I support independent efforts, so I am generous when an indie excels. I don't know how Edge of Isolation managed to collect almost 8 stars and glowing reviews from professional "critics" but I do know that 8 is piling it on a bit thick. I'd encourage viewers to check out the film without bias. Ignore all the reviews and give it a go. It's a solid effort. The premise, though not new, is given an interesting storyline. It would be nice to see some honest reviews on this one.
12 Reviews
An isolation with not much edge
TheLittleSongbird27 June 2018
Was drawn into seeing 'Edge of Isolation' with a cool poster/cover, an slightly intriguing but very derivative premise and as someone with a general appreciation for horror. That it was low-budget, which from frequent personal experience is rarely a good sign due to that there are so many poor ones out there, made me though apprehensive.
'Edge of Isolation' is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. As a film it's mediocre, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small.
Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky.
Although most of it looks schlocky, some of the shots look decent. The start intrigues somewhat and there are some creepy moments early on that aren't too predictable, shame the rest of the film completely goes downhill and doesn't really.
Unfortunately, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained and ridiculous in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both underwhelming. Its structure is at times aimless and confused, not incoherent as such but clarity was not a strong suit here
There are a good deal of underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending is not a surprise or interesting with it being too easily foreseeable that suspense is completely dissipated.
There is not enough threat here and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative, very repetitive and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror and resorting to cheap typical horror tropes and twists that are neither interesting, believable or surprising. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, inexperience seems to be all over the film, and the music doesn't really fit. There is not an awful lot of creativity or much shocking.
Overall, mediocre but not a complete waste of time. 4/10 Bethany Cox
'Edge of Isolation' is sadly however yet another film seen recently, hence some reiteration because the exact same strengths and flaws those films are present here, that to me was incredibly disappointing considering its potential which it doesn't do anywhere near enough with. As a film it's mediocre, with a plethora of problems (huge ones too) and doesn't do enough with its potential, which was hardly small.
Lets start with the positives. The scenery is atmospheric and spooky.
Although most of it looks schlocky, some of the shots look decent. The start intrigues somewhat and there are some creepy moments early on that aren't too predictable, shame the rest of the film completely goes downhill and doesn't really.
Unfortunately, the story does feel paper thin, disjointed and over-stretched and some of it feels vague, under-explained and ridiculous in the last third where the film especially became duller, more predictable, more senseless and less scary. Too many characters are too sketchy and with nowhere near enough to make one want to endear to them. Their annoying and illogical decision making and behaviours frustrates.
Making the film feel bland and forgettable with not enough heart put into it. The effects are ropy at best, the sound quality is obvious and utilised cheaply (being too loud in the build ups and people's reactions) and it's best not mentioning the uniformly lumbering and histrionic acting.
Dialogue can be stilted and rambling, with lots of clichés and no depth whatsoever, while the pace goes to a standstill very quickly and drags on forever with very little going on worth caring about, never recovering. Found too many the supposedly shocking moments not surprising or scary and the supposedly creepy atmosphere dreary, due to the excessive obviousness, a lot of dumb and vague moments and explanations and the lack of tension and suspense. Would not have minded the lack of originality (the film is extremely derivative and in a dumbed and watered down way) if the story and atmosphere were at least alright in execution, in reality they were both underwhelming. Its structure is at times aimless and confused, not incoherent as such but clarity was not a strong suit here
There are a good deal of underdeveloped plot elements and often nonsensical and confusing character motivations, while too many of the things to make you jump or shocked are far from creative or scary and are pretty tame. The ending is not a surprise or interesting with it being too easily foreseeable that suspense is completely dissipated.
There is not enough threat here and what there is of it tends to be used poorly, it is completely unimaginative, very repetitive and more odd than creepy, completely failing to show any sense of horror and resorting to cheap typical horror tropes and twists that are neither interesting, believable or surprising. Some badly sagging momentum too. The direction is leaden, inexperience seems to be all over the film, and the music doesn't really fit. There is not an awful lot of creativity or much shocking.
Overall, mediocre but not a complete waste of time. 4/10 Bethany Cox
Dreadful! I Wanted to Like it.
Dark_Lord_Mark4 June 2018
Dreadful.
Overall a bad movie. It had a strong female who is acting like she is a male. We have a Black male, acting like he;s the female.
Movie was not good. No good music, no good direction. The characters never acted their part. The Black male lead, should take charge and flex his muscles. It takes place in an "Isolated" place/cabin in the woods and then some under-dressed men show up and do nothing.
I am not sure who wrote this....but the aim of the movie was terrible. No real direction of vision.
I cannot recommend...and I like crappy movies...but this was boring.
Overall a bad movie. It had a strong female who is acting like she is a male. We have a Black male, acting like he;s the female.
Movie was not good. No good music, no good direction. The characters never acted their part. The Black male lead, should take charge and flex his muscles. It takes place in an "Isolated" place/cabin in the woods and then some under-dressed men show up and do nothing.
I am not sure who wrote this....but the aim of the movie was terrible. No real direction of vision.
I cannot recommend...and I like crappy movies...but this was boring.
Really chilling
Phil_Chester6 October 2018
This is a really chilling film. It feels like a cross between 'Deliverance', 'We Are What We Eat' and a touch of 'The Witch'. It has a wonderful atmosphere that effectively draws you in and creeps you out. Entertaining and fun.
