The Arbors

I have been asked by different people, how is it living in Sweden? I would say that it is very quite here. You see, swedes love to hide in their homes, drink coffee all day long, and if someone unexpected shows up, they arm themselves with a crossbow weapon, or an axe, because you never know if it could be a Norwegian ( we never trust anyone from Norway, that is the basic rule here in Sweden ). So what if it is just the mailman delivering your letters? Usually, the swede stands behind the door with their crossbow, and wait for the letters to be dropped down their mailbox. And if they are suspicious about one specific letter, they might shoot the mailman. I realize that this might seem barbaric, but trust me, Swedish people are not as dangerous as we might seem. Usually we will run out naked on the highway, picking flowers, sing Swedish folk songs, and hope to see a lot of maskrosor ( the favourite flowers in every Swedish home, every house have tons of them, in every room ). So yes, i do believe swedes are very charming people. But i do believe we could learn something from Denmark, and that is that the Danish have a wonderful potatoes marathon called Kartoffellob. The idea behind this marathon race, is that you run naked on the beach, with a sack of potatoes, and run as fast as you can, and when you can´t run anymore and fall to the beach, you won the race. Not the first one that falls of course, you have to try and pass everyone. This is the best marathon race ever created, and proves why Danish people are some of the most intelligent humans ever created. So well done Denmark, you always come up with brilliant ideas. Since it is still summertime in Sweden, and im planning to enjoy some films, while tasting some wonderful Hell Or High Water Rum, i thought it would be nice to check out an independent horror film that i have not seen so far, and i came across a film called The Arbors on VOD. The poster looked really cool, and the plot seemed interesting as well. Is this a must watch this summer, or is The Arbors not as good as i was hoping it would be?

Ethan Daunes ( Drew Matthews ) live a very quite life in a small Southern town, working as an locksmith and is living by himself. The only close relationship he have is with his younger brother Shane Daunes ( Ryan Davenport ). One night as he is driving home from a birthday party, Ethan discover a road-killed deer with a strange creature inside. Ethan bring the spider-crustacean hybrid-looking monster to his home. However, the creature escape, but not before biting Ethan. When a string of deaths begings to plague the town, Ethan suspects the monster may be to blame.

When ever i find a film that feels a bit different than most independent horror releases, i feel pleased. And this is exactly how i felt watching The Arbors, since this is definetely a different film, than most films in this genre. To be able to make a film like this work, you have to have a plot that feels interesting, and make sure that the twist feels solid enough to work. Even if this film does have a few issues, i still feel that The Arbors is trying to go in another direction, and i really appreciate that. Let´s talk about the acting for a bit. This is where i feel we have a very divided acting, that some actors deliver a performanc that works, while some feel less engaged into their characters. Lead actor Drew Matthews ( who i especially remember from the really good TV series Mr. Mercedes, i wish he could have been in more episodes ) as the mysterious character Ethan Daunes, is seriously the best character in this film. Ethan is a very lonesome man, and you don´t really know if he have mental problems, or if he is actually seeing this creature. I feel that Drew manage to bring out a performance that match really well with the character, and he seems to have found a balance to portrait a man, who barely have any friends, and live a very lonesome life. This is a really good character to have as the lead character, since it makes the film far more interesting. I know that some people have critizied the CGI effects, and i can understand why. The creature effects may have some issues, but i see no bigger issues with the effects. I think the creature design of a spider looking creature, actually works pretty good. This is a horror film that takes it´s time to build up tension, so if you have no patience to wait for revealing details, this is not the film for you. But i actually appreciate this film, not relying on a lot of blood, and focuses more on the mystery surrounding Ethan. Director Clayton Witmer have made a very interesting directorial debut full feature film, wich proves that he may be one of the most interesting directors to look forward to, if he continue to make interesting films such as The Arbors. If you are a fan of independent horror films, you should check out The Arbors. Definetely one of the more odd films i have seen this summer, and this is why i appreciate this film, finally something different to experience in independent cinema.

Rating: DDD