FEVER. (2017) DIRECTED, WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY HENRIK FALLER. STARRING TOM MILLER, ANYA KURZUN, JULIEN CAPLAN AND JULIEN MICHEL. HAIR AND MAKE-UP BY SARAH MILES. MUSIC BY JOHANNES BIRLINGER.
REVIEW BY SANDRA HARRIS. ©
SIGNAL ONE ENTERTAINMENT AND INTENSE DISTRIBUTION ARE EXCITED TO BRING FRIGHTFEST HIT 'FEVER,' AKA 'MOUNTAIN FEVER,' TO UK AUDIENCES!
'Believe it or not, this flu kills.'
I was not impressed at having to watch a film with a ton of snow in it, just weeks after the Big Irish Snow-In of 2018. Lucky for FEVER that it's a well-made, watchable horror-thriller that deals with a home invasion/siege during an outbreak of a fatal flu virus that has killed off half of Europe. Two themes for the price of one here, so. I like it, stupid annoying snow notwithstanding. Actually, I love it. It's as gritty as hell and has pretty much everything you want in a post-Apocalyptic movie.
Set in the French Alps (it was actually filmed in France), it's the story of a really wussy English guy called Jacques (we'll call him Jack) who, during this outbreak, manages to make it to his parents' house in a picturesque little Alpine village, only to find that his parents have gone.
They've left a note saying they're going to try to get to Lyons, where apparently there's some kind of survivors' camp, but the implication is strong that they've died en route of the virus. Jack is therefore alone in the deserted house, alone except for a cute, scraggly-looking one-eyed ginger tabby cat whom I understand has since sadly passed away, the poor moggy. But he lives on in this film, and that's probably more than most felines can say.
Jack is not equipped to deal with catastrophic, post-apocalyptic, end-of-the-world situations like this one. Like he screams to his co-star halfway through the film: 'I work in IT. I fix computers!' He seems barely to be able to function away from his laptop, lol. Typical techie nerd. Knows everything about computers and the Internet but can't rub two stones together to make a fire. What he needs is to take a course in MCGYVER 101. That'll sort him out right nice.
Well, he's about twice Kara's size so technically he could overpower her in a heartbeat, relieve her of the shooter and boot her out of his house but, like I told you, he's a big wuss, his fingers more used to flying over the keys on his computer that manhandling a woman. He decides to let Kara stay, as if he has any choice in the matter. Her balls are decidedly bigger than his, I fear.
The situation worsens when two men, one of whom is coughing up yucky blood and has obviously caught the deadly flu virus, break into the house. They are looking, not for food or random spoils, but for the beautiful blonde Kara in particular. She's got something of theirs and they're not prepared to leave without it...
The terrified Jack and Kara, allies now against the greater foe, barricade themselves into one of the rooms while Michel and Arnaud, the two brothers, wait for them outside. It's a bit like PANIC ROOM in this sense. Jack is going out of his mind with fear and anger. Who are these men, he demands of the close-mouthed Kara, and what the fuck do you have of theirs? Give it back, woman, whatever it is! The man talks sense. I'd do what he says.
Meanwhile, Kara has a horrible bloody festering wound on her leg that needs to be cauterised with a blade that's been dipped in fire. It's unlikely that the sissy Jack will be equal to the task so she's got to grit her teeth and get on with it herself. If you don't mind my saying, Kara dear, that's gonna hurt something powerful. But it's gotta be done, or else that leg gon' get maggoty. Is there any whiskey in the house at all...?
There are some powerful images in the film that will stick in your head for a while. Jack in his huge hooded coat and a gas-mask, blundering about like some mad bespectacled Yeti in
the snow. The riderless horse cantering through the clearly deserted village. Where have all the villagers gone?
There's also Her Majesty the Queen of England's face going up in flames as the survivors burn money to keep warm. Isn't that treason or something, burning legal tender? I certainly hope that they make a note to turn themselves in to the local authorities when the pandemic is over, tsk tsk. Deadly outbreak or no deadly outbreak, the laws must still be upheld. Humph.
A rather chilling (excuse the pun) piano score is a great aid to the atmosphere here. Will Jack and Kara ever get out of the room, never mind the house, alive? Is there really a survivors' camp in Lyons and, as Kara says to Jack, what if all this ends sometime? Well, all things have to end sometime, even pandemics. But what kind of world, if any, will be left when it does? And what will its inhabitants be like?
I must say, this film only reinforces my long-held notion that I'd be completely unable to cope with any kind of pesky post-Apocalyptic future. I'd hate having to wear the same clothes for weeks on end while eating sweetcorn straight from the tin (if I'm lucky) and pooping in the woods like a bear.
No social media (dear Jesus!), no Netflix, no iTunes and no Facebook. No lattes or mocha lattes, no bread, milk and bog roll and positively no reception on the old Nokia. No texting or phoning? Might as well hang myself from the nearest tree straightaway and be done with it.
My best bet would be to latch on to some guy and play the helpless female until he was forced to drag me along with him to a place of safety. Would I repay his kindness with sexual favours? Maybe, maybe. Desperate situations call for desperate measures. A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do.
And we'll almost certainly need each other to re-populate the Earth after the virus has killed off everyone else, bless 'em. Hmm. I quite like the thought of this rough-and-ready fictional guy's scratchy, post-Apocalyptic growth of beard tickling my lily-white bosoms. Oooh, I wonder if he's solvent as well? What's that they say, girls? Every cloud has a silver lining...
And we'll almost certainly need each other to re-populate the Earth after the virus has killed off everyone else, bless 'em. Hmm. I quite like the thought of this rough-and-ready fictional guy's scratchy, post-Apocalyptic growth of beard tickling my lily-white bosoms. Oooh, I wonder if he's solvent as well? What's that they say, girls? Every cloud has a silver lining...
'FEVER' is out on DVD on March 12th 2018 and on iTunes on 30th April 2018.
Below is a link to the ‘Fever’ trailer
http://www.intenseproductions.co.uk
https://signaloneentertainment.com/
Background On Signal One Entertainment:
Launched in October 2015, Signal One Entertainment is a UK-based DVD and Blu-ray label dedicated to releasing exceptional films in high quality editions. Working with major studios, such as MGM and Twentieth-Century Fox, we select a range of classic, cult and often overlooked films from a variety of genres and eras in order to give them the home video treatment they richly deserve.
Extras:
Rare archival extras, such as on-set footage and on-stage discussions, as well as newly-produced features, such as audio commentaries and on-camera interviews, complement our expertly-encoded presentations, while our on-pack designs are always based on striking original artwork.
Accessibility:
Subtitles for the hard-of-hearing are included on each release.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY OF SANDRA HARRIS.
Sandra Harris is a Dublin-based novelist, film blogger and movie reviewer. She has studied Creative Writing and Film-Making. She has published a number of e-books on the following topics: horror film reviews, multi-genre film reviews, womens' fiction, erotic fiction, erotic horror fiction and erotic poetry. Several new books are currently in the pipeline. You can browse or buy any of Sandra's books by following the link below straight to her Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B015GDE5RO
You can contact Sandra at:
http://sandrafirstruleoffilmclubharris.wordpress.com
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