Ravers review: The drugs are very, very bad in this zany horror comedy.
Ravers review by Kat Hughes.
Ravers review
Massive germophobe Becky (Georgia Hirst) wants to be a journalist. The problem is, she’s so disconnected from the world around her, more preoccupied with germs and contamination, to be any good. Tasked by her boss, played by Species star Natasha Henstridge, to cover a story from a more personal point of view, Becky soon finds herself in mortal danger.
Joining her cousin Ozzy (Danny Kirrane) for a squat party (a party in an abandoned warehouse), she finds herself fighting for her life when fellow party-goers start going berserk. The cause – a highly dangerous and now defunct energy drink that causes incredible rage when combined with drugs. Given that almost all of the revellers have taken a cocktail of ‘enhancements’, things get really messy.
Ravers is a film made for fans of genre cinema. It’s a proper horror comedy film that has been made for the audience to have fun. The effects-work on our deranged ravers involves red sore eyes in the beginning, which ramps up to until the eyes are literally popping out of the skull. It’ll take a strong stomach (and not someone with an aversion to eye things like this writer) to sit through these as they are pretty grim.
Ravers review
What sets Ravers apart from some of its peers, is the performance of Hirst. The character of Becky is an extreme germophobe and Hirst handles the character really well. She could easily be played as a two-dimensional characterture of someone with the condition, but Hirst is thoughtful in her portrayal. There is of course a lot of humour within her actions, especially during the beginning, but never enough to cause offence. What’s really great is that even in the most desperate of situations Becky finds herself in, her condition is still a factor. She has to climb a ladder to look for escape and refuses to touch the ladder with her hands, relying instead on using her sleeves as a buffer which puts her in more danger. Typically in this type of film, a condition such as this would be forgotten as soon as the action gets going, but here Becky goes on a proper journey. By the end, again most people would be completely cured, but Becky just appears to be on the road to recovery. It’s very clever and not the norm.
Ravers review
The balance between humour and horror works well and, whilst the film is never really frightening, it also never gets too silly. The soundtrack is pumping and potentially not one to watch after a heavy night drinking (sorry Frightfest viewers who will have watched this first thing Saturday morning). At the right time of day, the soundtrack will get you in the mood for a night on the town.
A letdown for me with Ravers, is that despite being made in Wales, everyone has an American accent. Despite the faceless office and warehouse locations, there is something about Ravers that screams England and it’s a shame that it doesn’t declare itself as a British film. That niggle aside, Ravers is a well made, slightly silly genre film. A real crowd-pleaser it should be watched with as many like-minded people as possible for full enjoyment. Fun and funny, Ravers is one party you’ll want to attend.
Ravers review by Kat Hughes, August 2018.
Ravers screened as part of Arrow Video Frightfest 2018.
