The Other Side (Review)

Director – Raymond Mongeli III and Chris Niespodzianski (The Day the Earth Stood Chill, 28 Plays Later)
Starring – Chad Conley (New America), Danielle Lozeau (Werewolf Rising), and Christine Starkey
Release Date – 2014
Rating – 4/5

Tagline – “The lines have been blurred”

Growing up I was a huge fan of slashers and zombie films.  I was raised on the original Romero trilogy with Dawn of the Dead consuming me.  Middle school and high school saw the release of several zombie films that I love to this day and lead to me falling in love with The Walking Dead comic series.  I would binge read issue after issue and buy up any and everything that involved zombies.  However, that changed in 2010 with the release of The Walking Dead on AMC.   I loved the first season and so did millions of other viewers because that first season spawned several imitations that sucked ass.

This has forced me to turn my back on the zombie sub-genre.  However, turning my back on the zombie sub-genre because a few hundred zombie films sucking is like turning your back on all women because Lorena Bobbitt cut her cheating man’s pecker off.  A few weeks back John Niespodzianski reached out to me to review a movie he produced called The Other Side.  The film looked fun so I agrees to check it out.  I am glad I did and thank you John for sending it to me.

**Spoiler Alert**The film begins with a woman waking in the woods with blood on her head and no recollection of how she got there.  She then meets a young man who warns her to be quiet because they are not alone in the woods.  They are being hunted by what appear to be men but are speaking a strange language they do not understand.  We then jump back to her husband and daughter who are frantically looking for her.  She has a history of mental illness and has went missing before.

As they search for her the police get involved but they have their hands full.  Several other people in the local community has went missing in the last few days and it may all be tied to the mayor’s spraying of illegal pesticides.  As everyone is looking for the missing people they cross paths with many of them and they have now been turned into members of the undead with an insatiable appetite for flesh.  They start attacking the living and tearing them apart.  We then jump back to the young woman who is trying to find her way home only to reveal things are not as they seem and not everyone is alive!**Spoiler Alert**

I love when a filmmaker, actor, actress, producer, and so on reaches out to me for me to check out their film.  I never know what to expect but I always try to keep an open mind.  When John reached out to me to check outThe Other Side I had no idea what the film was about but the film’s artwork pulled me in.  When I finally started watching the film and discovered what the film was actually about I was very impressed.

The acting in this film is solid by the entire cast. Everyone pulled their own weight and gave it their all.  Some of the cast members had more experience in film when compared to the others but overall the film was perfectly cast and that makes this film better than most.  However, I do have one minor complaint in regards of the cast.  Hottie Danielle Lozeau has a few scenes where she has volume problems.  Instead of vocalizing her dialogue with emphasis she resorts to screaming.  This became a bit of a nuisance.  You can vocally show emotion without having to scream.

The story for this one is fucking awesome but one we have seen so many times.  One film that comes to mind is the 2007 zombie comedy titled Wasting Away.   In that film the lead characters are zombies and unaware of their situation as people around them flee in terror.  Though this film is similar to that in one aspect it still gives the viewer more than just that.  The story is layer upon layer upon layer.  The film may use one angle from Wasting Away but it gives us so much more making this one very impressive indie flick.

Finally, we do get some great on screen kills and special effects.  This film boasts a high body count with several bloody and gory kills.  However, these are stock kills one would think of when you think of a zombie film.  Nothing new nor original.  Also, the film gives us some great special effects to make these kills look great.  Overall, The Other Side is an impressive indie film that shows just how far heart and dedication can go in film making.  If you want a film with bloody kills and rich story then please check this film out now.  You will not regret it!