Storm Warning (2007 film)

Storm Warning
Theatrical poster art
Directed by	Jamie Blanks
Produced by	Gary Hamilton
Written by	Everett De Roche
Starring	Nadia Farès Robert Taylor
Music by	Jamie Blanks
Cinematography	Karl von Moller
Edited by	Jamie Blanks Geoff Hitchins
Distributed by	Dimension Films The Weinstein Company Genius Products
Release dates	19 October 2007 (2007-10-19) 5 February 2008 (2008-02-05) (DVD)
Running time	82 minutes 86 minutes (unrated version)
Country	Australia
Language	English

Storm Warning is a 2007 Australian horror film directed by Jamie Blanks and starring Nadia Farès and Robert Taylor.

Plot

Rob and Pia are a young couple who travel out for a day of sailing along coastal marshland. They become lost in a heavy storm and end up on a desolate island. They come across a decrpid old house and nearby barn with no one home. There is a large amount of marijuana growing in the barn that suggests the homeowners may not welcome their presence. There is also no telephone or means of communication with the outside world. But when the deranged, redneck owners—Brett, his brother Jimmy, and their even more terrifying father Poppy—return, Rob and Pia realize a fear far beyond anything they have ever known. Resentful of the affluent intruders, the three monstrously sadistic hillbillies imprison and enslave the couple, who—fearing for their lives—are submitted to appalling degradation and humiliation. When Rob and Pia learn their kidnappers have no intention of ever letting them go alive, they finally understand they must do whatever it takes to survive, and whatever it takes means going to a limit they could never have imagined, which leads to the violent climax and ending; they will have to kill all three of the hillbillies by themselves in order to escape and survive.

Cast

• Nadia Farès as Pia
• Robert Taylor as Rob
• John Brumpton as Poppy
• David Lyons as Jimmy
• Mathew Wilkinson as Brett

Homages

The films pays homage to numerous other films including, but not limited to Spider Baby, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Deliverance, The Hills Have Eyes, The Last House on the Left, Straw Dogs and Wrong Turn.

Production

The script was written in the early 1990s.^[1]

Reception

Despite no approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of today, Storm Warning was met with positive reviews from critics and audiences. The film also received reviews from various sites, such as:

• horrormovies.ca called the film "A somewhat unique take on the 'killer redneck family' genre and I think at the very least is worth a rent. If you like a movie that takes time to build its characters and isnt afraid to throw pieces of flesh, death by fishing hooks and more at you... this movie is for you!".
• bloody-disgusting.com says: "Although the film is pretty damn cliché, it’s still a fun ride that gives homage to loads of classic films without disrespecting them. Gore hounds will be delighted with the amount of bloodshed and everyone else will find solace in a pretty damn good story. Highly Recommended!"
• JoBlo.com says: "The flick managed to always be entertaining none the less, looked uber slick, had a solid cast and it sucker punched me hardcore with its no holds barred, gore to the wall final act. By no means a masterpiece but worth a watch!"
• dreadcentral hailed: "Storm Warning looks incredible, is packed with top-notch performances, and moves along at a furious pace. You'll barely have time to catch your breath. Heed the warning. See this now. It's one of our genre's near perfect storms."
• dvdtalk says: "Yes we've seen this before and yes we don't have any trouble figuring out where it's going very early on but it's still a fun ride getting there and if you go into this one with expectations in check and look at the film as fun, schlocky entertainment you'll probably walk away pleased. Original or inventive the film is most definitely not but horror fans could certainly find far worse ways to kill eighty-five minutes."

Accolades

Justin Dix won the Screamfest Festival Trophy for Best Special Effects.

DVD release

Dimension Extreme released an unrated version of Storm Warning on 5 February 2008. The DVD contains an audio commentary by director Jamie Blanks, screenwriter Everett De Roche, actor Robert Taylor, cinematographer Karl von Moller, production designer Robby Perkins, and special FX artist Justin Dix, and a making-of featurette.^[2] The DVD was released in Australia on 5 June 2008.^[3]

References

External links

• Storm Warning at the Internet Movie Database
• Storm Warning at AllMovie
• Film Review
• Storm Warning at Rotten Tomatoes