The 7 (2006)

THE 7 is a very low budget rip-off of THE DESCENT, the Neil Marshall film about an all-girl group of spelunkers running afoul of something indescribably evil hidden in the depths of the cave system which they're exploring. This film tells almost exactly the same storyline, except on a really cheap budget so that you can't really see what's going on, everything is so low key and off-screen. Even so, the film has a better look and shooting style than I was expecting, and even manage to build some atmosphere, so it's of a better class than the real no budget amateur productions.

Saw a screener of this, aware of the film's budget, and was pleasantly surprised by the production values and realistic performances. A similarly themed film, The Cave, with a budget over a hundred times greater, wasn't nearly as atmospheric (and definitely not as funny). Lacking the money to dazzle us with special effects (and who is still dazzled by them anyway?), the filmmakers put their efforts into artful set and sound design, lighting, photography, score and, most importantly, believable performances. The two leads were particularly good, with a sweet chemistry, and lots of star potential, and the bitchy blond was especially funny. If you need piles of fabulous special effects, this probably won't do it for you, but if you like intelligently crafted little movies, check it out.

I thought everything about this movie was impressive. Even though the budget was minimal, they made the best of what they had and did an incredible job. The shots of the cave were amazing and looked unbelievably real. The casting was absolutely perfect... every single actor made the storyline believable, and really made the movie. As shown in his past works, such as "My Backyard Was a Mountain", Adam Schlacter once again directed another breath-taking film. Continuity was great and the whole movie was so realistic. The ending was creative and well thought out. It left the movie open for even more possibilities. Also, I loved how you could only get a few glimpses of the monster before it would disappear. It added quite a bit to the plot and the suspense of the movie. I definitely would recommend this to anyone wanting to see a great horror movie with even better acting. It doesn't take special effects to make this movie a hit.

"The Oakley Seven" is an excellent satire of horror film archetypes: The heroine, Ana Maria, a Mexican immigrant with a dark past. The love interest, Zeke, the rebel without a cause. The blonde bombshell, Jessica, the hot girl with an attitude. The troubled soul, Anthony, who hides behind his gangster persona. The cocky athlete, Jock, whose only goal is to get laid with his clueless girlfriend, Cosmo. Finally, the nerd, Janice, whose love for her teacher, Whitney, prevents the truth from coming out. This film is unlike most modern-day horror films, which rely too much on hyper-violent gore and not enough on characters. Great job!