Consumed

Consumed does have the predictable structure of a run, hide, fight horror film, but just when you think you’re getting ahead of the film and know what’s coming, new information is revealed that injects adrenaline into the story.

It is difficult to find a balance between developing your characters and keeping the monster at the top of your mind, especially when there are only three characters in the entire film. In most horror films, there are throwaway characters who exist simply to be killed off for our enjoyment, but Consumed flips that on its ear and attempts to hold on to its characters as long as possible to increase tension.

This is where the film struggles. We spend so much time with these characters that the skin-shredding monster gets pushed out of mind for a little too long. Of course, when you think of a film like Jaws, we barely see the shark, but when you do see glimpses of the man-eating fish, it’s utterly terrifying. The problem that Consumed runs into is that the monster doesn’t have much screen time, and it presents itself in two forms, one less scary than the other.

“…plenty of twists that propel the drama and keep the pace engaging…”

One form is created with impressive practical effects that are truly gruesome, and the other is a gaseous cloud that zips around the forest. Unfortunately, we see the monster as a black cloud for most of the film and during the daytime. A floating cloud in broad daylight just isn’t scary.

By the time we reach the film’s end and see the monster’s true physical form, albeit gruesome and cleverly designed, it just doesn’t bring the scares. Essentially, we see too much of the monster in its benign state, which ultimately derails horror.

Other horror filmmakers should, however, take note of how Consumed’s characters are written and how exposition can be properly placed in dialogue that doesn’t feel like you are spoon-feeding the audience. I appreciated that this film rewarded my attention with good characters, but I wasn’t consumed with fear by its monster.