PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Director Nick Szostakiwskyj’s Hammer of the Gods is the story of a band called Sled Dog, whose members need some inspiration for new songs and creativity. It’s been ten years since their last hit single, “Backfire,” and as such, they are in desperate need to do something new. Songwriter/guitarist Eric (Rob Roca: Riverdale TV series) decides to go on a drug-induced spiritual journey in the Canadian wilderness, and the rest of the band tag along, too. Eric, singer Olivia (Samantha Carly: Black Mountain Side 2014), bass player Mitch (Josh Collins: iZombie TV series) and band groupie April (Parmiss Sehat: Untold Stories of the ER TV series) set out into the wild on a five-day canoe trip down a remote river.
Obviously, all is not as it seems with this trip. Without going into the spoiler zone, I’ll just say that their journey becomes less spiritual as they progress deeper into the beautiful and sometimes terrifying wilderness of Canada. Nick Szostakiwskyj (Black Mountain Side 2014) both wrote and directed Hammer of the Gods, and he is no stranger to horror films. He has a plethora of credits to his name, not just in directing but also in sound, cinematography, producing and even one for composing. When it comes to the art of filmmaking, Nick has had a hand in every part of it, both behind and in front of the camera. It’s obvious to me that he as a very particular way of telling a story, and in Hammer of The Gods, you could find this idiosyncrasy very annoying unless you stick with the film until the end.
For most of the setup, all the shots are either on the tripod or very standard. A group by a campfire… a person sitting on a log… these are all still standard shots. Of course, the backdrop of Canada really helps with adding some life to these scenes, but as I said, they’re pretty standard. Then there’s the dialogue, which is also relatively run-of-the-mill, the words of people getting to know each for the first time. There’s some banter, some gushing groupie talk and a bit of dialogue exposition lines to further the story along, but that’s it. This all feels slow and mise-en-scene. Everything in the shot is seen, and the clips in question take ages to cut, drawing out every second.
Okay, so I’m not exactly selling this film, but bear with me. The group eventually bumps into few young, attractive females who just happen to be big fans of the band. As the journey of self-discovery and hallucinogens continues, the story reveals itself a bit more within tidbits of dialogue. At this point, the camerawork begins to change as well. There are no more standard tripod shots. The pacing and tone change as well. Don’t get me wrong – the story takes its time to get there. Some conversations and even entire scenes could be cut from the finished film without changing the plot one iota. But the way the story progresses is interesting. From dialogue to camera work, it’s a slow road to Crazy Town.
The “less is more” rule for creature features works well for Hammer of the Gods. You only see tiny glimpses of the creatures. In those scenes, I was reminded of films like The Blair Witch Project and Dog Soldiers, two films that used this rule until they reached the moment in their stories where it wasn’t needed anymore… the third act!
This is where I wish the less is more rule could have continued for Hammer of the Gods, because once you’ve seen the monster, a lot of the built up tension vanishes with the harsh reality of who – or what – the monster is. Queue flashback line from Donnie Darko: “Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit?”
If I were to compare this movie to others, I think it would an amalgamation of The Blair Witch Project (see above) and Gremlins (because of the rules they must obey) crossed with a bunch of Chewbacca hillbilly worm-like Predators. The creature designs are cool, and I can see a lot of work went into the making of them, but once exposed to light, a lot of the fear disappears.
One thing I liked about Hammer of the Gods is that it keeps you guessing. You don’t know why the characters are making certain choices or what is going on. Even when the story seems to be saying one thing, it shows you something different. The whole thing keeps you asking questions, even as the credits are rolling. That’s one of the biggest compliments I could ever give a film. If it manages to get you to keep talking about it and questioning things, then that’s a good thing.
In the end, I enjoyed moments of Hammer of the Gods. I loved the Canadian setting and the ending had me mumbling questions to myself, like: Why did the characters make the choices they did? How can a groupie not know the difference between a bass and a guitar? What, exactly, are the monsters? I have more questions, but I can’t ask them here because of spoilers. But there are definitely more.
The bottom line is: don’t drop acid when trying to make a movie. That is exactly what Hammer of the Gods feels like… a bunch of film students go into the woods, drop acid and come up with an idea for a film. In the drug-fueled moment, they believe that they’ve created the best movie concept ever, when in fact, the idea was just a loose design that needed much more work and attention. Then again, this is only one reviewer’s opinion. Others may really love this film. But I digress.
Final Thoughts
There are aspects to this movie that are great: the creatures, the sound design, the cinematography, especially the night scenes, as cameras don’t do well in low light, but I managed to see everything. The Hammer of the Gods is an interesting take on metal bands vs. woodland monsters. I’m just not sure it’s been executed that well.
