Stream review: Grindhouse gore for the digital age

Stream is an independent horror film produced by the team behind Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3, directed by Michael Leavy, with Terrifier director and makeup artist Damien Leone lending his talents to bringing the same quality of practical effects seen in previous films. Stream follows a family at a hotel that becomes the battleground for a violent game of cat and mouse being viewed by audiences via livestream. Together, the family must avoid the terrifying killers and escape the game or die trying.

The film stars Charles Edwin Powell (Screamers), Danielle Harris (Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Rob Zombies Halloween and Halloween II),  Sydney Malakeh (Cheer Camp Killer), Wesley Holloway (Terrifier 2), and Jeffery Combs (Re-Animator, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Feardotcom). The film also features cameos of various iconic horror alumni like Tony Todd.

The film's stacked cast delivers great performances. While big players of the genre like Harris and Combs usually always deliver on their performances, this film is no exception, especially Combs as the cooky yet sinister Mr. Lockwood.

The two performances that stood out to me the most were from Charles Edwin Powell and Wesley Holloway. Powell plays a nervous dad trying to keep his family together amongst the chaos, and Holloway plays his tech-savvy son, who admittedly doesn't have much to do until the film's third act. David Howard Thornton (Terrifier, Terrifier 2) lends his talent as a physical actor with his role in the film as Player Two, one of the psychotic players in the deathly battle royale. The physical acting by all the killers is top-notch and makes for some super entertaining kills.

That's the name of the game here. A part of the deal is the players get extra points for more creative and unique kills. While this is apparent in most of the kills, I couldn't help but feel disappointed when some of the kills happened off-screen in a film where the point is to kill as many people as you can as creatively as possible, an off-screen kill feels like a step backward. Luckily, it's only a one-off issue, with the rest of the film having enough solid blood and guts to satisfy bloodthirsty horror hounds.

As previously mentioned, many of the same folks behind Terrifier 2, as well as the upcoming Terrifier 3 worked on this film. One of those folks is Damien Leone, who, through his craft not just as a director but as a makeup artist, brought the vicious murders of Art the Clown to life, and his violent movie magic is just as prevalent in this project. The film's use of practical effects gives it a fun and eye-catching edge, merging the grindhouse gore of the video nasty era with the modern subgenre of digital horror flawlessly.

To further rave about the technical aspects of Stream, the cinematography is serviceable with a handful of really slick and well-done shots. The film also has a solid 80s-era synth-type score, complimenting the more tense scenes. The movie maintains a decent pace aside from the third act running longer than warranted. Stream sets up what could be a unique franchise. However, I felt a bit deceived when I realized that a good portion of the horror alums on the cast list only appear only briefly in a post-credits sequence.

Overall, Stream is a fun, bloody, sleek slasher film. Its engaging premise, solid performances, and gory effects, all done at an indie level, make it an impressive and fun film that genre fans will enjoy.

You can catch Stream playing in limited theaters now.