RABIES

Rabies (15) 

Director: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado / 

Screenplay: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado

​Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Ania Bukstein

It’s been a good time for impressive low-budget horror films being released to UK DVD. We’ve had “Before Dawn”, “Thale”, and “I Didn’t Come Here To Die” all within weeks of each other. Now you can add “Rabies” to that list. Also known as “Kalevet” (the Hebrew translation of the title), it is the first Israeli horror/slasher film to be released to the film community. It’s made something of a splash at various film festivals (including Frightfest 2012).  It was shot solely during the daylight hours over just 19 days by the talented directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, who also wrote the script. Set in the Israeli countryside, the film contains no CGI (yay!) and was made on a very small budget. YGROY has a tetanus shot and has a look at the movie…

Set almost entirely in the picturesque setting of woodland, contained in an Israeli nature reserve, the film takes place almost in real-time over a couple of hours. A group of people find their paths (and fates) intersecting as they enter the reserve. There’s a National Trust (or whatever the equivalent is) worker and his dog, checking on tourist facilities. There’s a brother and his sister running away from home. There are four teenage friends driving through the forest, complete with simmering sexual tension. There are two useless cops on the outskirts of the forest, one of whom is a misogynistic scum-bag and the other is obsessed with his wife after a petty argument. Worst of all, is the mysterious psychopath, who is lurking in the trees and has laid some deadly traps. The thing is the psycho is not necessarily the most dangerous thing in the woods. As the various characters meet up, things don’t go entirely the way you expect…

In a way it’s a shame that this has been released so close to “I Didn’t Come Here To Die”, as many of the themes are quite similar. But having said that, this is still a refreshing and original take on the sub-genre. To explain some of the incidents, and plot details would be to spoil a good experience. With touches of poignancy, and outright farcical humour, the plot zigzags around the cast as various sequences play out. Needless to say, the bad things that happen mainly come down to human stupidity and incorrect assessments of characters. Luck doesn’t really come into it (apart from that pesky minefield!); the hellish situations are all of the character’s doing.

And that’s really where I have a minor problem. It’s hard to feel sympathy for people, when they make the most horrendously stupid decisions or behave like such ass-holes (which most of the characters do here). IDHTD pulled this trick off, but “Rabies” struggles a little to achieve the same. One particular member of the cast has a case of “irritable bladder syndrome” (she doesn’t really, she just needs to pee most of the time) which strikes at the worst possible times. Another is hideously un-PC, and calls a character with Sappho tendencies “Navratilova”. 

Endearingly, the directors admitted that there were not only influenced by Wes Craven’s early works, but the henchmen’s deaths in “Austin Powers”! You can see what they’re aiming for, but the lack of background knowledge works against it. Why are the Brother & Sister “running away” (They seem to be in their 20’s after all)! What is the psycho up to? Why is the copper such a douche-bag?

Despite that, as a whole it is a satisfying experience. The cinematography is lush (who knew there were nature reserves like that in Israel?). The bloody effects are realistic as opposed to graphic and very effective (Lovely jaw injury!). And it is still heartening to see film-makers trying fresh angles and techniques for horror films, especially in a country where virtually no genre cinema exists.

Incidentally, the title is never explained (there is no disease). I am assuming that it refers to the “madness” that can infect groups of humanity, when they are separated from “civilisation”. Deep…
Anyway, despite my minor reservations, this is a film that’s definitely worth seeing. Be sure you catch “Rabies” while you can. Hah!

I’m STILL here all week folks!!  

DVD Extras: A nice selection for a change;
Several trailers.
Director’s commentary.
A good 15 minute interview with the directors at Frightfest 2012.
A 15 minute behind-the-scenes feature, with copious amounts of input from the cast and crew.

 

A nice and original twist on the slasher-in-the-woods movie. However, some of the characters and their reactions are a tad too unrealistic to be wholly affective, and there isn’t enough substance to feel empathy or sympathy for most of them. Still, this is a good enough film, with great effects and nice performances. More Israeli genre movies please!