A small town sheriff finds a bloody man on the side of the road during the night. He takes the man to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, it is in the process of closing down so there is only a small skeleton crew there to help. Soon after the sheriff arrives, strange people wearing cloaks and hoods surround the building. What’s worse, people are dying and turning into something otherworldly, threatening the existence of the sheriff and the hospital staff.

The Void has a dark and mysterious plot that encompasses many themes. While this film has its own original story there are many aspects that are meant to remind the audience of classic eighties horror movies. Watching this film you will see things that are reminiscent of The Thing, Hellraiser, and various Lovecraftian films. Because of these nods to previous films audiences will be split on their opinion. Some will love the nostalgic touch this film has while still bringing something new to viewers. Others will think the filmmakers were simply being lazy or stealing from previous films. Either way, the film is creepy, intense, and it will keep you interested in what happens next.

There are some areas where the plot is a bit lacking. One of the major issues is the relationship between the sheriff and his ex wife, who happens to be a nurse at the desolate hospital. There isn’t enough character development for either character, let alone their strained relationship. There are also scenes that are visually interesting, but they don’t necessarily serve the plot. If anything, they distract from the story line because these scenes attempt to add a few too many subplots. While overall the plot is exciting, there could be improvements. Aside from the various issues with character development and subplots, the most distressing issue is the very last scene of the film. Without giving too much away I can say that I simply wish the last scene had been completely cut. It is unnecessary and takes the film to a laughable place.

The special effects are where The Void truly excels. The filmmakers opted for practical effects, which is in keeping with their desire to bring a bit of nostalgia to their modern, unnerving film. The bizarre mutations shown throughout the film will not only remind you of the classic films listed above, but they are also simply beautiful. It isn’t all good news though. The coloring of the film is so dark that many of these gorgeous effects are virtually impossible to see. When I watched the film I had to turn the ‘brightness’ level up significantly on my television in order to clearly see what was going on and how the practical creations looked. With all the effort that clearly went into creating these monstrosities it seems careless to make them disappear in the darkness of the film.

In a film with such a small cast, one bad performance can ruin the entire movie. Lucky for The Void, none of the performances stand out as being poorly done. Although there aren’t any performances that stand out as being great either. This could be a result of the lack of character development mentioned earlier; there was simply no dimension to the characters resulting in a void (excuse the pun) of outstanding performances. The two leads, Aaron Poole (The Conspiracy, Forsaken) and Kathleen Munroe (Supernatural, Resurrection), are perfectly fine in their roles. They are likely the only two actors audiences will remember after watching the film. Sadly, it is probably because they simply had the most screen time.

I had high hopes for this film. The Void pays homage to many frightening films that came before it, but it sadly doesn’t quite live up to the legacy it honors. There are several highlights, such as the practical effects and the overall story, but there are quite a few aspects that diminish the quality of the film. If the film could be brighter in color, focus more on the character development, and eliminate some of the frivolous scenes, then The Void could become something very accomplished. As is, it is a fun flick and will remind you of films you watched growing up.

OVERALL RATING: 6/10