Too much of everything

Don't Believe the Hype

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I saw this on a newer horror anthology movie called "Minutes After Midnight" and I found it to be one of the more impressive and well-made shorts that were included. Two brothers with little in common, and who have clearly gone down entirely different tracks in life return once again as they have for many years as a kind of once a year tradition to the eerie and desolate abandoned carnival site where a childhood tragedy once happened, in which, because of the behaviour and bullying of the more aggressive brother, another boy who they were friends with ended up taking a ride into a sinister decrepit old fairground attraction and never came back out. When they arrive the more sensible and tightly-wound brother reveals that he kept the last coin of their lost friend for all those years, and he decides to put it into the slot of the still standing wreck of the ghost train as a joke. The ride then rumbles back to life and their old friend is unexpectedly returned to them, only what emerges from the dark depths of the mysterious ghost train is no longer the innocent child they once knew, and the time has come for them both to pay a ghastly price long overdue... The thing that is most likely to jump out at anyone would of course be the fantastic ghost train which was one of the most terrifying-looking that I've ever seen. The looming diabolical giant grim reaper facade that stirs and leans forward as if ready to devour unwary kids is awesome and it really has a frightening air about it that makes it feel like a fairground attraction that certainly would take its unfortunate passengers straight down to hell. The production design of it was astoundingly well done and it looked like an authentic carnival ride that was rotted away and had fallen into disrepair over the years. It was very well acted, by the adults but especially by the child actors who's natural young camaraderie together made me think of some of the better classic works of Stephen King. It's very sombre and serious, perhaps a little too straight-faced as it leaves you feeling pretty dour when it's over. But hey it is effective and the more fantastical horror elements do stand out more because of that tone. The story isn't a large one but it still manages to pace itself well and you feel the scary moments as well as the sadness of the very bleak and dark ending. All in all, very good and worthwhile horror short!