Not that there's a specific shortage, but it's surprising sometimes that there aren't more thrillers and horror flicks that toy with film production; the possibilities are endless when the line blurs between fiction and reality. It's also surprising, perhaps, that such a low-budget and independent production should pursue such a tack, but then again, everyone involved in creating this already had considerable experience in the industry. Set these facets aside, and what's striking is that while we do get some keen horror-thriller flavors early on, there is no meaningful plot development until we hit the halfway mark. We're more than three-quarters through before the turn comes, and at that, comes from out of nowhere. Ultimately the premise is fulfilled and we get what we came for - in a manner that's unexpectedly shrewd and even more sinister than anticipated, especially as the story had seemed at first to be a little more plainspoken. I dare say the strength of the last stretch, and the revelations that it bears concerning all the preceding length, definitely help to elevate the whole and pick up the slack. I'd also be lying if I said this weren't very rough around the edges, and 'Effects' surely won't meet with significant favor from many viewers.
I don't know precisely what the history of the picture is, though I rather assume that given the overall heady, meta, if lo-fi approach to the conglomeration, larger production companies wouldn't have touched this anyway as being too unorthodox, and too risky a venture. That's unfortunate, because all told Dusty Nelson whipped up a(n adapted) story and scenario that's deliciously twisted, and if this had been produced in subsequent years I've no doubt it would have found greater financial support. This falls into that category of horror that's not scary, or even "fun scary," but which instead inspires giddy delight as the underhanded deviousness is unveiled. The foundation is very strong, and this boasts a lot of value in other regards, including excellent stunts and effects. To that point, the enthusiasm that everyone obviously had for the project is quite matched by the skill they contributed. The cast is terrific, all fully embracing their varied roles; Carl Augenstein and Toni Semple's cinematography is unrefined (likely just a reflection of the budgetary limits), but very capable and well done. Nelson's direction can probably be described in those same terms, for that matter, and Pasquale Buba's editing is very sharp. Broadly speaking this is well done.
Well done - but unpolished. It's very noteworthy that the writing effectively shoves all its plot and horror thrills to the last quarter. There's nothing wrong with this; plenty of other titles do the same, and in this case especially I don't know how the material could have been approached in any other fashion and still landed the same way. What's troubling, however, is how brusque and abrupt the shift is, for the incidents of violence in the last portion come so suddenly that if one were shaping 'Effects' as a parody then there might not be any need to drastically change anything. Prior to that, the dialogue is sometimes less than convincing if not just plain bad (note the passing and absolutely unnecessary tinge of homophobia), and the scene writing is variable. For all the good ideas that there are on hand, in the first half especially there's also a fair amount of frivolous nothing that makes one wonder when something is going to happen - an emptiness that only exacerbates the suddenness with which the plot kicks up at long length. I think the feature needed more discrete substance outside the major story beats, something to uplift the front end especially: more emphasis, perhaps, on the dynamics between the characters; subtle bread crumbs pointing toward the turn; more use of the multilayered framing to give us red herrings.
Again, this is all made better by the revelations to come in the last stretch, and overall the result is solidly entertaining. It's just that the last stretch shouldn't have had to do this much heavy lifting, and with a few tweaks, it wouldn't have. Of course, it's also possible that I'm just being overly critical, and nitpicking. All I can say is that I very much enjoyed this when all is said and done, with the caveat that I had a hard time even keeping my eyes open for a sizable portion of the runtime. Unless you're a diehard fan of someone involved, Pittsburgh-area film production, or maybe horror-thrillers that play in similar spaces, I don't think this is anything one needs to go out of their way to see, and I must repeat that the rough spots are an issue. Still, when you get down to it 'Effects' is clever, and a pretty good time, and it's worth checking out if you have the chance.
