‘Carved’ Review: Killer Pumpkin Film Recalls the Insanity of Early Sam Raimi
Horror fans have seen a bevy of unlikely objects come to life to wreak bloody havoc over the years and I’d like to think we are all better for it. The latest in that very niche subgenre is director Justin Harding’s Carved. I guarantee it’s the most fun you’ll have with a sentient gourd this season. Carved is a glorious sendup of ‘80s horror that deftly executes as both a genre picture and a slapstick comedy. I didn’t know I needed a movie about a killer pumpkin. But after taking in Carved, I don’t know how I’ve come this far without it.
Carved plays out as follows:
This campy effort follows the cast of a historical reenactment theater group as they scramble to take cover after a mutant pumpkin comes to life to exact revenge on the human race. The group of survivors has to think fast and work together if they stand a chance of weathering the killer fruit’s sadistic reign of terror.
In case it wasn’t painfully obvious from the plot crunch, this cinematic offering is deliberately over-the-top in every possible way. Carved is sending up the B movies of yesteryear with a loving wink and a nod. Through a combination of practical effects work and CGI, the monstrous pumpkin stalks and kills its prey, somehow managing to come across as properly frightening in the process. To be clear, the killer pumpkin is not frightening enough to give seasoned horror fans nightmares, but I bought into the central conceit and found myself legitimately unsettled. That’s a testament to director Justin Harding’s ability to build atmosphere.
Harding uses musical cues, lighting, camera angles, and editing to make the killer gourd appear as menacing as possible. His film might not reach the level of immersion you’d experience with a more conventional antagonist, but Carved makes the most of a ludicrous premise.
Not only is the killer pumpkin at the core of the narrative legitimately imposing on occasion, it’s also funny and even a bit sassy. I love the way Harding gives the sentient fruit a proper personality. It sounds strange to say that. But you’ll get what I mean when you seek out the film, which just landed on Hulu, following a screening at Vancouver Horror Show.
Harding succeeds at juxtaposing horror alongside comedy and effectively executes both at the same time. A lot of horror comedies succeed at being funny or at being scary. But Carved consistently excels at both. There were multiple scenes that made me jump and laugh simultaneously. Getting the audience to do one or the other is a great success. Getting the viewer to do both at the same time is even more impressive. Horror and comedy are inherently at odds, so I’m always impressed when a filmmaker can navigate the two genres effectively enough to make them work together instead of against one another.
Harding pushes boundaries with both the horror elements and the comedic aspects. He leans into the TVMA rating, harkening back to the cinematic output of the ‘80s and ‘90s. There are more decapitations than I could count and there’s more swearing than I knew what to do with. It’s nice to see a distributor give filmmakers the freedom to be a little edgy. Here’s hoping we see that trend bleed into theatrical horror a bit more often.
Carved is a movie made by horror fans, for horror fans.
Speaking of horror, it is evident that Harding and company are fans of the genre. There are a multitude of thematic references to horror pictures of years past. The creative team behind Carved strikes the right balance by using said references as a jumping-off point and then crafting a unique story that may just inspire future generations of filmmakers down the road.
The killer effects work on display here is another indication that Harding and the team he worked with are genre fans. The creature appears to be a mixture of practical and CG. While the VFX aren’t always as captivating as the practical work, the combination results in a really cool monster. A monster that feels like it could almost be the brainchild of a young Sam Raimi. Raimi’s influence is clear in the pumpkin’s tendrils, which bear a certain likeness to the predatory vines in Evil Dead.
All things considered:
Carved is a fun, gory, outrageous seasonal romp. I checked the flick out via the Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival. But you can actually scope it on Hulu as of the publication of this post. And I suggest you do just that, dear reader.
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‘Carved'
Summary
A campy love letter to B-grade cinema.
Categorized:Reviews
