Customer Reviews

After Dark Horror Fest: Tooth & Nail

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am committed to watching every single movie in the After Dark Horror Fest series. Not just this year but last year too. I was doing well for awhile. I hit on Borderland and Mullberry Street last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed both of them. After watching those two movies I was pretty excited about the series. I purchased a bunch more of the After Dark movies and had the chance to watch them this weekend. I kinda liked the Hamiltons. Lake Dead, not so much. Read my review...

Last night I watched Tooth & Nail. It presents the familar theme of a massive apocolypse that has wiped out 2/3s of the earth's population. A few annoying survivors have taken up shelter in a hospital. They are hiding from a bunch of idiots who wear medieval armor and look like the members of the rock band Korn. For a while, Michael Madsen is part of this cannabilistic crew of imbeciles but he must have realized the movie was a bust because he exits early on in the movie and his appearance is not noteworthy or inspired. Come to think of it nothing about this movie is noteworthy or inspired so I won't waste any more time talking about it.

Imagine a future that has seen the end of the world. Now imagine that a virus, overpopulation, nuclear war, a meteor, or even global warming did not cause the end: "We simply ran out of gas." These words were spoken via a voiceover narration at the beginning of "Tooth & Nail," a post-apocalyptic thriller founded on the idea that the world's gasoline reserves will be completely drained by the year 2012. This doesn't sound too devastating, but think about it--no gas means vehicles will be unable to operate, and inoperative vehicles means that vital goods and services can no longer be delivered. But it's even worse than that. No gas also means no electricity, and no electricity means no way of making, packaging, and preserving food. In this new world, most of the population died because they starved to death.

This idea is quite original and interesting. Unfortunately, it's merely the framework for the actual plot, and I'm sorry to say that the plot is pretty weak. It begins as an engaging character study but ends as a brutal, bloody slugfest, and this is bad because it actually tries to be a morality play at the same time. It also relies on a predictable plot twist that doesn't do justice to the originality of the idea--by then, the story was less interesting and more routine. I had high hopes for "Tooth & Nail," simply because it started off so well; it begins with three foragers wandering the streets of Philadelphia, searching for whatever they can use to survive. Ford (Rider Strong) sees a figure running off after slitting a man's throat, and just as he's about to take the dead man's watch, they find a young woman, weak, hurt, and begging for help. Ford opts to leave her, but Dakota (Nicole DuPort) and Shepherd (Patrick Durham) decide to do the more humane thing and take her with them.

For these three foragers, home is an abandoned Philadelphia hospital, and they share it with a number of other survivors. A scholarly-type named Darwin (Robert Carradine) leads this group. Because he spends a great deal of time designing a gasoline-related contraption, he doesn't do much to help the others with their daily chores, such as fixing the water pump and maintaining security. As he's introduced, the passive nature of the followers indicates that he's rapidly losing their respect. Only one--the quick-tempered Viper (Michael Kelly)--vocally opposes Darwin's methods, which puts him at odds with the rest of the group. It gets even worse when the rescued girl enters the picture: her name is Neon (Rachel Miner), and right off the bat, Viper doesn't trust her. Where did she come from? Why is she in Philadelphia? Who was the dead man she was found with? Not knowing the answers to these questions is too risky in Viper's book.

But as it turns out, they have more important things to worry about. A savage band of cannibals called Rovers close in on the hospital, and they begin well-orchestrated attacks every night. Led by the sadistic whistler Jackal (Michael Madsen), their assaults are violent and downright disgusting; they rely on a myriad of weapons to make kills--such as axes, bats enhanced with nails, and meat cleavers--and every death scene features over the top gore effects. According to Neon, who claims to have lost her entire family to the Rovers, they don't rely on dead bodies for food simply because they rot too quickly. This makes sense: fresh meat is always better.

At a certain point, when only a small portion of Darwin's group is left, Neon's knowledge of the Rovers gets her elected as a leader. Not that anyone is comfortable with the idea; if anything, they accept her begrudgingly, more the result of desperation than respect. A plan needs to be worked on soon--the Rovers are getting hungrier, and food is well within their reach.

The rest of the film follows a formula that puts twists and turns ahead of appropriate storytelling; it seemed as if secrets were revealed just for the sake of revealing secrets, of showing how cleverly constructed a screenplay can be. But is this level of structural development necessary? Does the plot really need a hidden agenda to surprise the audience with? In this case, I don't think so; "Tooth & Nail" took the time to introduce an original concept, and it should have been given the chance to actually utilize it. By the end, all we end up getting is a run of the mill shock fest, a film that pays lots of attention to violence and blood but not enough to plot.

