The Roost

(Paramount Home Entertainment, 10.3.2006)

Just in time for Halloween comes the DVD release of Ti West's much talked about debut feature The Roost. Executive produced by actor/filmmaker Larry Fessenden (Habit, Wendigo), this ultra low-budget throwback to minimalist '60s and '70s horror created a huge buzz among horror fans prior to its DVD release earlier this month. Unfortunately, The Roost fails to deliver. My advice to horror enthusiasts is don't expect a lot from this movie, and maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did.

The plot is extremely simple (and familiar). Four teenagers spend Halloween night driving to a wedding but, after veering off the main road to avoid traffic or something, a freak car accident leaves them stranded in the middle of nowhere. At least I think it's the middle of nowhere. The movie is so dark and grainy -- and not in an aesthetically interesting Night of the Living Dead kind of way -- that it's impossible to make heads or tails of anything on screen. Perhaps this was a conscious choice by the filmmakers or the result of extreme budgetary restrictions. Either way, a little visual clarity on the screen now and then wouldn't have hurt anyone.

Anyway, the teenagers go looking for help at a deserted farmhouse. Unfortunately, they stumble upon a gigantic barn full of hungry vampire bats. Now here's what separates this movie from the Hollywood version starring Lou Diamond Phillips (aka Bats): if a bat bites you in The Roost, you turn into...wait for it...a zombie! That's right, this may be the first vampire bat/zombie hybrid I've ever encountered. And as cool as that distinction may be, it's not enough to inject any life into this limp horror concoction.

According to imdb, director Ti West just turned 26-years-old. Clearly, he has managed to watch a lot of horror movies in that time. His knowledge of -- and enthusiasm for -- the genre definitely comes across in the film, but his lack of practice is also readily apparent. His movie suffers from what can only be described as "technical difficulties." This goes beyond budget limitations and enters into all kinds of misguided choices of framing, timing, and blocking.

I've already mentioned the poor picture quality, but the sound is even worse. There are stretches where it is impossible to understand what the characters are saying without subtitles. To make matters worse, the score is so loud in certain spots that I found myself constantly adjusting the volume on my remote. And I hate doing that. I should also mention that the DVD box claims that the movie is enhanced for 16x9 TVs and yet, as far as my DVD player is concerned, this transfer is non-anamorphic 1.78:1. Couple that with poorly used 5.1 surround sound (mono would have sufficed) and you have one technically crummy disc.

That said, I did like some things about The Roost. For example, the movie is presented as if it's part of a late-night horror movie television program. Creepy character actor Tom Noonan (best known as the "Tooth Fairy" from Manhunter) does an excellent job playing the host of this show and introducing/interrupting the movie. I really dug the whole Fright Night feeling of these segments and it's a pretty novel idea, even if its only purpose is to fill the movie out to a feature length running time of 81 minutes.

Another cool choice is the constant, nearly subliminal use of an old-school horror radio program playing quietly in the background whenever there is a radio within earshot (usually in cars). It reminded me a lot The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which uses fake radio news bulletins detailing grisly murders and other oddities to create an eerie atmosphere.

In spite of the aforementioned technical problems, Paramount has put together a fairly decent DVD. We get a 30-minute behind-the-scenes documentary comprised of home movie footage from the making of the movie, a 10-minute mini-lecture about bats (you'll never convince me that they're not evil), and Ti West's 10 minute short film, Prey. Like The Roost, it's okay but extremely flawed.

There are far better low budget horror movies out there than The Roost, but let's not kid ourselves, there are also far worse. In any case, it will certainly be interesting to see what Ti West comes up with next (he's currently working on Trigger Man, another production by Larry Fessenden's company, Glass Eye Pix). Finally, a fun Halloween fact: B-A-T-S spelled backwards is S-T-A-B (insert evil laughter). -- Sarah Duda