfriend, Shane, is dangerous, but he does not know how to tell her without seeming to be crazy. Annoyed by her reluctance to have sex with him, Shane drugs and accidentally kills Kahlah. Convinced that Shane is guilty, Ethan uses his anthropologist neighbor's knowledge of voodoo to raise Kahlah from the dead as a zombie so that she can help him prove Shane's guilt.

Cast edit

  • Kyle Stanley as Ethan
  • Dominique Geisendorff as Kahlah
  • Christian Munden as Eric
  • Brett Lawrence as Shane
  • Jerry Schumacher as Shane's father
  • Gloria Grant as Angelica

Production edit

Shooting took place in Irvine, California.[2]

Release edit

Beneath the Surface premiered at Seattle's True Independent Film Festival on June 3, 2007.[3] Well Go USA Entertainment released Beneath the Surface on DVD on October 7, 2008.[4]

Reception edit

John Latchem of Home Media Magazine wrote that the film is "somewhat unpredictable".[5] Steve Barton of Dread Central rated it 3.5/5 stars and praised Reigle's "raw directorial talent and great writing sensibilities".[6] Steve Pattee of HorrorTalk rated it 1.5/5 stars and wrote, "Surface's story is so completely predictable, it's frightening."[7] Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2, academic Peter Dendle said, "This rough teen drama from southern California captures a gritty feel in some scenes, in part because of the limited production values, but overall fails to create a consistent mood or emotional connection."[8] It won best feature at the Sacramento Horror Film Festival.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ Coker, Matt (September 21, 2006). "Now Not Showing". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  2. ^ Rydzynski, Michael (September 28, 2006). "Returning to his roots". Orange County Register. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "Event Schedule" (PDF). Seattle's True Independent Film Festival. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 3, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  4. ^ Miska, Brad (October 6, 2008). "'Beneath the Surface' Gets Released This Tuesday!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Latchem, John (November 2, 2008). "Beneath the Surface (DVD Review)". Home Media Magazine. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  6. ^ Barton, Steve (September 30, 2008). "Beneath the Surface (DVD)". Dread Central. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Pattee, Steve (November 2, 2008). "Beneath The Surface". HorrorTalk.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  8. ^ Dendle, Peter (2012). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, Volume 2: 2000–2010. McFarland & Company. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7864-6163-9.
  9. ^ Leibe, Jessica (October 3, 2008). "To Delve BENEATH THE SURFACE". Fangoria. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved February 27, 2015.

External links edit