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As soon as I got to know about the movie Don’t Look Away, I was dying to watch it. There is something that fascinates me about movies that involve sentient objects and horror themes. Last weekend I went ahead and watched Micheal Bafaro’s tale of a killer mannequin and let’s just say I am glad I did. The film has some pacing problems as well as some other issues, but all in all it was an enjoyable film and I am interested to see what else Bafaro has in store.
The plot goes like this After running over a pedestrian who suddenly appears in front of her car, Frankie (Kelly Bastard) decides to hit the dance floor and try to shake off the bad energy. Alongside her friends, she takes some club drugs and attempts to loosen up. However, she still feels bothered by the accident she caused. In fact, ever since that accident, she has experienced the odd feeling that someone is following her. The weird part is that the pedestrian that was hit is somehow intertwined with supernatural elements. More specifically he was part of the transportation of one killer mannequin. The newly sentient item is now on the pursuit of her and everyone she cares for Omg!
It’s not terrible, but I wouldn’t say it is perfect either.
Indeed, it isn’t. Still, there is some effectiveness in parts of Don’t Look Away. The first twenty minutes completely drew my attention, and I truly enjoyed myself. After the gleaming start, things do wander off for some time but they eventually resurface towards the end of the film.
The creepiest part of the film is the dance floor massacre that unfolds right after the opening scene and it does live up to its name. The last ten minutes of the film are also equally intense and have a gripping emotion associated with them in a rather surreal way. As much as I want to wish that this intensity was present throughout the entire film, overall I really enjoyed Don’t Look Away.
The film’s middle portion is a little rocky for me, but that may primarily be due to the tone. This sort of film requires a very precise comedic tone and I believe Bafaro’s attempt was pretty close, but still missed the mark. Bafaro’s unorthodox use of an antagonist should have been partnered with a stronger comedic approach that was far more present than here. There is a level of parody that is very easy to achieve with the premise of this film and I feel that the filmmakers should have exercised that more. There is no need for such an approach to be overly bold. The entire film seems to be overly serious.
The premise is such that it is extremely camp, and thus it could have been made better with over-the-top statements as well as intelligent glances between the characters. It definitely does not need to be such an exaggerated move.
These movies appeal more when people are given permission not to take things so seriously. This is especially true when the murderer is a CPR dummy that awakens.
Letting the audience know from the start that they are part of a joke can amplify the intensity of the movie in the long run. When the filmmakers ease into the campy elements, it puts the audience’s guard down. This becomes the perfect moment to swoop in and scare the viewers. However, the characters in this movie live in constant fear of a department store mannequin. Spoiler alert: the mannequin is incapable of moving or creating any sort of chaos as long as it is being watched.
This leads me to my next question. The eye contact weakness with the mannequin removes the tension that Bafaro tries so hard to create. Just picture Michael Myers being unable to hurt you the moment you look at him. He would lose a lot of his menace and mystique.
To all the critics, I must admit that there are some scenes that are intense, where the mannequin does appear out of nowhere to frighten the audience. I cannot lie, it has startled me a couple of times.
Moreover, the combination of dim lighting and a menacing score gives the non-living characters a very imposing presence. And that’s not nothing.
Overall, I was pleased with Don’t Look Away. The film does well in terms of atmosphere and pacing beginning and ending well. I only wish the middle was more interesting. In the end, the strong start and end were enough to keep my attention through the less interesting parts.
If you want to see Don’t Look Away, you are in luck. The film is currently showing in a few selected theatres at the time this post is published.
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