Directed by Mitchell Altieri and written by David Calbert, a married couple, Jay and Beth taking a celebratory camping trip a year after Beth’s cancer remission, but they find themselves trapped between a wild madman and a skin stealing monster. Starring: Devon Sawa, Courtney Halverson, Mark Famiglietti, Amber Mari and Golden Flores.
If you’re going to make a monster movie, a lot of the success is going to depend on that monster, and unfortunately, Consumed’s creature comes in pretty middling. Two common problems are revealing too much, too soon and making it convoluted, that’s exactly why people love shark flicks. So, while it is technically a singular threat, it has too many layers and unusual motivations, that make it complicated in a very unsatisfying manner.
Especially when it brings illness into the mix, which feels odd and slightly difficult to understand whether it’s emotionally manipulative or exploitative, there’s something uncomfortable at work. To a minimal degree in its defense but again it chips away at the success of the film. They’re trying to hit those sentimental buttons, while also dipping into the supernatural, with a bit of psychology and a cult edge, it’s too much thrown into the pot at once.
So, when you add to that some clumsy dialogue, a lack of attention to detail and a messy use of violence, it’s not a great recipe. Which is a shame because there are other elements of Consumed that are doing their jobs. The visual works well, and the woods are always a fantastic setting for any monster driven project. It doesn’t slow down too much, it keeps a good pacing and doesn’t over extend itself.
There’s a decent leading character, Courtney Halverson gives Beth vulnerability but never makes her feel weak, if maybe not the strongest personality. Whereas Devon Sawa’s Quinn has an interesting personality, a lot of strength and resilience but also some unexpected layers. Though Mark Famiglietti’s Jay is pretty much as stereotypical as it gets.
Consumed had an interesting idea, a good location and feeds into some very classic horror themes but gets lost along the way. It tries too hard to bring an emotional element into the mix which misunderstands the basic idea of what a monster horror should be. It needed to simplify things, to give a clear, powerful driving force and let the fear and carnage do the work for them. There was potential but it’s ultimately just trying to do too much and not all of it works.
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