I’m a big fan of midnight films so it was a no-brainer that I was going to see Irish filmmaker Ivan Kavanagh’s horror film, The Canal, a film which is set to make its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Living a seemingly happy life, film archivist David (Rupert Evans) is asked to review some film about murders that happened in the early 1900s. Oddly enough, the records look familiar and soon David discovers that his house is actually where these brutal murders took place. Dismissing this is a mere coincidence and simple history, things beging to happen in David’s life that seem to parallel that of the past murders. Soon David discovers that his wife is having an affair, shattering their marriage and leaving David in a vulnerable state. But things begin to happen that can’ be explained and now David believes there is some dark spirit within his house that’s haunting himj, his son and his babysitter, threatening his wellbeing as well as all of the wellbeing of those around him.
The Canal is a film that follows one man’s descent into insanity, but the real question is, is it justified insanity? Is there something in the house that’s actually a legitimate threat or is it all in his head? From the perspective of an audience member, it’s not exactly clear until the end, but it is creepy and rather sad. This is a film about a good guy who loses his head because his seemingly happy wife is sleeping with another and is then found dead the next day, essentially destroying everything he’s come to know and leaving him without a reason as to what caused this to happen.
While the film is able to establish a sense of fear, occasionally a sense of urgency and finds a way to unsettle you, it isn’t a very compelling film. Though it’s easy to feel bad for the guy, and feel even worse for his concerned colleague who has a thing for him, you never really get emotionally invested in the film/characters. This might be because the film feels rather familiar, like you’ve seen this story before played out in various ways. In fact, The Canal reminds me a lot of Scott Derrickson’s Sinister in that it’s a film about a person who finds horrific footage, ie. a perspective change on found footage films. In Sinister, Ethan Hawke’s character discovers snuff films that eventually have demonic connections and drastic results on his family, and the same thing seems to happen in this film. This one just doesn’t execute that idea nearly as well as Sinister.
I will give Ivan Kavanagh credit because The Canal is certainly a film I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. While a majority of the film is easily forgettable as being standard horror/thriller fare, the climax and ending pushes what you thought the film was building to onto another level completely. SPOILER Specifically, there is a scene when David begins losing his mind and starts running around in sewers only to encounter his deceased wife in a rotting, sewer monster, and zombie-like form. She’s disgusting to look at but no, this isn’t enough, there is a point we find out she’s pregnant so the Kavanagh decides to turn up the gross factor. The result: we get a close up shot of a postmortem damp and rotted vagina give birth to an equally dead and rotten baby. Weeks after seeing the film, this is a visual that I just can’t shake, it is vomit inducing. END SPOILER.
For some reason, it seems like every Irish horror film I watch tends to disappoint me and The Canal is no exception to that rule. It certainly has its merits and aspects that I appreciated, but when you step back and look at the whole picture the film is underwhelming and ultimately disappointing. It has cliché “this character is an idiot, why would he go in that dark sewer” moments and then it takes a radical turn with certain pieces not necessarily fitting in well with the overall story. If you’re a die-hard horror fan and want to see something “f-up” then you are the only person I’d recommend this film to because the contents I discussed in the spoiler section above, and one other part at the end of the film, will certainly be a talking points for all of the people that decide to see this. Watch at your own risk.
Rating: A familiar, underwhelming and yet shocking horror film that doesn’t do much to satisfy your horror craving (4.5/10)
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