Making his feature directorial debut in 2019 with the film Spiral, LA-based Screenwriter Spyder Dobrofsky returns in 2024 with Down Below. A film he wrote and directed, it features a cast led by well-known, respected actors like Eric Roberts (Runaway Train 1985, The Dark Knight 2008) and Bai Ling (The Crow 1994, Dumplings 2004), but is that enough?
The name Spyder Dobrofsky might sound familiar to some. Dobrobsky is responsible for writing Tubi’s Horror Western Teardrop, plus he is known for his role as an executive producer/screenwriter for NBC Peacock’s original movie The Housewives of the North Pole. Factors that may attract you to Downfall, along with the solid cast included, asking the question once more, is it enough? Several movie trailers make movies look good or sound great, however, it does not mean the film will be. Even a film’s synopsis can make it sound promising, but sometimes it does not pan out.
Set for release through Gravitas Ventures on October 1, 2024, to digital and Cable VOD, Down Below is about a man who is haunted by the presence of a demonic preacher who was responsible for a massacre on Christmas Eve at St. Agnes Church thirty years earlier. Dubbed a Psychological Horror film, there seems to be a lot missing with Down Below.
To start with, time and time again lighting or even the filming style has ruined potentially good films. For Down Below, this is no different. The lighting is by and large very poorly done, with certain scenes being so dark you can hardly see a thing. This is while the shooting style is quite confusing and too sporadic. Albeit this might be the director trying to distinguish certain characters and or times, it does not work here. Continuity is everything and Down Below seems to have forgotten what that is. In fact, sometimes some actors are standing in one shot, but are not there in the next, and it is noticeable.
From here, the acting itself feels off, but saving it, some of the performances are decent. For instance, Christopher Livingston (MindHunter series, 9-1-1 series) does exceptionally well. Also playing a role, Dobrobsky does a decent job, and so does Eric Roberts. However, there is chemistry that does not click for much of the cast. For example, Alexis Knapp did fine in the Pitch Perfect films, but at times for Down Below there seems to be a certain detachment from the character.
Beyond this, certain scenes are drawn out and should not be, the close-up shots do not exactly match up with what is depicted, and there are also some scenes edited in that are not necessary for the storyline. Matters which can confuse the audience, in short, Down Below is too all over the place. Although the acting is not entirely bad, the detachment of the characters involved is bound to drive some viewers crazy. Unfortunately suffering from poor production decisions, Down Below had the potential for so much more, but as it is, Cryptic Rock gives it 2 out of 5 stars.
){kind=link}
No comment