DreadOut aka DreadOut: Tower of Hell is a 2018 Indonesian supernatural horror film written and directed by Kino Stamboel (Macabre; Takut: Faces of Fear as The Mo Brothers), based on the 2014 video game of the same name developed by Digital Happiness. The movie stars Caitlin Halderman and Jefri Nichol.
Plot:
Linda (Caitlin Halderman) is a high school student trapped in an old abandoned town. Equipped with her trusty smart-phone, she has terrifying encounters and must solve mysterious puzzles that will ultimately determine her fate…
Reviews:
“Levitating people, enveloping fog, and dead-eyed creature attacks appear throughout. Having the flash from Linda’s cell phone camera serve as a weapon against all the supernatural beings is cool […] For whatever it lacks story-wise, Dreadout gives you full-throttle survival horror madness from start to finish.” Mike McGranaghan, The Aisle Seat
“The combination of teen horror and cult tradition works well but at times it’s hard to keep up with exactly what’s going on. It’s visually arresting, with some great cinematography from Patrick Tashadian and good effects work. Overall, DreadOut is well worth your time.” Rob Aldam, Backseat Mafia
“Stamboel fails to dig deeper into her character. This makes me wonder the whole point of making a prequel that has little interest to explore the origin of the otherworldly premise in the first place. Even the rest of the characters are disappointingly one-dimensional.” Casey’s Movie Mania
“Stamboel’s thin script also features frustratingly little background behind the demon woman’s curse, rendering much of the horror hollow since reasons rarely motivate anyone’s actions. Even though repetitive panting and constant shouting of everyone’s names (“Jess? Jess? Jess! Jess!”) gets annoying, DreadOut gets by through a cool, witchy vibe that puts satanic style into its standardized creepshow.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt
“Dreadout isn’t without its charms, but the grating, surface-level characters and uninteresting narrative make it a horror title that has some fun set pieces but offers little in the way of lasting power or memorability.” Adam Patterson, Film Pulse
“The sheer passion on display (even if it’s not backed by creativity) can at times certainly elicit a smile, especially during effects shots that offer glimpses of how bonkers this really could have been with a different script. All in all, there is a real sense of effort in trying to make this stuff exciting…” Patrick Murphy, Goomba Stomp
” …it’s entertaining, overwrought and weird – but not especially memorable. Demons, zombies, cackling witches, swirling portals, a lot of screaming and running, minor Sanskrit lore, etc.” The Kim Newman Web Site
“Fast-paced, and with more than enough gory gags to satisfy horror fans, DreadOut is a solid outing from all of the cast and crew, and it manages to transcend its source material in a way that won’t alienate those who’ve never heard of the game. Kimo Stamboel and his team deliver yet another gruesome gem…” J Hurtado, Screen Anarchy
Production companies:
Goodhouse.id
CJ entertainment
Sky Media
Nimpuna Sinema
Lyto Games
