By Frederic Germay

Let me preface this review by stating for the record that I’m not a fan of horror films.  Copious amounts of gore and incredibly indulgent graphic violence are simply not my cup of tea.  I like nail-biting thrillers, explosive action films, artsy flicks, mind-bending sci-fi films, and occasionally comedies – but not horror films.  Part of why I detest horror films is because of the stomach-churning gruesome ‘shock-effect’ that these films often employ.  It almost seems like the aim of many of these movies is to successfully disgust the viewer, which seems like a recipe for a terrible film experience waiting to happen. 

It appears that more horror movies these days habitually try delve further into the gory characteristics and disturbing visual aesthetics  commonly associated with horror films with such gratuitous relish, they’ve earned themselves the distinction of creating a sub-genre of horror – ‘torture-porn.’  Films that proudly bear that title, most notably “Hostel,” are movies that you’ll never catch me watching.  Fortunately, “The Rain” marks one of the few modern horror movie exceptions that instead make a noteworthy effort to provide a compelling story, rather than diving into excessive disconcerting displays of the ‘eww’ factor.

“The Rain” tells the story of a town, cleverly named Perseverance, through three different centurial time periods – 1866, 1954, and modern-day.  In each of these timelines, it becomes increasingly evident that townsfolk desperately crave a rather elusive prey – the rain.  Whether it’s for their crops or as a miraculous skin-sustaining supplement, they are in dire need of it and they’ll do almost anything to obtain it…even if it means sacrificing their children.  Through these multiple timelines, the story behind this ‘curse’ is slowly revealed and the reoccurring consequences on the later generations begin to progressively unravel. 

First off, I have to mention how pleasantly surprised I was by this film.  I came into the viewing experience rather wary and apprehensive, but “The Rain” almost immediately began to dispel many of my negative preconceptions.  For a film that seems to have a low-budget feel, the strong execution of this movie ranks higher than some of Hollywood’s finest (and most expensive).  “The Rain” is a fine example of how to obtain excellent production values out of an independent film. 

Also, I have to deliver props to the screenwriters, Kurt Mayry and Douglas Schulze, for abandoning the torture-porn route and instead providing a throwback to some of the better-crafted old-school traditional horror flicks.  “The Rain” almost has a Sam Raimi feel to it, minus the unnecessary campiness of some of his more heralded horror pieces, such as “The Evil Dead.”

I was also rather pleased with the amazingly strong cinematography in this film.  D.P. Lon  Stratton and director Douglas Schulze display a wide array of ranging landscapes and artfully designed sets through a series of creative and inspiring color schemes and imagery.  The film is certainly rather pretty to look at.  As for the scoring – composer David Bateman masterfully infuses “The Rain” with a quiet intensity through the film’s mesmerizing soundtrack.  As for Douglas Schulze’s directing abilities, this film not only proves that he has powerful cinematic vision, but he also possesses the highly capable directing chops to beautifully execute that vision.

  Concerning the flaws, and as much as I was entertained by this film, there was indeed a bountiful supply of flaws – the acting was a bit of an issue for me.  As is the case with many child actors, the kids in this film weren’t exactly the most emotive bunch.  With the exception of the very first child in the opening sequence, most of the child actors’ wooden performances nearly felt as though they were being fed their lines between takes.  On another note, the late great David Carradine (“Kung Fu”, “Kill Bill”) in one of his final acting performances simply delivered yet another traditional David Carradine performance.  I mean absolutely no disrespect to the legend – and he is a legend in my eyes.  But his turn in “The Rain” was quite similar to almost everything he’s done before.  Not particularly bad acting, but not particularly good acting either. 

As for the film’s apparent main lead in her first major role, Sasha Higgins, who played college student Cari Lumis, also failed to wow.  On a positive note, Richard Lynch was one of “The Rain’s” few bright acting gems, as was Tiren Jhames’ performance as the creepily indomitable Mr. Saul. 

As for the actual story itself, I have rather mixed feelings.  On one hand, I want to congratulate Schulze and Mayry for such a refreshingly original addition to the horror genre, and on the other hand, I was disappointed by the rather unsustainable practicality of several plot elements.  Maybe it’s just me, but I had difficulty simply accepting the ‘curse’ aspect of the story.  A twist like that might have worked for an 80s horror B-movie flick, but in modern day cinema – a film has to truly work hard to earn the trust of the audience and simultaneously impress them before whipping out a reveal like that.  Plot elements like ‘curses’ have almost become cinematic faux-pas these days, and having that aspect casually thrown into the mix almost feels like it’s stretching the suspense of disbelief unwisely close to the breaking point.

Ultimately though, I do feel that the positives outweigh the negatives here.  “The Rain’s” winning points are the original story and the outstanding execution, and the detractors lie in the acting performance and the impracticality of certain plot choices.  Overall, I do consider this film to be surprisingly entertaining, although a bit too long.  However, it’s earned my recommendation.  I give “The Rain” a 7/10.