Customer Reviews

The Deaths of Ian Stone - After Dark Horror Fest 2007

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

 

 

"You know those days when everything seems wrong?" asks Ian Stone (Mike Vogel), an American living in England. "This is one of those days." As he sits in his car, he looks into the eyes of his girlfriend, Jenny (Christina Cole), feeling confused and frustrated--he's part of his college's Hockey team, and that rainy night, he cost them the game because of a faulty timer stuck on 5:03. After a few moments, he drops Jenny off and begins the drive home. At a railroad crossing, he sees a body lying in the middle of the road--he goes to check it, only to be attacked. The body is not a body at all, but rather a black, gaseous form with long limbs that shift into pointy objects. It immediately pushes Ian onto the railroad tracks, just as a train passes through. Only then does Ian suddenly wake up in an office building, sitting behind a desk with mounting paperwork. It's currently 5:03, and the boss wants a presentation ready by 6:00.

These are the opening segments of "The Deaths of Ian Stone," a taut, mysterious, and ultimately disappointing film that pits the title character against a slew of alternate realities. He enters each new reality by somehow dying in the previous one, and he always enters by waking up at 5:03. Clearly, this is a fascinating idea, and up until about halfway, it works wonderfully. This is the point at which the tension builds itself up, with very little explained; basically, we can gather information only as Ian gathers it. Initially, not much is known apart from the recurring image of a clock displaying 5:03. We do see that he lives in London with his girlfriend, Medea (Jaime Murray), and that he's beginning to remember things that supposedly never took place. Example: he recalls being number seventeen on his college's Hockey team, yet his yearbook shows someone else in his place.

An older man named Gray (Michael Feast) eventually approaches Ian under ominous circumstances. He claims to know what's happening to Ian, and he gives Ian elusive messages about remembering before it's too late, before "they" find him, kill him, and put him in a new reality. Of course, Ian is caught each and every time, awakening to find himself leading different lives. He's a cab driver. He's unemployed. He's a heroine junkie. Gray keeps reappearing as Ian jumps through realities, each time giving him another piece of the puzzle. We do learn that the dreaded "they" are actually Harvesters, ghastly supernatural shape-shifters that feed on human fear. Why this has to with Ian remains to be seen--he needs to find out soon, because if he doesn't, the Harvesters will keep on placing him in other lives.

Does this not sound like a great story? For a while, it actually is. But at a certain point, it begins to get weird, and by the end, it crosses into ridiculous territory. It goes downhill fastest when many of the more vague aspects are explained, which is somewhat expected since explanations are almost never as satisfying as the mystery they hide in. I can't describe the plot twists in detail; what I can say is that Jenny is a common link to Ian and all of his manifestations. She reappears seemingly without any knowledge of her involvement. In each of Ian's lives, she doesn't look forward to visiting her mother; she doesn't want to be lectured over not being married with three children, like her sister. As Ian begins remembering this, Gray tells him that Jenny has to be protected because she's the key to stopping whatever is happening.

Eventually, both Ian and Jenny begin remembering things that supposedly never happened, and this puts them at even greater odds with the Harvesters. It basically boils down to whom Ian and Jenny really are. By the time we find out, the story is no longer interesting--what begins as a fascinating, mind-bending supernatural thriller ends up as something that's bland and silly. Given the good start it gets off to, it's hard to understand how and why this happened. There are enough interest-piquing twists and turns, but they only amount to a film that lacks any real substance. I began to ask myself how much further the story would go; there's a point at which Ian is lying on a hospital bed, his arms and legs bound, his head trapped behind a metal restraint. Yes, the morbid nature of the device makes it fun to look at, but what does it add to the story? Why be weird just for the sake of being weird?

I realize that I shouldn't be questioning weirdness, since that goes against everything that horror movies stand for. The thing is, I don't think "The Deaths of Ian Stone" is a horror movie--it certainly has elements of a horror movie, not the least of which are the demonic Harvesters. It felt more like a modern dark fantasy than anything else, and as such, I guess I was expecting a little more. The film's biggest problem is easy to identify: the story's ending doesn't do justice to the opening. I wish I could recommend the opening half of this film. I wish I could tell you to stay until the second half begins, at which point you should leave. But since that would defeat the purpose of going to the movies in the first place, the only remaining option is to not recommend the entire film. Ian Stone would probably die at those words, but who cares? It's not as if he won't come back in a different life.

I thought it was more like... action, suspence with a little gore. The story line is pretty good and if you like a twist this one is perfect. They used some pretty good props and the graphics weren't bad either. Some of the makeup could have improved but whatever. It will keep you wondering till about 15 minutes from the end... good stuff.

