Director – Don Thacker (The Ballad of Westerado)
Starring – Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, From Beyond), Adrian DiGiovanni (Depth), and Danielle Doetsch (Dismembering Christmas)
Release Date – 2013
Rating – 4/5
Tagline – “The mold knows Jack, the mold knows”
The indie horror community never fails to surprise but that does not always mean its a good thing. The horror community is always bragging about the next big film. It seems like someone among the crowd finds a film and then shares it with everyone creating unprecedented hype for this one particular films while hundreds, if not thousands, go unnoticed.
That brings me to the next film for me to review. The film Motivational Growth is one I knew nothing about until one random day MVD sent me an email announcing it’s release. This was a film that was wrapped in 2013 and no one seemed to mention until the MVD email. The film looked fun and when I discovered that Jeffrey Combs provided a voice for a creature I had to see it. Lucky for me MVD sent me a review copy and the rest is history.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows Ian Folivor (DiGiovanni) who is a homebody and a hypocrite. He refuses to leave his apartment because he fears the world around him. He stays inside and watches t.v. all day until one day it shorts out. He panics and attempts to kill himself with homemade gas in the bathtub. He screws up and it knocks him out. When he awakens he learns that the mold growing beside his bathroom sink is actually alive. The mold convinces Jack, I mean Ian, that it knows what is best for him and he needs to obey his commands.
Ian does everything the mold tells him to and life starts to come around. First, he notices the beautiful young woman that wonders in front of his door every day. He then decides to clean himself and start making the most out of life all while doing everything the mold says.
He finally meets the girl from outside and the two hit it off swimmingly. Until Ian picks the girl over the mold and the mold kills her where it is revealed that almost everything going bad in Ian’s life is a result of the mold. Ian then starts putting it together and realizes that the mold is bad but there is something even stranger a foot. **Spoiler Alert**
I have seen so many film that I expected to be good and they completely blow my mind. Motivational Growth is a movie that truly surprised me in just how fun it was. I wouldn’t call this one unique but I would say that it stands out from most of the recent horror films to be released.
The acting in this film is fucking fantastic with Adrian DiGiovanni delivery an amazing performance. He is able to create a character that will never be forgotten and rivals David Long’s performance in Pieces of Talent. The remainder of the cast does an outstanding job creating even more likable and memorable characters. It was also awesome with how they handled Jeffrey Combs. Most of the time we get small cameos by horror legends and nothing lasting on film but Combs, well his voice, is in a great portion of the film. This was great.
The story for this one is out there and starts out phenomenal but loses it’s way towards the end. The film is unique in how it is a modern indie film that is a narrative to an extent while mixing it up with a typical horror film. This works very well and builds a great deal of rapport between the viewer and the main character. The story unfolds very well and could have easily been made during the early 90s when the memories of the 80s are still fresh in our minds. Sadly, the film is unable to keep the momentum and tries to end with a mind fuck that completely ruins the allure of the film.
Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills but they are nothing bloody nor gory. With that being said, the film has amazing practical effects. The mold puppet looks fantastic and I could easily see it becoming a tattoo on a fan’s arm or leg very soon. Overall, Motivational Growth is one of the most entertaining horror films that I have seen in a long time. The film immediately hits you with a character you will not forget and then mixes it up with a great creature. If you like off-beat horror films then this one is for you!
