A familiar plot is refreshingly enhanced by a great cast and cool monster. It’s like slipping into a comfy speedo made of nightmares. After losing his son to some kind of invisible threat, Dr. Andre Mason, a neuroscientist, attempts discovering the key to breaking through the veil and confronting what lies just outside of our realm.
After a successful experience with some hallucinogenic tea, he utilizes the chemicals and recipe performed by the brewer (the gorgeous Nadine Velazquez) and sets out to make a serum with his end goal being a solidification of the ethereal. He is joined by two of his pupils, the tea brewer, the brother of one of his assistants and a representative (Josh fuckin Stewart!) of the foundation funding his research. Taking the serum allows them to see various specters haunting the creepy ass house where they’ve set up their private lab but it also allows them to see the horrific shape shifting creature that preys on children.
Unfortunately, the drug also allows the nightmarish mud thing to see them as well. Dr. Mason pushes the limits as his quest for vengeance becomes a bit more prominent than his scientific endeavors of development. Horrific visions, paranoia and death await most of the poor saps involved in the experiment. It’s an old fashioned monster flick with the classic standby of science sticking its nose where it shouldn’t have. Some of the cast is stronger than the others but everyone seems to be putting their all into it and it shows. Quick and nasty violence comes in waves and the practical effects blend nicely with digital enhancement. It’s not anything new but there’s nothing wrong with the dependably familiar getting a nice polish. 7/10
Spook du jour 