FrightFest 2024 is in full swing, and the Friday night prime spot is reserved for the UK premiere of The Bunker, a spine-tingling sci-fi feature from director Brian Hanson. When colossal alien ships emerge in the sky, a group of scientists must figure out how to create a bio-weapon strong enough to kill the extraterrestrials and save mankind. Newly recruited Dr. Michelle Riley (Chelsea Edmunson) is transported to a secluded underground bunker in an unknown location where she works remotely over video call with a group of bio-weapon specialists. Each of the developers is in separate underground bunkers, keeping them safe from the alien life above them.
Dr. Riley is at the forefront of the story with audiences following her every move as she is blindfolded and taken to her bunker, an abandoned barn with an elevator descending 100 floors. Right on the bottom floor is her accommodation, fully equipped with cameras in every room ready to video call the other scientists whenever there may be a breakthrough. There's also a stocked laboratory, fitted with a decontamination room at the exit, to conduct her experiments.
Edmunson excels in each scene, holding the film together with a final girl charm that makes you consistently root for her character. After having small parts in The Iron Claw and Zach Syder's Army of the Dead, Edmunson is finally able to showcase her talent in the leading role. Hanson cast Edmunson in his only other feature The Black String, with The Bunker being their second collaboration.
Hanson has been able to create an eerily claustrophobic thriller, with some brutal, sinister moments, and several predictable yet grisly scenes. Tensions begin to rise when no progress is being made on the bio-weapon. The stress especially gets to Dr. Riley when she begins to hallucinate the deaths of her teammates in vivid gory details, even imagining herself with her organs hanging out. When her hallucinations enter the real world, she's left wondering if what she's seeing is in her head or if these visions were premonitions after all. Whilst the narrative is unsurprising for the most part, the visions from Dr Riley are realistic to watch unfold, with the SFX makeup deserving of credit.
Any film with Tobin Bell's name attached to it is an instant watchlist addition for anyone who's a fan of the Saw franchise. But, many will be upset after watching The Bunker as his screen time is limited. Bell plays the father of Dr Riley and is only briefly seen via video call. Despite only a fleeting stint from Bell, he steals the show with the few lines he has. Tony Todd similarly has his name attached high up on this project, with more screen time than Bell. Todd plays F. Lawrence who oversees the team's operations from his own bunker, frequently checking in to see the progress each scientist has made.
If you're looking for a claustrophobic thriller, look no further than The Bunker. It's reminiscent of the chilling confined space in Ex Machina, with video call gore similar to Unfriended. The Bunker is a FrightFest gem. It may be formulaic, but it guarantees a fun time with many familiar horror favourites.
The Bunker had its international premiere as part of the Trieste Science+Fiction presentation at FrightFest 2024 on Friday, August 23
