Spiral

The Ending Earned This One Another Star
This film was going to get a three star review from me. The office environment where the main characters work was totally unrealistic. The boss drinks on the job and flirts with his female co-workers to such an extent he would have been fired for sexual harrassment. Mason, the main character, is so strange and unattractive it is hard to believe that the woman he becomes involved with would give him the time of day. This film was very different from "Hatchet". It was slow, moody, and very restrained whereas "Hatchet" was all about excess. I have to say that I was never really bored but I was checking the clock a few times. Then, the last ten minutes of the film hit me and earned this film an extra star. The double-twist ending did pack a punch. I think that it saved this film from mediocrity.

A Film With an Identity Crisis (3+ stars)
"Spiral" doesn't seem to know what kind of film it wants to be. Horror? Psychological thriller? A relationship film? A commentary about misfits? The unfolding of this story of socially inept Mason and the girl he hopes will "be the one" is slow and deliberate, with some scenes between them painfully awkward. There are undercurrents of madness, obsession, and psychological torment, although these all have a vagueness that never sharpens into the horror suggested by the film's trailer.

Despite the flaws, "Spiral" remains an interesting film. Joel David Moore seems to get inside Mason's skin, although he overdoes Mason's tortured personality so it hardly seems believable that he hangs out with the people he does. Amber Tamblyn is thoroughly likeable as . . . Amber, but the chemistry between her and Moore never quites succeeds. The cinematography is adept, with its hues of orange and red, and the use of rain.

The extras offer nothing special (except the...

Spiral
Mason is an introverted artist who is thrust out of his isolated existence by an obnoxious co-worker that has taken a real liking to him. Just as she begins to break down his barriers and he begins to show signs of life while painting her portraits, Amber discovers that she may not be the first person to see the tip of his paintbrush, though she may be the last... Joel David Moore is perfectly fitting as Mason, delivering the cold and empty performance that the role required. The steady build allows Amber and the viewer ample time to get in to Mason's head, but just as he starts to open up to become a likable character, a sudden reveal immediately ramps up the terror and turns the tables on our social misfit. Moore's writing and direction under Adam Green's supervision demonstrate a great deal of potential here, and are aided by crisp visuals and expert framing. Mason's declining mental state is alluded to on screen in a series of visual metaphors seen in the approaching storm,...

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