I think this was one of the better After Dark movies in the 2nd year batch, it certainly kept my interest throughout and that's more than I can say about some of the other movies in this "event."

This may not be a true horror film but it has enough elements to fit into the genre, more than Borderland or Tooth and Nail! The story revolves around a man that keeps getting killed (is it a dream or reality?) and then wakes up to face death again. Every day this cycle is happening and there is a girl that keeps showing up in his many "lives."

The film has an interesting premise and it was a lot better than I had anticipated it being. A horror groundhog day is not a bad way to put it but it's a little more than that. There are some very intense scenes that almost leave you claustrophobic wondering if the protagonist is going to be able to ever get out of this ongoing cycle of death.

The film is not overly bloody but there are some "painful" moments that the central character has to suffer through. Others here have given a deeper synopsis of the plot but part of the fun in this movie is learning what is going on, so I will not go into any further detail. I think this movie was fun and entertaining and it kept my interest, while it's not the greatest movie in the world it is a fun ride for 90 minutes no matter how implausible it might be. If you want a rollercoaster ride this is a good one to check out as the action really never stops as the main character slowly unravels the mystery.

The after Dark Horror Fest is a very appealing concept to horror fans, which we definately are. We were first introduced to this in 2006 where a handful of independent films were realeased under this festival only being shown in certain theaters. Since none of these theaters were close we had to wait until they were released on dvd. Unfortunately the wait was not worth it in any sense. Even for b lovers these films just plain [...]. Each one was a huge let down. The trailers made them look like films the horror indusrty needed but wound up being worse then most of the hollywood junk pumped out. This year we almost didn't bother but for the sake of b had to give horrorfest one more shot. The first viewing was Mulberry Street - After Dark Horror Fest (2007) which turned out to be pretty decent and far better then any of the prior years garbage but still not great. This time we picked up The Deaths of Ian Stone and couldn't be more pleased. This film could stand on it's own in the theaters and be killer. So if you compare it to any of the After Dark films none even come close to this.

We start off at a hockey game where Ian Stone is in control of the puck and moving down the ice for a buzzer beater. He shoots and scores but the ref waves it off saying the clock ran out of time even though it clearly stopped with 2 seconds left. Despite his protest the game ended and he had no idea why. There was still two seconds left but nobody would recognize it (keep this in mind for things to come). After the game Ian is in the car with his girlfriend talking to her about the game then drops her off when he notices the clock in his car stopped. He pulls away and drives down the street where he see's someone lying in the middle of the road. He's hesitant but get's out of the car to see if the person is alright. One he walks up he can see that is no person laying there, it's more of a creature and runs back to his car. When he looks up the creature is no longer in the road. As he tries to pull away the creathure crashes through the windshield and rips him out placing him on the train tracks where he is run over. He then wakes up at a desk where he is asked to update some spreadsheets. So at this point you assume he's had an awful dream but thankfully that's not the case. The woman who was his girlfriend in the situation before now works with him but is just a co-worker. He goes home to his apartment where a different woman named Medea(Jamie Murray, Bill Murray's daughter) is his girlfriend. Stick with us it will make sense soon. He begins to talk to her about his hockey days in college and she says he never played hockey. He say's he'll show her his yearbook as prove he was # 17 on the team. He opens the book and sees there is a #17 player but it's not him, he's nowhere to be found. The next day he is approached by a man who explains to him that he is being stalked by forces who want him dead. The catch with it is that when he dies he immediately awakes but living a completely different life. Everytime his watch [...] stops that means they are coming for him. Yeah awesome. As he argues with the man he has no choice to believe him because one of the creatures snatches the old man up. Ian runs like hell as anyone would. These creatures are some of the creepiest looking things we've seen in ages. They look like large spirits but with skeleton faces and are smokey black with huge razor sharp hook hands. Once he gets back to his apartment he explains to his gilfriend something is after him then he gets a hook through the stomach. Yeah his old lady is one of them and explains this will continue to happen to him.

In each death he starts a new life. He still looks the same and carries the same name but has very different situations. However in each situation his original girlfriend (not the creature one) is part of his life. He is then approached by the old man again who informs him he must not let these spirit creatures kill the girl. He has to protect her or else he has no chance of saving himself from this torment. The film continues at a rapid pace keeping you on the edge of your seat. We don't want to give any more away because we feel this is definately worth checking out. It has scares and suspense with an excellent original story.

So as you can tell this one comes with a strong recommendation from us. It's actually a legit great film. Going into it we were simply looking to be midly entertained by some horror b but were completely stunned by a great work. These creatures in the film were some of the best ever. Extremely creepy and very real looking. Not quite sure what the budget of this film was but the end result was nothing short of genius. For any horror fan who seeks a very original plot with minor gore and true suspense this one has it. We're sure any of out fans would love it.

