This is a low budget film. Let's get that out of the way. Taking it's story-line from HP Lovecraft's 'Cool Air', it concerns a scientist's means of extending life which becomes more and more grisly as the film progresses.

To begin with, various plot threads are presented one after the other, and this serves to intrigue rather than confuse. Everything is explained as the film goes on, and it all makes sense. The main characters are easy to care about, so when unpleasant things begin to happen, you actually care about them - this is something teen slasher films could learn something from!

I also really liked the use of location for this. Everything is set in a typical, slightly down-market town. It's an intimate enough community for the local police to get away with small-time corruption, not least the stalking of clothing store owner Maria (Ashley Laurence). Hero Sam is not your typically brave soul, he is a diabetic (which has severe consequences for him) who isn't particularly brave, but just gets caught up in events.

You get a real sense of the geography of the area during daytime, and as such it becomes familiar, reassuring even. During the night, however, such familiarity is turned on its head, and the surroundings take on a truly claustrophobic, unfriendly atmosphere.

It is not brimming with spectacular special effects and extravagant production values (there is a climatic explosion that doesn't convince). And yet it is mainly well acted, and the story-line is compelling, unravelling slowly so as not to reveal too many answers until toward the end. It is eccentric, grisly stuff and I really enjoyed it.

I rented this out of boredom on a Sunday night, and I regret it. I love bad movies. I feel an affection for them akin to what one feels for a special education kid. They try, and fail a lot, but you appreciate the merits of the attempt and recognize it for what it is.

That being said, there is really one way to surmise this film is awful. I have survived viewing of BloodRayne and the un-MST3K'ed Manos: The Hands of Fate. I and my wife were riffing this ten minutes into the film.

The only redeeming feature in this is the story, which was unique compared the usual fare (Hollywood could take a lesson here in looking for source material). However, everything else just fell flat...face first on to the concrete.

The acting was bad, even for a B- film. The dialog was painful, the acting uninspired. I've seen more convincing effects in homemade animated films, and the editing looks like it was done by a six year old kid riddled with ADD.

Honestly, only the most hardcore of Lovecraft fans will appreciate this. I respect his work, but I think he was rolling over in his grave when they wrapped on this pickle.

I have to say as a huge horror buff - this was absolute gutter trash. I kept asking myself where is the gore, the blood, the fear/horror factor.

The main music reminded me of rave techno music and I felt I needed to be in a club with glowing objects in my mouth.

I will say SOME of the actors were good - like the guy off Melrose Place - Thomas Calabro and the gal from Hellraiser - Ashley Laurence. But overall, I would not go out of my way to recommend to someone to see this, unless they were looking for something silly and cheesy to watch. OR they really didn't like horror because they scared easily, this would be a recommendation to see - as there is nothing scary, nothing gory or horrific about it.