Survivor Type

Survivor type is the transposition of a Stephen King's short story. The core of the story is about what a man can do to survive and we remain shocked by what Richard Pine does to himself in the name of survival on a rocky island, alone, without food. Good idea using the "portable camera" to transpose a diary on a movie, I adored all the shots because they weren't fixed, it's something different from the usual. No supernatural elements, only the human, only acting, true acting: Gideon Emery does an excellent performance of gruesome realism. His voice takes the viewer between the slowly dwindling of the leading man to the end. It's incredible how his voice is turning together with his body in a continuum of overloaded sound of the sea waves. In Italy we have a way of describe this: "a pearl". This short film is a pearl, something little, rare and precious and I have the privilege of viewing for Billy Hanson's kindness. I recommend this short to everyone...best without popcorn!

I have been waiting to see "Survivor Type" visualized since I first read the short story too many years ago. Having seen many King works adapted for the screen, I was always hoping a brave filmmaker would tackle the simple, disturbing nature of "Survivor Type." Fortunately, Billy Hanson was up to the task and utterly nailed it!

The setup is simple: a disgraced surgeon is attempting to transport heroin from Thailand to the US and ends up stranded on a tiny, uninhabited island. With limited supplies and no food, he documents his struggle for survival with a camcorder he brought along (changed from a diary in the Stephen King short story). Starvation, loneliness, and drug use cause him to become excessively unstable, and seriously rewarding drama and horror ensue.

This film packs everything you need in a suspenseful story into a tight 30 minutes. If expanded to feature length, many more plot elements would need to be added, and the brief, terrifying story would lose a lot of its tension. The acting, special effects, locations, moody score, and cinematography are all spot-on. This has always been a favorite short story of mine, and Billy Hanson really delivered the goods for this long-awaited adaptation. Gideon Emery was simply perfect for the role. His descent into madness never felt over-the-top or ridiculous, and his visage as our deteriorating narrator/protagonist consistently became more harrowing and horrifying. Overall, this was an exceptionally presented and thoroughly satisfying adaptation of a great, timeless story.

The best way to catch this wonder of a film is to look for screenings near you! It has already shown at 12 festivals around the globe, so keep an eye out for it!

Survivor Type was made in 2011-2012, shown at the Everybody Dies Film Festival – winning the 'Most Disturbing Film' Award. Gideon Emery puts on an amazing performance – winning him numerous awards for Best Actor (in a Short Film). Director Billy Hanson won numerous awards for the movie; and the movie is described as 'one of the best and most disturbing Stephen King adaptations'. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the movie when I saw Gideon Emery at London Comic Con in May '15. I'm not entirely sure if you can buy the movie online on sites, but if you get the chance to watch this movie, I would seriously recommend it. 31 minutes of unrated horror, an amazing movie which I will be watching again.

Survivor Type is a short horror movie, based off the Stephen King story with the same name. Surgeon, Richard Pine, is stranded on a rock island, after surviving a cruise ship sinking. Trapped with no food, Richard must do what he can to survive and to make his way off the island before it's too late.

This movie was a gem to watch. Even though, some scenes did make me cringe away (watching through cracked fingers). Emery put on an amazing performance which made you feel as though you were on the island with Richard, not an easy feat to do.

I highly recommend seeing this movie if you ever get the chance to. I would rate this film an 8/10 (on behalf of a little shaky start – it takes a few minutes for you to get sucked in), but if you get the chance to, I highly recommend you take it. 31 minutes of your life you will thoroughly enjoy if you're a Stephen King and/or horror fan.

I've read the story, and listened to it, more times then I know. And yet, this version got under my skin like the first late night reading. The experience is one that is going to sit with you for a while, and need 'digestion', which to me, has always been the mark of a good movie. It doesn't let you go quite willingly.

The story is written in first person, and is mostly composed of the characters mental deterioration and circumstances, which makes it a very hard thing to translate into a visual format, but this team did a stunning job of it. The hand-held camera, usually a pet peeve of mine, really comes into its own in the movie, and the main actor (and, I dearly hope, his make-up team) took it the rest of the way, conveying in the actors appearance all the anguish and desperation of the story. His performance is intense, and the eye contact with the camera is nothing short of haunting. There wasn't a lot of gory effects, which could easily have become a crutch in this particular story, so your never really taken out of the story mentally, but left on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

It isn't something I'd share with just anyone, some people won't really get into it at all, expecting a Stephen king fright, and others, like myself, will feel it just that little, unsettling, bit deeper then visual stories usually go. But for anyone who loves that aspect of a good read, the feeling of getting really close and personal with a character, this one is Perfect.

This short story by Stephen King was disturbing to read and Billy Hanson has managed to transfer the same disturbing feeling onto the screen.

Gideon Emery is excellent in portraying Richard Pine's descent into madness.

Shot with the current home movie trend seen in Blair Witch project and others, you feel as if you are a part of the story. The special effects were high quality and thoroughly convincing.

This film has all the elements that make a movie stay with you long after it is over. Definitely a must see for any horror buffs.