Michelle Phiefer may look back and regret doing Grease 2. Mike Vogel will not look back and regret doing The Deaths of Ian Stone. From the Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Cloverfield to this one, Vogel is paving his road on the acting landscape. He seems to be waiting for that one "big" role that will place him with the higher tier of action/horror stars. This was a good movie. The "love conquers all, young lovers" theme is never tired. It ran well through Ian's lives well . The newness of this story was a breath of fresh air. Plenty of action. Enough romance, though their could have been more. Mysteries revealed at just the right time. The special effects were very good.

You truly have to watch this one through to understand it all. Vogell posesses just enough vulnerabiltiy to pull off this starring role, in a genre that women have traditionally dominated as the victim/warrior/protagonist. His love interest was perfectly cast, being Stone's strength when he was weak. As much as I liked this movie, there was something missing. Maybe they should have spent a little more time on each life. I still give the movie a 3.5.

This is my first After Dark film from this new batch. Last year's edition was a mixed bag with mostly disappointing results. The Death's of Ian Stone starts off intriguingly enough and it is really a taut supernatural thriller with a lot of mysteries. Each time Ian is killed he awakens at 5:03 in a whole new reality. As he goes along he has to piece together the clues to figure out what is going on. As things go along, it tends to be a little silly and the ending wasn't that satisfying for me. This would have made a great hour long twilight zone with a bit of tweaking to the ending. As for the movie, it was just average.

I recommend this video. Horror films can be quick and dirty these days, relying on special effects and mood music alone, while a monotone boring script with dull cliche acting clings on for dear life. There are not many films in the past few years in this genre that I can truly recommend, but I do suggest this one. The unfolding events held my interest though the entire film, and I found that I actually cared what happened to the characters in this movie. The script was above average, the acting was well done, and the special effects did not rule the movie but rather enhanced it.

The plot is interesting. A man has memory flashbacks of events that don't seem to match with his current life. He feels out of place. He knows something is wrong but can't figure out what it is. This movie is primarily about a man in a desperate situation trying to remember his past, trying to recover lost memories, and trying to avoid being murdered by a supernatural stalker who wants him dead. But Ian Stone can't die. The stalker murders him, and Ian rewakes in a new life, new events surround him, and again he tries to remember who he is. This repeats several times, until slowly he begins to remember, with the aid of a stranger who keeps appearing to him..., who he is, and what happened to cause all of this.

The video worked well, no problems at all with the disks, audio and video were perfect.

- Mike S.

Ian Stone (Mike Vogel) just can't stop dying horrible deaths. After each grisly demise, he wakes up in the middle of another (alternate) doomed existence. Yep, every day is Ian's final day on earth. Or is it? How and why is this happening? Who is the girl who keeps showing up in Ian's various incarnations? Who is the mysterious man? What are the seemingly indestructible creatures that keep murdering Ian? THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE is a thought-provoking twister w/ plenty of dismal atmosphere. The story is inventive and the monsters are evil and ugly (the way I like 'em!). Great stuff...

The premise of this movie was good. In fact, the first two thirds of the film kept me interested in trying to solve the mystery behind Ian Stone's "reincarnations", so to speak. Unfortunately, the main villainess reminded me so much of Lara Flynn Boyle's character in Men in Black 2 that I had a hard time taking her seriously. Plus her compatriots looked like Matrix knock-offs. Bottom line: very cool idea that spiraled toward a hokey climax.

Okay so i saw the behind the scene pictures of Deaths of Ian stone, more specifically pictures of the Harvesters (without the smoke and other special effects in the movie)in action and they loooked very well done. Think a long haired all black version of Mystique in the X-Men movies. Anyway, so I got to watch it and let me tell ya it was an incredible movie. i mean this is what B-rated movie is supposed to be about. A movie that doesn't have all the press (say of like Nightmare on elm street) to really rake in the millions but it's one of those dvd rentals that is fantastic to watch on a friday or saturday night. I know this was at the Horrorfest and techinically it started and did well at the movies but this reminds me of pre-blockbuster video store days when you could see horror movies that were incredibly done (good lighting, great effects, great acting, great storyline, etc).

The only reason i didn't give this a five is because it premiered at horror fest and it's not really scary. I mean it's jump at you scary but i was expecting more blood or something and i usually don't like that, but for this festival it didn't seem R-rated all the time.

Horrorfest definitely upgraded from last year as far as the quality! I don't know about the other movies but this one was good all around. I saw most of last years horrorfest movies and something about them made me feel like I was on the set instead of watching the movie. Some of the actors would look at the camera and stuff so, yeah this was an upgrade