AM1200

This is a lovely little Lovecraftian hidden gem from the director of The Empty Man and in my opinion I find this 40ish short film to be the better of the two. It's lean, the actors do great stuff with what they're given and the atmosphere is peak creepiness thanks in no small part to an eerie score and ominous use of sound. Definitely gives both David Fincher and Lynchian vibes, and Ray Wise having a small but meaty role contributes to that. Speaking of which, Ray Wise tends to get a lot of (well-deserved) love in discussions of this film, but as previously mentioned everyone does a great job here. Eric Lange and John Billingsley are really, REALLY good and do a lot to sell the weird goings-on in this film in their reactions to events, dialogue and interactions with each other. I don't really have any gripes with it. I'd be lying if I said I understood all the financial no-good that the main character did to cause him to go on the run at the start, but honestly that doesn't really matter. What matters is what happens after, while he's on the road, and how he responds to it. There's also some philosophical commentary here regarding control or lack thereof that I thought was handled neatly. Answers to the central mystery are actually provided here for the most part but they aren't spoon-fed to us. Instead they are implied through strange, vague dialogue and some great visual storytelling. It's one of those films where if you pay closer attention things actually get more disturbing. A great showcase of "show don't tell" storytelling that I wish The Empty Man had used more effectively. And if you're looking for jump-scares you really won't find much here. The scares here are subtle and eerie, dread-inducing rather than jolting. There's some brief violence and gore, including a gun-related suicide, but it's nothing too gratuitous. I wish the film was longer, but that's not really a complaint, just me being a greedy lil cosmic-horror loving freak. Definitely check this one out if that's you too.

Really cool creature film and one of those rare movies with smart use of sound. First time it happened we were like "whoa, that was a good idea".

I wish there were more films like this.

I recently saw 1200 AM at the H.P. Lovecraft film festival and was absolutely blown away by it. Although it is based on an original story (rather than being an adaptation of one of Lovecraft's works) it fit perfectly into the genre.

When embezzling businessman Jonah Henry (John Billingsley)begins driving cross country his greatest fear is that he will be captured by the police. A mysterious radio broadcast from an isolated radio station, a few wrong turns, and car trouble on a lonely country road are just the start of his troubles. Forced to take shelter in the nearly abandoned radio station Jonah comes into contact with a far greater horror than he could ever have imagined.

Although the story is fairly straightforward, this short film really packs a wallop. Suspenseful, gory, and with a nasty surprise at the end, 1200 AM is hands down the best horror film I've seen in quite awhile.

Throughout the whole film I was both terrified and morbidly curious, looking for a clear explanation and wanting to stay in the dark and enjoy the mystery. It's terrifying and subtle, and acted magnificently. It's not flawless, for aesthetic reasons I won't go into because I don't want to include spoilers here. Still, it is a brave movie, and you should watch it.

Terrific actors, an ominous start, an interesting antihero, and a story that keeps getting darker and more threatening.

First rate dialogue as well, though it is not a dialogue-heavy film.

I loved everything about this ,and recommend it to any Lovecraft or just horror writer.