Take, for example, the character of Nova (Emily Catherine Young)--she's a mute young girl who clings to Dakota like a frightened child, and she spends a great deal of time rollerblading down the halls of the hospital. This is virtually all we know about her, and that's incredibly disappointing. I wanted to know so much more about her, especially when it comes to her relationship with Dakota. Why do the two share such a strong bond? Is there a pseudo mother/daughter relationship alluded to, here? I unfortunately can't answer these questions. However, I can say plenty about the Rovers: the way they kill; the way they eat; the way some of them file their teeth down to sharp points, giving them the authentic look of carnivores. If the intention of "Tooth & Nail" was to be a gory exploitation film--and it seems to me that it is--then the gas-related framing device is essentially meaningless. That requires more intellectual processing than horror-driven blood and violence can handle.

ive seen 3 of the "8 films to die for" so far this year, Mulberry St and The Nightmare Man other than Tooth and Nail, and this is deffinitely the best so far. it easily outshines anything from last year in my opinion.

An all star cast(at leased compared to others in the series) led by Rider Strong{Cabin Fever, Boy Meets World} and full of smaller roles by actors you'll probably recognize including two stone cold tough guys Michael Madsen(Resevoir Dogs, Kill Bill 1+2) and Vinnie Jones {Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) major bonus points for including those two. Rachel Miner{Penny Dreadful} has a relatively large role as well.

Basically its the story of a group of survivors trying to stay alive after society has fallen apart due to all gasoline supplies being quenched. A group of cannibals taking survival of the fittest a bit too far makes matters much worse.

The origin story is very original. all gasoline has been drained from the earth. all reserves are gone. without gasoline, there is no electricity, theres not even a way transport coal for power at this point. with no transportation of goods, most people die from starvation(2/3 of the world's population) thus setting up out story. there are a few holes, like what about wind and solar power? generally everything is handled really well though.

as the movie starts, it takes some time to get to know the characters and their surroundings. all the sane survivors in the area have barricaded themselves inside a large building to try and stay safe from the dangers of the roaming cannibals. as time goes on we're introduced to the previously mentioned menaces, and believe me, they're ruthless.

there is much better production value than any others ive seen in the series. theres great lighting/camera work that perfectly sets the mood of this post-apocalyptic thriller. great acting all around, and brutally convincing effects make this one heck of a ride. any fans of horror/the apocalypse should at leased give this one a rental.

I found this film to be incredibly interesting and thought provoking. It isn't the first post-apocolyptic thriller I've seen, but it had an angle to the apocolypse that I've not seen done. Quite clever, actually. "We just ran out of gas."

What makes this a great starting point is that it feels like it could be real. It gives us a barren, abandoned landscape yet remains scarily familiar and way too close for the audience's comfort.

Don't get me wrong--the plot isn't perfect, and it does have a few holes--such as where certain people go and what they do during prolonged absences from the action, and some lack of clarity about the timeline--but it also has its very unique and sardonic commentary on what would happen to us if we really did run out of gas.

I think that's the horror aspect of it: Would we really degenerate like that if we DID run out? That is the fear--would I descend to the animalistic level that these characters do? And what's more frightening is that I think people are in fact CAPABLE of it.

I didn't feel the time pass as I watched this film. It kept my interest throughout, and my friend and I discussed it animatedly all the way home. It's cleverly written, and Rachel Miner shows a nice contrast from her work in Penny Dreadful. I'd see it again just to watch for all the twists involved (like everyone taking on car names, which flows in almost without your noticing at first).

I'd definitely recommend it if you don't mind feeling a little creepy about the future afterward.

Tooth and Nail was an entry into the reasonably successful After Dark HorrorFest film festival series, and it's an outstanding one at that. While ADHF titles rarely live up to their advertising as being too extreme for theatrical release, I find them to be almost across-the-board watchable-to-enjoyable. I never trip over myself rushing to see the 8 annual releases, but I don't avoid them either. Pretty decent low-budget horror flicks overall, but never mind-blowing. This one comes to me a couple years late and shapes up to be one of my favorite ADHF films I've seen thusfar. It's kind of surprising that this movie hasn't been done before since cannibalism is a rather common theme in dystopian sci-fi, but it's never to my knowledge been done this way and I very much like it.

Tooth and Nail opens in a world after the end of civilization. No nuclear war, no plague, no meteors, no climate change; not even a zombie in sight. The world ended when we simply ran out of gas. Even as the last drop of oil was pumped from the Earth, Detroit continued cranking out gas-guzzlers, and in our own stubbornness we kept on living like nothing was wrong. But with no fuel for our power plants or the trucks to deliver food, society collapsed almost instantly with mankind killing each other with everyone trying to gather every scrap of what was left for themselves. This may well be the most plausible apocalypse yet. We meet our group of survivors holed up in a large hospital and in pretty good spirits all things considered. They've got food, shelter, sexy time, a benevolent and intelligent leader, and cool nicknames for everyone. There's even the requisite mute kid to dote on. The characters are very well established in typical Stephen King style. Now comes the good stuff. Shortly after rescuing a wanderer (quite the looker, too) from a murderer in Mad Max garb, the band's leader, The Professor, turns up missing with only his glasses and a whole lot of blood to show for it. What follows is a harrowing bit of suspense and terror that was very successful in pulling me into the plight of the survivors. Trapped and surrounded by a gang of brutal cannibals, our heroes/victims face the prospect of losing one of their number each night and each must choose whether to abandon their friends to their fate and attempt to escape by themselves, or stick together and try to repel the invaders. What would you do?

