Movie Review ~ Consumed

The murky shadows of the woods have always been a breeding ground for indie filmmakers to intertwine ancient legends and modern fears for horror-hungry audiences.  The misty forests of The Blair Witch Project and the primordial jungles of Predator have proven excellent playpens for eerie scream fests that audiences won’t mind returning to any time their nightmares need a good poke.  Lately, stories rooted in established folklore have been rising in popularity, with American myths of supernatural woodland creatures running toe-to-toe with the terrifying folk horror popularized across the pond in the UK.

The new creature feature Consumed takes a well-established American legend and makes some tweaks to it, though it doesn’t seem to fully understand the story it’s interpreting or trying to tell.  Admittedly, it has a premise that sounds good on paper and a small game cast that works hard to rub the sticks of its bare-bones script together to make a spark, but it’s a frustratingly inert and frequently dull tale. That results in a trip on a disjointed trail of terror that is more confusing than creepy.

Embarking on a weekend camping trip with her husband Jay (Mark Famiglietti, Secret in their Eyes) to celebrate her newfound lease on life, cancer survivor Beth (Courtney Halverson) quickly realizes that she hasn’t entirely left her fears of mortality back in town.  What should have been a tranquil getaway to reconnect with Jay has become a terse, ‘let’s just get there’ hike to the next campsite.  Anyone who has traveled anywhere with a significant other knows the mood the couple is in at the start of the film, and… it’s one of the film’s most awkwardly relatable moments.

Plagued by nightmares of her cancerous body eating her from within, Beth’s night terrors have made her overly cautious during the day.  A frustrated Jay doesn’t want to push her but knows she can do more.  If these were the only woes of the couple for that weekend, it might have been a fascinating dissection of a marriage after a tumultuous illness has ravaged not only the body but an emotional connection.  However, writer David Calbert and director Mitchell Altieri have supposedly scarier things in mind.  Jay and Beth aren’t alone in the wild, and it’s not just the vengeful madman (Devon Sawa, Hunter Hunter) they run into but a skin-stealing monster lurking in the shadows, eager to take another leathery trophy.

Though it has a kernel of a good plot, Beth’s struggle against cancer juxtaposed with her present fight against a more tangible, if no less deadly, threat, Consumed’s shoestring budget hampers its overall success.  While occasionally working in its favor by lending an appropriately claustrophobic atmosphere to scenes showcasing the couple’s isolation, the special effects leave much to be desired.  The forest-dwelling menace, meant to be the film’s centerpiece, looks like an afterthought.  Its sparse appearances might have been a specific decision, ala JAWS, to build more tension, but when the creature finally does appear, it is underwhelming with questionable CGI.  Using the monster to drive the narrative in the second half and not the stronger than average cast is a mistake, a critical misstep the movie can never recover from.

Despite its visual shortcomings, Consumed does earn points in its performances.  Halverson brings a relatable, grounded energy to Beth, whose battle with cancer adds a unique layer to the standard horror lead.  There’s a believable determination to take control over her life, creating an intriguing dynamic that elevates the script beyond its formulaic origins.  Famiglietti’s Jay, though less developed, serves as a solid counterpart, while Sawa chews scenery like beef jerky as the unhinged woodsman with motivations that never quite line up with the storyline.  At a certain point, I just made peace with the fact that I wouldn’t know the extent of his involvement with the shapeshifting creature.

Ultimately, Consumed is a film at odds with itself.  It does have moments of tension and an interesting premise, but the execution of the ideas falls short, particularly in the creature aspect of this creature feature.  The low-budget quality works for the quieter, more isolated scenes, but the film doesn’t deliver a satisfying meal when it’s time to amp up the horror.  There might be something here to enjoy for fans of low-budget indie horror, but for most, Consumed is likely to be an experience that doesn’t keep you full long after the credits roll.