When police officer Daniel Carter discovers a blood-soaked man limping down a deserted road, he rushes him to a local hospital with a barebones, night shift staff. As cloaked, cult-like figures surround the building, the patients and staff inside start to turn ravenously insane. Trying to protect the survivors, Carter leads them into the depths of the hospital where they discover a gateway to immense evil. – (Source)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74% (Critics) / 68% (Audience)
Directed By: Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski
Written By: Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski
Starring: Aaron Poole, Ellen Wong, Kathleen Munroe and Kenneth Welsh
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation

The Good:  This movie just pleased me to no end. There was so much about it that reminded of other films I love like THE THING, RE-ANIMATOR and PHANTASM but I never felt that THE VOID was copying those films or just being derivative. The film felt fresh and new despite being deeply influenced by what came before and being set in the recent past.
I am also a sucker for the basic premise of a bunch of people stuck in one setting that they can’t get out of as they are picked off one by one. The sense of dread that permeated the film once things went pear shape at the understaffed hospital really went a long way to making this film work so well.
And color me surprised that a bunch of dudes in white sheets with triangles painted on them would be so scary. Many of the most truly unsettling images in this movie were of the “Triangle Heads” just standing there looking ominous.
And how exactly is Kenneth Welsh not the most sought after voice-actor in the world? That guy has a voice that I could listen to reading tax code and I’d be totally engrossed by him. He brought a lot of character and gravitas to the maniacal Dr. Powell just with his dulcet tones alone.

The Bad:  I can honestly tell you that I am not quite sure what the hell Dr. Powell was up to or how “The Void” was giving him the power to do what he did or even why people were turning into monsters randomly. Pretty much all of the film’s mythology was lost on me and hopefully will be explained a bit better if a sequel is ever made not that spotty motivation hindered my enjoyment all that much.

The Ugly:  I am always a fan of folks who decide to go with practical effects and make-up over CGI stuff but there were a few monster make-ups in this film that would have gotten contestants eliminated off of SyFy’s FACE OFF makeup effects competition show. I know budget was likely an issue but there were things that were definitely not camera ready being given prominent spotlight when they didn’t look quite good enough.

Final Verdict: A murky script and some dodgy practical effects aside, THE VOID still entertained the heck out of me and is a wonderful addition to the new wave of horror that has been coming out recently. Can’t wait to see what comes next if this becomes a franchise and if not I am eagerly anticipating whatever project creators Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski give us next.

Grade: B+