Aubrey (Virginia Gardner) is having one of those days; she wakes up the day after her friend Grace’s (Christina Masterson) funeral to find her small mountain town in the throws of a monster filled apocalyptic event (happens more than you think boils n’ ghouls…). Anyway, how her friend is connected to these events, and how they can be stopped, are up to Aubrey to discover as she goes on a scavenger hunt for a series of mix tapes Grace has left behind in various locations. Yup, some cassette tapes may cancel the apocalypse…
Does that synopsis above sound weird, and perhaps a bit vague? Well, you can bet your ass the film it describes sure as hell is! Starfish is a post-modern, thinking person’s fright flick…but don’t let that turn ya off; this thing is packed with a sinister vibe, mysterious recordings, creepy monsters, and anime…and I don’t mean a character just digs on cartoons; there’s a full on, breathtaking animated sequence in this thing that truly rocks balls (and that’s an official critic’s term…trust me, I’m a professional). Against all odds, those cinematic disparities actual coalesce into an incredibly engaging and watchable picture that is truly one of a kind.
What makes it all work? Well, that’s a twofold answer my creeps! First of all we get a powerhouse performance from Gardner; she runs the gambit from grief stricken, to wanderer in a waking nightmare, to inquisitive, and more…all with equal skill and aplomb. while the character of Aubrey acts as both our anchor and avatar, the deft handling of the entire concept of the aforementioned emotion of grief is something to behold…monsters and mystery serve as metaphor for a woman coming to grips with the loss of her friend, the regrets she harbors, and the healing that must take place in her heart.
On the negative side of the spectrum; if you aren’t the type of cat that digs on a slow burn feature, or not knowing every, lil’ secret a film has within then you may want to steer clear of Starfish (even though personally I feel that would be a mistake)…things are left untold in this journey, and the film’s tone benefits from it greatly…but it could definitely frustrate some viewers and leave them cold.
Full of fever dream atmosphere, existential dread, and raw human emotion; Starfish is a winner of a fright flick, and would be right up the alley of those that dig on the Silent Hill series or the works of H.P. Lovecraft!
