I stepped into this flick without knowing what it was all about so it was a big surprise that I found this one a gem. Can I say something negative about The Void, well, no. Maybe for some the story will be a void because it's all about weird things, supernatural stuff, I don't know what to say but pick it up without hesitation.

If you are a newbee into the genre this is going to be a hell of a ride because nowadays with all those rather low on gore flicks this will get you. For the old school geeks this is a must. I can't say a thing about the story because I would spoil it. And even if I would I couldn't say what's it all about.

It's somewhere between Hellraiser (1987) and The Thing (1982). And all the effects are on-camera, no use of CGI. It's messy, it's weird and it has a lot of gore inside. By all means, this is just a throwback to old school horror. Long time ago I've seen such a joy for the eye. Masterpiece.

Gore 3/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

While I don't like open rip-offs and remakes of previous, better fare, I have no problems with watching films that are heavily derived from their predecessors. The low budget, crowd-funded Canadian indie horror flick THE VOID is such a film, a throwback to 1980s creature cinema which feels heavily indebted to the movies of John Carpenter. It's a siege film in which a bunch of characters holed up in an isolated hospital are assailed by hooded cult members and horrific monsters, and the viewer witnesses bits of the HELLRAISER series as well as PRINCE OF DARKNESS and THE THING as they watch. I'm a huge fan of anything remotely Lovecraftian, and the tentacled horror of THE VOID was right up my street. Sure, the budget is low and they have to cut corners at times, leaving some parts fairly unconvincing, but the prosthetic effects are quite terrifying and the gore scenes hard to stomach. The unknown cast work hard to convince in their roles, and there's enough energy and imagination to make this a lot of fun.

Small town cop Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) has another boring night. He picks up a possible drunk and brings him to the small rural hospital run by Dr. Richard Powell (Kenneth Welsh). His estranged wife Allison Fraser (Kathleen Munroe) is a doctor there. Kim (Ellen Wong) is a medical student intern. A man has brought in his pregnant granddaughter. Neighboring sheriff arrested a drifter who escaped from a scary farmhouse. A father and son arrive after the bloody farmhouse incident. First, a nurse slices up a patient and her face. They battle a monster. The drifter escapes and takes a hostage. Creepy hooded people surround the hospital. The father and son are a volatile threatening duo. Then, things start to get crazy.

There is general horror goodness in this Canadian indie. My main complaint is that it piles on too much too quickly. These things need to be paced out. It needs to build atmospheric tension before throwing in the monsters. There is a good dividing line as the group finds the mysterious sub-basements. When the group descends, the movie can go crazier. By the end, the horror pacing gets overloaded and the shock value wears thin.

The acting is solid although it could improve with bigger names. The scariest scene is actually Kim trying to do a C-section. There is a lot to like here. It is able to maintain interest all the way to the end. There are some good real work. It is better than most indie horrors.