PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I stumbled upon Fire City: End of Days while perusing Hulu one afternoon. The poster looked pretty cool and the synopsis sounded interesting; the trailer, however, didn’t really move me. But I went against my instincts (as I often do) and watched it anyways. I expected complete rubbish but the film took me by surprise.
Atum (Tobias Jelinek) is a drug-dealing demon living in an apartment complex shared by demons and humans. The humans are all miserable and suffer from abuse, marital problems, and so on. But that’s just fine for Atum and the other demons: it gives them plenty of pain and misery to feast upon. One day, while on a drug deal, Atum passes out – only to awaken to find that all the humans are cheerful and happy. With no pain and misery to feast upon, the demons start going crazy. Has something sinister invaded the demon’s plane? Or, is there a far different plan afoot?
Fire City: End of Days is the first in a planned series of four films. It began life as a web series idea until creators Brian Lubocki and Michael Hayes saw greater potential. Here’s to hoping that the series is made as the world presented in Fire City: End of Days is one which it’s easy to get sucked into. Despite taking place mostly in the apartment complex, the ideas and workings presented herein show promise. Any viewer with a taste for the fantastic is certain to wanna know more about the workings of this world. Hopefully with a bigger budget behind them, the filmmakers will be able to explore the world more in the remaining films.
The story in Fire City: End of Days is one that will grab the viewer right up as it unfolds. I found myself actually caring about what was going on, trying to figure out where the twists and turns will lead. Director Tom Woodruff, Jr. allows each piece of the puzzle to fall into place before moving on to the next, successfully leaving the viewer in the dark as to where the story is gonna go next.
Of course, a good story is nothing without good actors to help make it come alive. The actors here do a fine job and create characters one cannot help but get invested/interested in. At the top of the heap is Jelinek, who channels a bit of Michael Wincott into his role of Atum and helps make Atum one of the few sympathetic demons. One will also detect a hint of Ron Pearlman as Hellboy. Eric Edwards, playing the demon “Ford,” is another actor who creates a fun character. Ford spends most of his time performing rituals or playing slots on his tablet. Demons have never seemed more likable and friendly.
But the highlight of Fire City: End of Days lies in the make-up effects by Wayne Anderson and Dave Elsey, and they are definitely where a good portion of the film’s budget went. All the make-up, blood, gore effects, and so on are all practical and show time and dedication spent. The only bit when the effects are obviously CGI – and a letdown at that – are during the film’s final scene. But that doesn’t detract one bit from the amazing work on display here.
Final Thoughts:
With an engrossing story, an interesting world, solid acting and great effects, Fire City: End of Days is an excellent entry in the horror-fantasy subgenre. Heck, if it pleases me (someone who isn’t much into horror-fantasy), then it is certain to please fans of fantasy, horror, or both. As of this writing, Fire City: End of Days is available on Hulu and Amazon Instant. Check it out.
