Antrum (film)

Antrum was written, produced, and directed by David Amito and Michael Laicini. Development for the film began while Amito and Laicini were working on developing a separate project, which they described as a "horror love story". While working on that film's script, they began brainstorming possible scenarios that they could include in the film, specifically the ones that scared them. As they would later recall in an interview with Rue Morgue, the central idea came from the concept of what it would be like to watch a purported "cursed" film with a history of harming the people who saw it. Feeling that the idea would make an excellent horror film, the filmmakers began developing a screenplay based on the initial concept. In an interview with Rue Morge, both Amito and Laicini stated that the plot of the "cursed film" was deliberately made to appear as if it was "a dark fairy tale", with themes dealing with loss and moral ramifications of belief. Further inspiration came from a short film horror film titled Dining Room or There is Nothing, which Laicini claimed to have viewed while in film school, which left a lasting impression on him. For Antrum's occult aspects, Amito, and Laicini studied various historical and cultural depictions of demons and the devil for inspiration, with their shared interests in religious imagery and the supernatural also factoring into the development of the film's script. Most of the symbols and runes depicted in the film were taken from a 17th Century text called Lesser Key of Solomon.[2]

American actress Nicole Tompkins was cast in the lead role of Oralee. Tompkins had previously starred in the 2016 films Opening Night,[3] and The Amityville Terror.[4] Tompkins was immediately drawn to the role after receiving the film's script during her audition, later recalling: "When I got the material it really clicked for me. I felt like I had something to say and something to bring to the role and apparently, the director’s felt the same because here we are!"[3] Tompkins described her character as being incredibly smart, and creative, with her actions motivated by a strong bond towards her younger brother.[3] American child actor Rowan Smyth, who had previously starred in the Christian drama film I Believe (2017),[5] was cast as Oralee's young brother Nathan.[3]

Principal photography for Antrum lasted for a period of one month in Southern California,[2] was shot under a low budget with only a handful of production staff working on the film,[2][3] with Amito later revealing in an interview with Rue Morgue: "We were wildly understaffed, wildly underfunded and unprepared for this month long shoot… yet, somehow a number of elements just magically landed in our lap." Scenes involving Tompkins' and Smyth characters were filmed in a one-hundred acre, privately owned forest, where the filmmakers had been granted special permission to shoot at.[2] Actress Tompkins spoke very positively of her experience working on the film,[6] calling it both challenging and rewarding, and described her working relationship with filmmakers Amito, and Laicini as being very much "in sync" with one another.[3]

Antrum made its world premiere at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival on 14 October 2018.[1][7] It was later screened at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival on 18 April 2019.[8] On 1 September 2019, it was screened at the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival.[9] It was a part of the official selection of films at the Sitges Film Festival, with the screening taking place on 1 October 2019.[10] On 1 November 2019, it was screened at the Morbido Film Festival.[11] It was screened at Night Visions International Film Festival, on 20 November 2019.[12]

It was later announced that Uncork’d Entertainment had acquired North American distribution rights to Antrum, and planned on releasing it via Video-on-Demand and streaming services in Fall 2019.[13] Antrum was released via Video-on-Demand, and VHS special edition in the United States and Canada on 12 November 2019.[14][15] Antrum would later become the #1 trending film on Amazon Prime.[16] It was announced that the film would also be released in Japan in early February 2020,[15][14] and would later have its home media release there on 7 February.[17]

Critical response for Antrum has been mostly positive, with critics praising the film's unnerving atmosphere, retro 70s style, and blurring the lines between fiction and reality. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Antrum holds an approval rating of 75%, based on 16 reviews, and an average rating of 6.7/10.[18] Anya Stanley from Dread Central rated the film three out of five stars, writing, "Antrum is a multilayered indulgence of the imagination that uses both internal narrative and a mockumentary structure to blur the line between fiction and reality."[19] Dolores Quintana of Nightmarish Conjurings called it "a film both fascinating and deeply odd that crawls under your skin", praising the film's atmosphere, dreamlike style, cinematography, and performances.[20] Kat Hughes from The Hollywood News awarded the film three out of five stars, praising the film's atmosphere, blurring of fiction and reality, growing sense of unease, and recreation of 1970s style cinema, while criticizing the film's character development.[21] Martin Unsworth from Starburst Magazine gave the film a score of eight out of ten stars, praising the film's plot, performances, soundtrack, visuals, and authentic 70s style, calling it "an unsettling experience".[22] Deirdre Crimmins of Rue Morgue offered the film similar praise, writing, "Tense and unnerving, unpredictable and mean spirited, Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made adds layers to the terrifying power of cinema."[23]

The film was not without its detractors. On his website, Kim Newman noted that, while the film was "technically ambitious" and commending some of its visuals, its thin plot, repetitiveness, and unconvincing documentary elements undermined it.[24] Roger Moore of Roger's Movie Nation was highly critical of the film, stating, "Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made isn’t amateurish enough to be charming or professional enough to pull off the con job."[25] Mike Sprague from Joblo rated the film a mixed score of five out of ten, commending the film's intriguing premise, and soundtrack, but also stated that the film did not take full advantage of its premise, and criticized its "amateurish" qualities, and general lack of scares.[26]