Memorable, crazy movie

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

To be perfectly honest, after just viewing Ian Clark's (director/writer) The Facility, I jumped onto IMDb to find that the rating for it was exactly as I predicted. At the time of writing the film sits at just under 5/10, perhaps not a true marker since it's largely under seen and very few people have bothered to review it, but not a surprising score thus far since familiarity of formula breeds contempt...Plot basically finds a group of human guinea pigs enrolling for a two week trial at a remote research centre. They are to be injected with a new drug called Pro-9, and after their two week stay they will pocket a cool £2000 each. The group consists of the needy, the inquisitive, the bold and the stupid, and sure enough once night falls and the lock down commences, some of the participants get a reaction to the drug...It follows the standard trajectory for such a set-up. Characters are introduced, we get to know them for half hour, you quickly learn who the A-Hole is, and then it's drug reaction time and we are thrust into murder death kill and locked in siege panic. Tis a time for heroes, maybe even some interesting revelations? Who will survive? If anyone? Maybe there's a twist in the tale as well?For his debut feature film Ian Clark has played safe and utilised the low budget wisely. The pic shows him to have great promise in the horror genre, his keen sense of claustrophobic atmosphere is evident and carries the story well, and he knows how to construct a horror scene. He also gets more than solid performances from his lively cast, where Alex Reid (The Descent/Wilderness) is a reassuring presence.It isn't over bloody, or even terrifying and full of boo jump shocks, but it tickles away at the nerve that doesn't like to be unhinged, and it has a good ending to boot! If you are searching for something new in the sub-genre of zombie/infected siege movies you will be disappointed, but this is actually better than some of those bigger budgeted sub-genre movies. While it marks Clark out as someone British Horror fans might like to keep an eye on. 6.5/10

The Facility is about a group of people that are part of a drug trial. Unforeseen side effects make the first and only night of a 14 days trial mayhem.Yeah, the drug induced guinea pig crazy people thing has been done. Yeah, there's nothing that makes this movie stand out from anything. But..., the simple fact that it was so..., simple, made it believable. I've never been a part of one of those trials but I have been on drugs that cause those kind of psychotically, aggressive, homicidal, suicidal feelings. So I can kind of understand how something like that could happen. This didn't happen. This was just a directors attempt to cause spite for big business pharmaceuticals. Which he failed. Overall, the acting was decent, it was actually a decent little film. It was just too short. This movie had some good things going on. Some good suspense building/built up, then it just ends by the director saying, "No one at Prosyntrex was prosecuted." That was it. I really wanted to like it better, but the way it ended just made it seem like the director just ran out of ideas and said f*** it.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Ian Clark's first feature film, being familiar with his classic shorts, particularly the heart-warming 'Def ' and 'Jenny and the Worm'. This tense, tightly- controlled movie focuses on a drugs trial that goes horrifically wrong, with seven 'guinea pigs' from various backgrounds and professions coming together to test the drug Pro 9. The resulting tragic consequences lead to escalating tension as each participant realises they may be next in line to react violently to the drug. Blood and gore is in evidence here but never overdone. In fact, suggestion is all, and Clark's intelligent script, clever camera-work and the omission of overblown music bullying the emotions, allow the viewer's imagination free rein. Claustrophobic scenes of characters in close-up in tight spaces add to the tension, and although there are familiar and unfamiliar elements from the horror genre this is a new and refreshing angle on a neglected subject. There are some loose ends, there's some less than convincing acting at times, but 'Guinea Pigs' is a fine example of what can be achieved on a low budget. An impressive debut, and an exciting foretaste of Ian Clark's next film venture. I, for one, can't wait.

I saw this film premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The film relates the story of a clinical trial that goes terribly wrong when the drug being tested produces horrific side effects. It's so refreshing so see a horror film firmly based on reality with a totally plausible story and no zombies, vampires, extraterrestrials, paranormal activity or monsters of any kind. The atmosphere and tensions in the isolated medical centre are well realised and the film shows little sign of its "micro-budget". Imaginative cinematography and sound design coupled with a very fast edit all help create an uneasy and claustrophobic world. There are slight flaws – not all the characters are full realised and the script is occasionally too verbose – but the team of NFTS graduates, who introduced Saturday's screening, have produced a very well crafted, disturbing and exciting film.