PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Are you a fan of side-scrolling video games? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a movie utilized this style? Let me introduce to you The Waves of Madness, the first side-scroller horror film.
The Waves of Madness follows a lone special agent investigating a distress call from a global cruise ship, only to find it eerily abandoned, crawling with warped creatures, and haunted by a reality-bending force that threatens to shatter his mind.
The Waves of Madness was written and directed by Jason Trost (The FP). The film stars Trost, Ryan Gibson and Tallay Wickham.
The Waves of Madness perfectly captures the look and feel of a side-scroller video game. Everything is shot in this style, and it works. The action scenes have a unique feel and all the characters besides the lead have the feel of NPCs. The dialogue feels like something straight out of a video game cut scene. The scenes between Agent Legrasse and Francis reminded me a lot of the interactions between Leon and Ashley is Resident Evil 4. I really loved the character, Francis. She’s a plucky likable heroine and provides a nice contrast to Agent Legrasse. I thought Tallay Wickham gave a great performance and really brought a lot of charm to the character of Francis. Jason Trost makes a solid action hero as Agent Legrasse.
The effects have a nice lo-fi retro feel, which is something you rarely see nowadays so it feels fresh despite having an old school style. The creatures are pretty creepy and have a Lovecraftian feel which gives the feel a nice feeling of otherness and dread. You can tell that a lot of love, care, and hard work went into crafting The Waves of Madness and it really shows on screen.
Final Thoughts
The Waves of Madness is a film with a very unique style that sets it apart from other films. The film perfectly captures the look and feel of a side-scroller video game. The film is full of dread and Lovecraftian beasties and features great performances from Tallay Wickham and Jason Trost. I definitely recommend!