Recommended.
Average film: neither great nor horrible
redban0223 January 2022
The film has some decent acting by the lead male protagonist, the premise of the movie is decent, and the setting works well at times.
However, the plot gets predictable; the movie gets gratuitous with disgusting / eww scenes; the acting by the lead female protagonist is cringe; the movie isn't too scary; the CGI at the end wasn't good; and the characters' reaction at the ending seemed unrealistic.
It's not bad, but it's not great either.
However, the plot gets predictable; the movie gets gratuitous with disgusting / eww scenes; the acting by the lead female protagonist is cringe; the movie isn't too scary; the CGI at the end wasn't good; and the characters' reaction at the ending seemed unrealistic.
It's not bad, but it's not great either.
Gritty, dirty, and really intense
grelaniallyson10 June 2018
Just finished watching this film on Amazon and although I am not a huge fan of the horror/thriller genre, EOI kept me engaged with it's eerie characters like Mary, Ivan, and Vlad Polifer. This film combines good story telling, great music, and the vast unknown fear derived from being on the Edge.
I give it a 5, wife gives it an 10, so we compromised at 6 because I'm the movie buff here.
richsw-1479730 June 2018
I've heard that a truly effective horror film disturbs the audience so much so that they have nightmares about it. Though my wife was troubled by the film, I do not share the same sentiment.
Cons: The lead actress was my least favorite part of the movie- her delivery unenthusiastic and her performances ranged from flat to melodramatic with no in between. A winning combination, right?
Loved the sound track, although there were some irregularities - To be expected in an indie film I guess.
Pros: Mary Polifer- Great character development with amazingly expressive delivery. She was hands down my favorite part of the film.
Ivan Polifer- Another good character that adds to the plot pretty well.
Some nice scenes captured out in the woods.
All around, good effort, 6/10
Cons: The lead actress was my least favorite part of the movie- her delivery unenthusiastic and her performances ranged from flat to melodramatic with no in between. A winning combination, right?
Loved the sound track, although there were some irregularities - To be expected in an indie film I guess.
Pros: Mary Polifer- Great character development with amazingly expressive delivery. She was hands down my favorite part of the film.
Ivan Polifer- Another good character that adds to the plot pretty well.
Some nice scenes captured out in the woods.
All around, good effort, 6/10
Intense and dark!
timmypeters10 June 2018
A great indie film with plenty of uncomfortable and disturbing moments. Edge may not be a trailblazer in it's category but, it is gory and insidious enough to warrant any movie buff's time!
Absolutely loved Monte Markham's performance!
Absolutely loved Monte Markham's performance!
Solid horror
jeffpouarz16 June 2018
Great effort here. It had some really nice twists on a familiar concept of campers in the woods. Effects could have been stronger, and there were a few points where it needed a larger budget, but for the indie film it is, I thought it was very good. Keeps the tension and surprises and disgusts in all the right places. Recommend!
Worth watching ..
dorsettmove28 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Remember it is an indie film not a $1...M big movie. With that in mind, it exceeded my expectations. The direction is good. The actors did an excellent job. The lead actress can improve. No question there is room for improvement. I hope everything will improve in part 2.
Worth the watch
torroutedipz10 July 2018
As with my last two reviews I had run across two similar sounding movies, so decided to watch both before reviewing. In this case it was two "isolation" type movies, the other being "First House on the Hill". This movie had some less than glowing reviews so I watched the other first, but "Edge" is worth the watch, and "First House" is awful. One of the reviews for "Edge" takes issue with the parts the characters play; upset that, (as they describe him) the black male lead doesn't take control, while allowing the white female to play the dominant role...racist much? Yes, the roles were reversed a bit, but score one for diversity. If the person complaining had paid attention, the female lived the rough street life growing up, and the guy who wasn't black enough for them was actually adopted and raised by a white family, and purposely kept from the streets..his name is Lance O'Brien for Christ sake, not Tupac Shakur. So the lead male was an open minded character and not your typical Alpha male, and the female lead was the harder, less trusting character (and she was indeed a bit annoying). The story was pretty good, and wasn't all predictable. The situation definitely could've been done a few different ways, and it did keep you questioning which direction it would go. I prefer not to get too into the movie, with spoilers, but this one was definitely worth the time.
The Village Meets Deliverance
TheAll-SeeingI27 April 2019
Jeff Houkal directs Edge of Isolation, a really well-conceived lost in nature play.
The film's premise and its themes evoke other isolation-driven stalwarts: Deliverance comes to mind more than once, and the underrated The Village is present in the DNA here as well.
Ultimately, this is solid indie filmmaking. It succeeds in its intent to be highly unsettling and consistently creepy, and despite taking place out in the proverbial middle of nowhere, Houkal manages an impressive air of claustrophobia throughout. An impressive combination of story, casting, and execution.
The film's premise and its themes evoke other isolation-driven stalwarts: Deliverance comes to mind more than once, and the underrated The Village is present in the DNA here as well.
Ultimately, this is solid indie filmmaking. It succeeds in its intent to be highly unsettling and consistently creepy, and despite taking place out in the proverbial middle of nowhere, Houkal manages an impressive air of claustrophobia throughout. An impressive combination of story, casting, and execution.
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