Did you know that Israel has never made a horror film before? That is until now of course. Rabies, also known as Kalevat, is the nation’s first forrary into this crazy genre and it excels on more levels than one. Not only is it a fantastic debut for the nation itself, but it is also a fantastic debut for first time writers/directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado.
Rabies takes the tried and true formula of a group of teenagers getting lost in the woods while a psychotic killer is on the loose and completely makes the story its own. This fresh approach works unbelievably well and is extremely rewarding by the time you reach the end and understand why the film was named Rabies; it was quite brilliant if you ask me.
The films characters include four teenage tennis players each with very distinct and classic personalities, a brother and sister with a disturbing secret (although you know what it is when you first meet them), a forest ranger, his dog, and a pair of cops. With a large number of characters, a killer on the loose, and an isolated area where anything can happen, Rabies is set up the way a classic slasher film ought to be. The cast includes some big Israeli stars like Lior Ashkenazi, Ania Bukstein, Danny Geva, Yael Grobglas, Ran Danker, and Ofer Schecter.
Rabies is full of hysterical surprises from beginning to end, and not in a bad way either. In addition to a few disturbing and violent kills, it’s the film’s dialogue that really shines. After a long day of seeing some bad films, the comical and, at times, ridiculous dialogue just made the slasher experience that much better.
What helped prevent this film from being a complete mess was its breakdown from an average scenario to one where the messed up relationships and screwed up personalities ended up creating the most unlikely situations ever (for better or worse). Additionally, the directors made sure to give it some Israeli flair by using things such as old minefields in a forest, something that you wouldn’t see in an American forest but could totally exist in Israel.
Clearly I’m doing my best not to spoil the major plot points, but to sum it all up, the guy in this movie might be the greatest serial killer ever! And it’s not because he’s that good but its because of how chance has worked as much in his favor as it has worked against him, again, making it really entertaining to watch.
With classic slasher acting, an old concept with a fresh and unique twist, and a wildly funny unfolding of events, Rabies has what you would want in every horror film. It’s got it’s blood nasty kills, humorous dialogue, incest, case of mistaken identity and then some, all for what has become a great debut for newcomers into the genre.
You can catch Rabies at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC for its North American Premiere on April 21, and then from April 27-30th. It’s part of the late night Cinemania collection.
Rating: A fun and fresh slasher film that everyone can surprisingly enjoy (7.2/10)
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