The Roost

Eeeeeeek...look, I'm a filmmaker too, so I'll try to be constructive...1.) get a better camera man. What's he doing the whole time, scratching his butt? Keep the camera still for Christ's sake! 2.) use more than just a key light to light your "actors" 3.) don't film dialog with the "actors" backs to the camera 3.) bring in your zombies before the 43 minute mark 4.) have at least one other person review your script before you shoot it, multiple drafts can be effective in developing meaningful dialog 5.) pay for better ADR services...if you paid even $1 you got ripped off 6.) give me the name of your agent ... if he can sell this piece of poop, he can sell ANYTHING!

But keep trying...I think you'll nail your next one...as long as you eed tips 1-5.

Today, we get a lot of movies that are supposed to be throwbacks to the 70's and 80's era of horror and exploitation. Usually, they get this wrong ("Malevolence", "Satan's Playground", "The Hazing", etc.), but sometimes, a movie gets it right. Fortunately, "The Roost" gets it right.

Opening with the type of horror movie host that you saw in the old days, "Roost" is actually a movie-within-a movie. The actually movie is nothing original: A group of friends car breaks down, they get stranded, and run into a deadly force (here it's bats that turn victims into zombie-like killers) While the premise and movie in a way is nothing that original, it works because of how it is all done. There is gore, but it's not a gore fest, as the movie focuses more on atmosphere and suspense (which fails on a few occasions) than gory slapstick gags and homages that can grow tiresome. Also effective is the way director sets up several scenes, including a sequence where a cop is attacked by bats. Adding to it is a wonderfully creepy screeching violin score, and some effective (but never over used) CGI effects involving the bats.

"The Roost" won't change the face of horror. It's not too original and the acting is mediocre at best. However, it's still a blast, and will be a treat to those who grew up going to see Grindhouse movies or who watched creaky, faded videos of horror movies.

Noonan is talented - check out his triple duty as the writer, director and star of 1994's WHAT HAPPENED WAS..., which features one of the most believable first kisses in movie history - so what in the world is he doing here? Either lending his star power to a needy friend, I suppose, or simply taking the money and running.

THE ROOST has absolutely nothing to recommend it. The writing, directing, acting, photography, effects, makeup and scares - they're all garbage. Even Noonan's own bit as the retro TV horror host is painfully lame, and the "shock" scenes are just a handful of uninspired shaky-cam attacks by some escapees from a WALKING DEAD convention.

You can - as I did - fast-forward through 90% of this sad excuse for a movie without missing anything, and the other 10% is equally worthy of oblivion.

And, please, can people stop hating on bats? The bat is a docile and remarkable creature without which we'd be up to our eyeballs in mosquitoes, and the vandalism of its habitats is an ignorant crime against nature.

"The Roost" is a movie that was most assuredly made by lovers of "B" movies for lovers of "B" movies. Nothing more, Nothing less. And as a lover of this particular type of film I was stoked to see it. I have to admit though...It was a while before I could get into the movie. It starts out slooowly, With a intro/outro featuring a horror host that I found to be fairly interminable. As a matter of fact I didn't know what was going on for more than a few minutes of the film. Once the feature actually started I managed to get a hold of the concept & enjoy the film a little bit more. A lot of the film is grainy & dark. Not a good combo if you ask me but it 's not enough to hinder watching the film on your TV. It must have been rough to watch on a big screen though. The plot? Well let's just say that 4 People are stranded on an old country road in the middle of the night & seek shelter/help at an barn that they stumble upon. Unfortunately for them the barn is infested with killer bats that have the ability to turn you into a zombie if you are bitten by them. WTF? Yeah, It's a bit odd. As a matter of fact it doesn't make any sense at all. But I don't think they were looking to make a logical movie when they were filming this. Just a movie that makes you jump a few times & cover your eyes a bit. And in that sense they succeeded.....Barely. It's got plenty of atmosphere & the performances were pretty tight(When you can hear them, The sound is fairly bad. Subtitles help a lot). The ending was also pretty eerie. All in all a pretty good little movie to get you through a dark & stormy night with your significant other. And I believe that's what the filmmakers set out to do. They succeeded.

I recently watched the Ti West throwback The Roost (2005) on Tubi. The film is framed as a late-night fright show and tells the story of a group of friends on their way to a wedding who end up at an abandoned farm-on the wrong night.

As previously mentioned, this picture is written and directed by Ti West (Pearl) and features Tom Noonan (RoboCop 2), Karl Jacob (Catfight), Wil Horneff (The Sandlot), and Larry Fessenden (You're Next).

It's clear this movie was made by someone who truly loves the horror genre. Tom Noonan is perfectly cast as the eerie horror host, and he brings a lot of fun to the role. The main storyline is fairly straightforward and nothing groundbreaking, but West makes the most of his limited budget. The makeup, costumes, and practical effects are solid-the infected look cool, and the corpses are impressively done. The bats are just okay, but they're easy to overlook. At just over 80 minutes, the runtime also feels just right.

In conclusion, The Roost is a fairly average entry in the horror genre, but you can spot early flashes of Ti West's emerging talent. I'd give this a 5/10 and recommend it to horror enthusiasts looking for something atmospheric and independently made.