What makes this film work is the suspense of the cannibals only taking one survivor a night, preferring fresh meat. The systematic and methodical nature of the predators stalking their victims through the hospital until one of them makes a kill and then leaving for another 24 hours while the remaining survivors stew in their own terror is what horror is all about for me. And when Michael Madsen (slowly whistling "I've Been Working on the Railroad" as he goes) and Vinnie "Mahogany" Jones are two of the predators, that is some freaky stuff. The story never goes over-the-top and is portrayed quite realistically, which I wholeheartedly applaud. I was literally wracking my brain coming up with escape plans of my own as I watched the film unfold and that is how you spell success in a movie like this. The only reason this doesn't get a higher rating from me is I do feel that the story takes no chances, coming off as a bit standard and the twist was extremely obvious to me almost from the beginning. But honestly, the film does not rely on said twist and really it was more of a realistic portrayal of how such an organization would work in that kind of landscape then a true twist so you can't really blame the filmmaker for exploiting the gullibility of the innocent. It wouldn't work on me, though. Tooth and Nail didn't really thrill me with it's boldness (a little more exploitation would have earned it major bonus points), but it is pretty rock-solid in it's portrayal of post-apocalyptic cannibalism so I'd consider it a must-see for fans of that sort of thing. Slasher fans will be well-served as well. I wanted more gore (I think the 70's cannibal craze kind of ruined me), but what is there is pretty effective so you won't be terribly wanting for violence.

Tooth and Nail is a credit to the ADHF series and shouldn't be missed by those who enjoy exploring the potential horrors of the end of civilization. I've seen better and bolder, but this one absolutely nails down what it is trying to do and serves up legit horror with a strong story and nearly-flawless pacing.

3 1/2 stars, rounded up because post-apocalyptic cannibals are the coolest cannibals of all.

"Tooth and Nail" takes place in a post-apocolyptic world caused by the world's supply of fuel running out. The film follows one group of survivors taking shelter in an abandoned hospital being hunted by a gang of cannibals. Overall, it was a decent flick. The picture quality was good and it appears they had a more then acceptable budget to work with as well as a good cast. "Tooth and Nail" had a very original concept that (I think) was just poorly executed.

Downsides-
My main problem with the film was the writing.
Let's start with the characters. It appears that the writer just went to his local car dealership for inspiration. Here's a few of the character names in "Tooth and Nail;" Ford, Neon, Viper, Dakota, Torino, and Nova. Are we supposed to believe that four years from now when the apocolypse comes we just give ourselves sweet car nicknames? (These are grown adults wanting to be called Viper and such)
Other then that, apparently in a post-apocolyptic world the only weapons in existance in an entirely abandoned city are two guns, a bow and arrow, and two knives.
When six people are fighting a dozen cannibals who don't have any guns, the best strategy is to run and hide. I mean you wouldn't want to hurt any of them or try to defend yourself right? Your guns are no match for their scary faces.
The writing/acting was weak. At points it seemed a fourteen year old wrote and directed the scenes.
Some completely unneeded sex scenes. Apocalypse films don't need sex unless its actually for plot development (i.e. Boy and His Dog).
Too many plot loopholes, (i.e. a character states everyone moved south, but all the good hunting is up north. In a world dealing with starvation why would you move away from natural food and water sources and towards mass gatherings of people?)

Upsides-
Better then majority of the films that came out in the '06 Horror fest bunch.
Good Cast.
I enjoyed the premise of the film but still feel it could have been better.

"Tooth and Nail" is worth a rent on a rainy day or when your tired of rising fuel prices. I think I might have had too high of hopes for this one but watching it being forewarned might be more enjoyable.

There are some movies I can pop in and watch a anytime and still enjoy.This is one of them.
I must have seen this about 10 times already.
The synopsis is not original ,we have a post apocalyptic earth with people trying to survive,but this one does it for me for some reason.
Rachael Miner is at her best in this as Neon a girl that is rescued by a group of survivors that take up residency in a high rise hospital Lead by David Carridine as Darwin..
There are a bunch of "Rovers" on the loose that are of course, cannibals.
There is a huge twist in this that I saw coming but it still pays off.There are a few cheesy lines in it like "By Morning I'll be gnawing on your bones" and If I catch ya I'm gonna eat ya".I can overlook that because the kills are superb and the revenge payoff is one of the best ever in my opinion.I think that's why I never tire of this movie.It Rachel Miner and Rider Storm both of whom are veterans of slasher flicks and are often used in the After Dark series,I always enjoy their performances.I also Love Michael Kelly as Viper,her really punches it up a notch in my opinion,plus he's hot.

