After successful screenings of his past films, Hidden in the Woods, Downhill, and Nightworld, Chilean filmmaker, Patricio Valladares, returns to Arrow Video FrightFest with his newest genre movie, Embryo. After English language films Downhill and Nightworld, Valladares returns to his Chilean roots for a trio of tales based around extra-terrestrials.
Embryo tells three stories revolving around Snowdevil Mountain, which is announced in the opening text as being the epicentre of extra-terrestrial activity in Chile. Our main story is set during February 2020 and follows recently engaged couple Evelyn (Romina Perazzo) and Kevin (Domingo Guzmán) as they embark on a camping trip up the mountain. As night falls, Evelyn finds herself drawn out of her bed and is accosted by bright lights. She next appears naked and covered in goo. Kevin finds her and rushes her to a doctor who announces she is pregnant. It’s no ordinary pregnancy though, it’s accelerated, and leaves Evelyn with very odd hunger pangs – an appetite for human flesh. As Kevin desperately tries to help his fiancé, the audience is thrust into two similar stories from years before that help shed further light on their plight. Can Kevin save Evelyn before she succumbs to the same fate?
The two side stories are told as found footage, with camcorder tapes being put on and played in a V/H/S style. The first film is set in 2008, and tells of a film crew working in the mountains whose leading actresses was the victim who vanished without trace. The second, set in 2012, tells of another couple who, after the female disappears, also discover that she is pregnant. We then jump forwards in time and see their daughter, Rafaela (played by Valladares’ own daughter Rafaela Valladares), across several years as she grows up. This story culminates in the standout moment of the film, a chilling home invasion as the abductors return to claim their progeny.
Young Valladares is the star of the film, her father having shot scenes for Embryo with her since she was teeny tiny. Given her age, her performance is one hundred percent natural, and she is so cute and adorable that she injects Embryo with some genuine warmth. It also offers a sense of grounding as the montage footage of Rafaela growing up is real footage. Typically, a film would cast a handful of actors to portray someone at different ages, but here, Valladares’ forward planning pays off in dividends.
Our three stories have varying levels of success and having them cut into each other and overlap sometimes gets a little confusing. Our main story is also told in a nonlinear way, which feels a little muddled when mixed in with these other tales. This framing story is at its best when it’s emulating the cult classic Return of the Living Dead 3. Just replace a newly formed zombie with a thirst for brains with an alien-impregnated hormonal lady with a craving for flesh. Both have the female’s partner desperate to help them, so in love with them that they’re willing to turn a blind eye to that small issue of their lady devouring anyone who crosses her path. They also feature similar scenes; instead of a convenience store, we have a gas station, and rather than a gang of thugs, it’s a group of truckers. The reveal of Evelyn’s final form also parallels that within Return of the Living Dead 3, and any film that seeks to pay homage to Brian Yuzna’s classic is alright by me.
An extraterrestrial spin on the V/H/S anthology format, Embryo has some strong moments, but suffers with occasional issues of clarity.
Embryo was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest Halloween.
Embryo
Summary
Patricio Valladares returns to his Chilean roots with an extraterrestrial anthology film that has strong echoes of Return of the Living Dead 3.
