Some of the best horror films of the past few decades blend elements of genres we know with fun tweaks and changes that challenge our perception of the genre.
The Breach, directed by Rodrigo Gudiño and produced by Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Slash, who also provided the music for the picture, attempts to do just that as it blends everything from infection films, invasion stories, body horror, and even your favourite action flick into one Sci-Fi infused package.
Based on the novel of the same name by Nick Cutter, the film sees John Hawkins (Allan Hawcow) eagerly counting down his last days as Chief of Police in Lone Crow, a small nondescript American city. That is, before a body washes up from the river that is mutilated in a way that baffles local law enforcement. The corpse's driving license identifies him as Dr Cole Parsons, a particle physicist who's been carrying our research in a remote house down the river.
Sherrif Hawkins heads to the house to investigate, accompanied by local guide and ex-girlfriend Meg (Emily Alatalo), as well as the town's coroner Jacob (Wesley French). Pretty soon it becomes clear that the research Dr Parsons was carrying out has something to do with his untimely death as strange and unexplainable happenings begin to occur in and around the house.
The Breach takes the haunted house genre, couples it with Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and throws in a touch of Alien and Night Of The Living Dead to create a unique narrative that keeps the audience guessing as it reaches its Lovecraftian final scenes.
At the same time, the film has a familiar, nostalgic feel through its iconography and gore-splattered sequences that takes viewers right back to nasty eighties body horrors that revel in stomach-churning, skin-crawling scenes that you cannot watch and yet cannot look away from.
The Breach also has plenty to offer in terms of twists and turns in its storyline, as it slowly becomes apparent what terrifying nightmare is about to be unleashed in Lone Crow, while our protagonists battle demons of their own. Aside from trying to work out how the doctor met his face, we are also faced with the mystery of his missing daughter and his and his wife's immense grief at her loss which adds another layer of raw horror to the plot.
Some of the performances in The Breach are at times awkward as characters unnaturally stumble through explaining their relationships in a way that makes the first act of the film feel drawn out and un-enthralling. However, Hawcow's performance as Sherriff Hawkins is gripping from start to finish as he investigates the strange and otherworldly goings-on centred around the futuristic machines found in the attic.
What The Breach may lack in terms of scares and a chilling atmosphere, it makes up for in its intriguing and distinct narrative that never slumps as well as some truly gruesome scenes that will stick in your mind for weeks to come.
The Breach is available on digital and Blu-Ray on July 10
