A synoptic excerpt from the marketing-publishing-advertising modus operandi for CALL OF THE VOID: After the tragic death of her brother, Moray played by Caitlin Carver flees to a mountain cabin to get away from her work and her family so that she can embrace solitude and mourn in peace. Her hope for spiritual surcease is marred, however, by a gaggle of musicians moving into the room next door where they are planning to use as a makeshift recording studio.
Cutting to the chase: Moray and the band members subsequently discover the Hum, a mysterious sonic gateway to an otherworldly experience whether they want it or not. {the WORD patrons please note: CALL OF THE VOID features songs from an Appalachian folk songbook which are performed in the film by the cast. These folks know how to jam.}
Caitlin Carver as Moray
CALL OF THE VOID has received mixed reviews. It’s been pitched publicity-wise and marketing-wise and advertising-wise as a folk horror with Lovecraftian touches focusing on the grisly psychological impact of a strange hum and its connection to something otherworldly.
Because of high anticipations for this H.P. Lovecraft and Gravitas Ventures venture – burnished with a dash of Stephen King – this reviewer was miffed that in the first 100 minutes or so, there was nary a whiff nor wisp of plausible horrific, macabre and ghoulish horror film elements that should have had him twisting and turning in his seat – as one would expect to see in an H.P Lovecraft & Gravitas venture with a dash of Stephen King. Instead, it’s as if copious dosages of blah-blah-blah and blah-blah-blah scenes were overdone by the filmmakers.
Me thinks if the filmmakers dared to trim CALL OF THE VOID from 94+ minutes to 60, this film reviewer could imagine their ding-dong becoming a hum-dinger. {This reviewer couldn’t resist the play on words.} Please Note: Cinema history reveals it’s not unusual that movies that initially flopped after they were released, subsequently gained a cult following and critical acclaim after being re-edited and re-released. Examples are A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935), CITIZEN KANE (1941), THE FALL (2006), THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1988) and so on … and so forth.
Stars Caitlin Carver (Chicago Fire, I Tonya, Netflix’s Dear White People); Mina Sundwall (Netflix’s Lost In Space, Jesus Revolution); Christian Antidormi (Starz’s Spartacus, Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer); and Ethan Herisse (Nickel Boys, When They See Us). Written and directed by James B. Cox (Hacked, Grey Matter, based on a short story by Stephen King).
