Hey there, fellow horror geeks and monsterphiles! Prometheus here to talk about a film I recently watched from Kyle Couch, called THE TENT! Spoilers will follow, I’ll try and keep them light. THE TENT stars Tim Kaiser and Lulu Dahl and, on the surface, is essentially a post-apocalyptic survival flick.
It takes place after a world-altering event known only as “The Crisis.” David (Kaiser) is living in a tent by himself. Survival tactics he learned as a child keep him alive. An unknown threat looms in the distance.
David seems to be handling himself well enough, for what little we know about the events leading up to and including “The Crisis.” That is until he gets stuck in one of his own bear traps. Ouch. This might be the one, and possibly only spot where I found that Tim Kaiser’s acting was lacking something. I wasn’t convinced that his leg was just ensnared in a cold, and probably rusty instrument of torture. It just felt oversold and forced. For most of the film, however, he was spectacular.
He is rescued by a stranger (Dahl) who he (reluctantly) grants shelter overnight in his tent. The looming threat in the distance appears to be getting closer and after slowly earning his trust; she gets him to go outside and light a fire. Whatever is lurking, is apparently not a fan of fire.
For a film that revolves mostly around the dialogue between two people, THE TENT manages to keep things interesting. Mostly. Kudos to Kaiser and Dahl for that. It does a bang-up job of building tension, and an even better job of keeping you wondering what’s actually going on. When you find out though, you may not be so enthusiastic.
I don’t mean to imply that the end sucks. It doesn’t. It’s just… not what I was expecting. I’ll explain the best I can without giving away the twist… I sat down to watch a horror and ended up almost needing a box of tissues. So, it was kind of like taking a sip of milk when you thought you grabbed a soda. Two things I like, but I want to know what I’m getting in advance, thank you. I wasn’t prepared for that shit! A sucker punch to the feels.
Now that you’re prepared, THE TENT is worth a watch. It isn’t the scariest film, and it won’t wow you with special effects, but it’s clever and at the end of it all, it’s human… and it kind of hurts. You’ll get what I mean.
Comment below and if you’ve seen the film, let me know what you thought! Please announce any spoilers in the comments.
Until next time, keep on geekin’ on, my friends!
Joshua “Prometheus” Scafidi
