Beasts of the Field
Film Review
By the Geezer of Oz
I was recently afforded the privilege of 
viewing a rough-cut of the upcoming, much-anticipated horror-thriller Beasts of the Field, the most recent release from Chase Dudley and A Cut To The Chase Productions LLC. Having late last year reviewed Chase‘s successful feature release, Payday (read HERE), I was honored and looked forward to viewing the film.
This made for an interesting experience on several fronts, one of which was that I’ve never before reviewed a rough cut, which is basically a yet to be fully completed cut of the film, with several aspects not yet at their final stage (be it sound editing, colour grading, etc.). This is an indie film of a fairly low budget and I already view those with a different eye as opposed to the way I dissect Hollywood films or larger budget films in general, but it being a rough cut added another factor into the mix. I had to look beyond the film version playing on my screen and consider the potential for the piece once final refinements are made.
So, with all that in mind, let’s get to it.
“A delusional cryptozoologist and a psychopathic television presenter lead an amateur expedition into wild forests in hopes of finding the legendary Thunderbird, which they believe is the ancestor of a prehistoric Pteranodon.” [IMDb]
The premise itself seems like somewhat of a throwback to adventure thrillers of the past with horror elements thrown into the mix. The film opens as a possible homage to 70s and 80s thrillers set mostly in a jungle or menacing woods, think something in the vein of John Boorman‘s Deliverance from 1972. There is even a reference to Deliverance that I’m hoping most viewers would recognize.
The way the above mentioned couple leading the exhibition gather their ragtag group of reluctant adventurers is also something we have seen in the past in many classics, for example The Magnificent Seven (1960), where several individuals who are assumed to be proficient at specific skills are approached by someone leading a group for some kind of purpose, usually an almost impossible task. Getting a feel for Dudley‘s potential influences for the vision of this film was a fun added dimension to the viewing experience.
Aside for the tight budget, the production reportedly had additional roadblocks on its way to completion. Apparently, shooting the film was somewhat of a rollercoaster ride as the cast and crew were caught in a hurricane that made its way from South Carolina and into Kentucky and literally soaked the whole production. The heavy rain somehow added a nice effect to the look of some scenes. The team reportedly pulled it together and with some great team effort got through the production with better than expected results. Talk about making the best out of a potentially disastrous situation.
The story unfolds nicely once the group hit the woods in search for the great beast. Egos clash, some individuals are just not as suitable for the great outdoors as others and some are less inclined to believe Lester‘s (Gregory Blair) claims of spotting the creature. These issues assist in creating all kinds of adventures for the group on their journey.
The cast, made up of the aforementioned Blair (The Horrific Evil Monsters, Fang, Garden Party Massacre, Deadly Revisions), as well as Amber Dawn Fox (Camisado, Redemption’s Price, The Haunting of Four Points, TV’s The Walking Dead), Tory L. Beckham (Payday, Marvelous Mandy), Savannah Schafer (Hell Night: Devil’s Pass, Hell Night), Ashley Mary Nunes (High Alert, All Through The House), Patrick Alred (Payday) and Keith Nicholson (Marvelous Mandy), all do a great job at getting their characters across. Also worth mentioning is Erik Kyr (Angel, The Wicked One), who appears in an early scene and leaves his mark despite very short onscreen time.
The film is a little spotty in some of the technological departments, but remembering that this is a rough cut, I have to assume most of these will be taken care of come the film’s premiere.
Dudley also finds time to stand by his indie roots and throw a jab or two at today’s film and television industries. As Clarissa (Fox) notes to James (Alred): “I’ve been lead producer on several major productions. Hundreds of television shows, films, most of which you’ll never see. Hundreds and hundreds of pilots get filmed every year. Most don’t get picked up.” Something most of us in the indie film industry can identify with.
There is subtext in this film that sits somewhere above what is seen onscreen, which along with the above mentioned references and some social commentary, makes this film stand out when compared with others of its sub-genre. This film can be classified under horror, action, drama and thriller and provides a little bit of each to keep you interested from its lively beginning all the way to its intense ending.
I don’t tend to watch films more than once these days, yet this is one film I look forward to viewing again in its finished form as I believe a polished final cut will include further improvements to elevate this film a little more.
An impressive effort by Dudley and crew and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.
As is: 7.5/10.
With potential improvements to Final Cut: 8/10.