I love the horrorfest films, and this one is particularly memorable. The sight of what they see when looking out the hospital windows is one that is burned into my mind. I love the ending. Can't say more; want to avoid spoilers....just that this is only one of two horrofest movies that are actually in my collection.

The opening narration of "Tooth and Nail" will absolutely drive you up the wall. Writer-director Mark Young ("Southern Gothic," "Dead Bodies") wants to tell the story of a small group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, so he needs a rationale for getting rid of two-thirds of the world's population. So what does he come up with? The world runs out of gas in 2012. That means--wait for it--there is no electricity, because there is no gas for the trucks to take the coal from the mines to the electrical plants. Really. Detroit kept making gas guzzling cars instead of switching to hybrids or even electric cars (duh). Without electricity, civilization falls and Darwin's survival of the fittest comes into play with a vengeance rarely scene outside of post-apocalyptic horror films. There was a reason why in "The Day After" there were only vague hints as to why the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were lobbing nuclear missiles at each other, because the whole point was to show what the aftermath of a nuclear war would be like rather than come up with a plausible scenario for such insanity. Your mind can just explode pointing out the problems with this scenario. Just know that the scenario in "Tooth and Nail" is stupid and decide to either go with the premise and see what Young does with it or hit the eject button.

Watching these Horrorfest films is becoming an exercise in movie math, by which I mean that you can describe these movies by adding together movies that you have seen before. This may be a way of reaffirming that there is nothing new under the moon when it comes to horror films, but it seems it is pretty much impossible to watch a horror film that does not remind you of other films you have seen. So in "Tooth and Nail" you have a group of young people in Philadelphia trying to survive the end of the world as we know it, like in "Dawn of the Dead" (and countless other films), holed up in a hospital like in "Halloween II," where they are assaulted by a gang that look like rejects from "The Road Warrior" who happen to be cannibals, but more in a "Cannibal Holocaust" kind of way that the Hannibal Lecter culinary approach to eating human flesh. The cannibalism part bothers me from a practical standpoint, because I do not really see the need to turn to human flesh. Of course having seen "I Am Legend" I would have to think it would be easier for animals to overrun Philadelphia than it was for them to overrun New York. But this is a world devoid of rats and squirrels or dogs and cats, as well as solar power or wind power.

Everybody has code "Top Gun"-like names, such as Jackal, Mongrel, Darwin, Neon, Viper, Dakota, Nova, etc. By the time you get to Shepherd and Wolf the film's master metaphor should be painfully clear. In terms of familiar faces in the crowd there is Michael Madsen as Jackal, a Rover who likes to hum a happy tune. Robert Carradine, is trying to play the role of the professor for this group of castaways, has a familiar name, but his father, brothers, and daughter are all better known as actors. There are also an interesting pair of Horrorfest double-dipper, with Rider Strong from this year's "Borderland" and Rachel Miner from last year's "Penny Dreadful" showing up. This is one of those movies where they avoid telegraphing who is going to be "the last man standing," so you might as well enjoying finding out who that ends up being instead of me revealing that aspect of the film here.

The best part of "Tooth and Nail" is the ending, and I am not just being snide and saying that because of feelings of great joy that the movie was over. Given the lame premise and the impulse of the characters to behave stupidly, it was nice to see somebody use their brains at the end. I liked the ending, and in a world where I am usually woefully disappointed by the endings of horror films, that is enough to justify rounding up on this 2007 film. I should also add that for all those times you wonder why people in a horror movie in desperate fear for their lives would take time out to have sex, this film provides a pretty realistic reason for one couple to do so. However, once again all we get for special features on the DVD are the Miss Horrorfest contest webepisodes, which I am starting to take as a bad sign. With the first crop of Horrorfest DVDs there were scads of extras; so far I have only watched three of the second set of 8 films 2 die 4, and already two of the DVDs have nothing new in terms of bonus features. Is Lionssgate pinching pennies or are these writer-directors simply unwilling to push, or even just stand behind, their work? Something to mull over before tonight's Horrorfest offering: "Crazy Eights" ("No secret stays locked away forever").

Movie started out ok...then it seemed to go somewhat downhill. I've watched thru worse-so I kept on watching. All in all it ended up being pretty good! Had a surprising ending and I felt pretty good about holding out till the end. I'd watch it again. Rent before buying I think would be good.