‘Hell is coming to us’
Black Wake is a 2018 science-fiction found footage horror film directed by Jeremiah Kipp (60 Seconds to Die ‘Monster’; The Sadist; The Pod) from a screenplay co-written with Jerry Janda and Carlos Keyes, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. The movie stars Nana Gouvea, Tom Sizemore, Eric Roberts, Vincent Pastore and Jonny Beauchamp.
Specialists gather in a top-secret facility to investigate a series of strange deaths on beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. One of the team’s scientists (Nana Gouvea) examines video evidence to uncover a possible parasitic explanation for the fatalities. But when a determined detective (Tom Sizemore) sends her the crazed writings of a mysterious homeless man (Jonny Beauchamp), the scientist slowly learns that the actual threat may be more dangerous — and far older — than anyone ever imagined.
Can she convince her colleagues (led by Eric Roberts) of the true danger before an ancient force rises from the sea to bring madness and death to all of humanity?
Reviews:
” …Black Wake suffers from a confusing script and poor editing and never gets off the ground. It borrows a lot from other sci-fi and horror movies, feeling derivative in many ways. The Lovecraftian influence feels like a gimmick that the story started with and worked backwards from. Unfortunately, Black Wake misses the mark.” Cryptic Rock
“Mostly for the practicality mixed with some really good CGI for a low budget, along with third act. If you like zombies, if you like found footage (none of that shaky stuff), and if you like puzzles, then this film is for you. Especially if you enjoy H.P. Lovecraft stories as this does have a lot of influence from his stories.” Feature Film Festival
“Expertly produced and with an originally alluring story, Black Wake is the science fiction story fans of the genre have been waiting for. It succeeds on every level as a building story and the action, suspense, and strong performances guide the ship into unrelentingly mysterious territory.” Horror Society
“Unintelligible plotting, nonsensical dialogue delivered with an awkward accent, overwrought acting, shoddy editing, rambling script – oh god, is this The Room of horror movies? Would that it were so watchable. Avoid it like the living dead…” Nerdly
“This is a solid and well-crafted film, one which resists the urge to explain everything to death and leaves a lot to the audience to figure out for itself — and whose horror is mostly hinted at, or unseen, …Or just lurking in the corner of our eyes.” Rivets on the Poster
“Though clearly somewhat aesthetically restrained by budget, director Jeremiah Kipp does a great job of diversifying and integrating the found-footage elements to successful bring Jerry Janda’s unorthodox script to life. It goes there, again and again and again. Despite some stilted moments, Black Wake is a wild, engaging feature that is not at all reluctant to embrace its crazy…” Rue Morgue
” …the movie’s a bit zombie movie, some parts alien invasion flick, conspiracy thriller, found footage film and whatnot, but the blend turns it into something highly original. And add to that plenty of suspense, jump scares and gross-out scenes on one side, a great cast on the other, and you’ve got yourself a very cool movie indeed!” Search My Trash
“This is low-budget filmmaking done with confidence and executed simply and beautifully […] This has a terrific hook, and the way it fleshes it out is a big part of why it’s so terrific. We genuinely feel engaged with what we’re witnessing unfold, and Kipp keeps us on our toes every step of the way.” Sonic Cinema
“Kipp manages to get great mileage out of makeup and minimal gore. The fact he has an excellent supporting cast that includes Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos) and Chuck Zito (Oz) goes a long way to help as well. A strange and engrossing film that constantly defies expectations Black Wake is worth seeking out.” Voices from the Balcony
Verdict:
Black Wake is sadly amateurish. The presentation is all over the place. Camera placements are irrational. Logical editing is non-existent. With a distracting accent and poor delivery, Nana Gouvea isn’t a strong enough lead, so one can only question why she was cast as the star? Professionals such as Tom Sizemore, Eric Roberts and Vincent Pastore presumably agreed to appear as the pay was ok. This will generally be considered a so-bad-its-good movie, though only time will tell as it has already received some inexplicably positive reviews even without the usual suspects who seem to give every movie the thumbs up.
Adrian J Smith, MOV!ES and MAN!A
Main cast:
- Nana Gouvea
- Tom Sizemore – Central Park Dark; Halloweed; Dark Hall
- Eric Roberts – Evil Exhumed, Sorority Slaughterhouse; Camp Dread; et al
- Jonny Beauchamp
- Vincent Pastore
- Chuck Zito
- Jeremy Fernandez
- J.W. Cortes
- Brett Azar
- Rich Graff
- David Gere
- Kelly Rae LeGault
- Brielle Edborg
- Kim Mulhauser
- Ashley Couture
Filming locations:
New York City, New York
Long Branch and Sandy Hook, New Jersey
