Cryptic Plasm (2013)
Cryptic Plasm (2013)
Directed by Brian Paulin
A review by Mario Dominick
Brian Paulin and his company Morbid Vision Films have become known in recent years as a leading force in the arena of extreme gory underground horror flicks. They have given us the 2004 zombie gore spectacular Bone Sickness, the 2008 cyberpunk-influenced mindfuck Fetus, and the mega gory post-apocalyptic survival outing Blood Pigs in 2010. Brian makes original gore flicks on the smallest of budgets with no CGI effects and all old school practical effects.
After the gore soaked antics of Paulin’s previous three films, one would probably wonder what topic his next micro budget outing would venture into. With Cryptic Plasm, Brian takes us into the world of reality TV and paranormal investigation shows and fuses elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond with the over-the-top splatter-filled mayhem of his previous gorefests.
Cryptic Plasm tells the story of two paranormal investigators working for a reality TV show. They are assigned by the show’s producers to go investigate a small town in New Jersey where the townsfolk have mysteriously disappeared and all that’s left behind is slimy ectoplasmic goo. They start to uncover something truly bizarre in the woods and in the abandoned houses. Duplicates of themselves begin to appear as apparitions and they catch glimpses of a gooey monster slithering around in the swamps with their camera. It appears some kind of anomaly has opened up over the town which seems to have transported everyone over to an alternate dimension and coming back through a wormhole are subhuman super intelligent creatures that are absorbing people as part of a sinister agenda. When it turns out that the producers of the show are actually planning to kill off our two investigators as part of a scheme to make it look like they were bumped off by creatures in order to make the show’s ratings soar and take in a major profit, all gory hell begins to break loose as the “Cryptic Plasm” makes its way into the world absorbing the producers and everything else that gets in its way. Blood and guts are spilled as a nonstop practical effects-laden extravaganza emerges with some impressive visual effects and creature effects.
Cryptic Plasm carries the Morbid Vision trademark of over-the-top splatter effects and awesome-looking monsters, all created by means of do-it-yourself physical effects with latex, KY jelly, karo syrup, and old school mold-making techniques. It’s another entertaining gorefest that proves Brian Paulin is one of the most talented filmmakers of our time working with a limited budget. Many of today’s indie filmmakers could learn a thing or two from him, as he proves you don’t need CGI to create awesome-looking creatures or to make sets collapse and implode. Brian is also a director who acts in his films in addition to writing, editing, shooting, and doing effects. He does as fine a job in this one as one of our investigator heroes as he has done in his previous gorefests, especially when he was in the lead role in Fetus.
People who care about creating art on a small budget should go and support Brian by ordering Bone Sickness, Fetus and Blood Pigs on DVD through the Morbid Vision website at www.morbidvisionfilms.com today. Aside from directing, producing, writing, acting, effects and everything else, Brian distributes his movies on DVD himself with the help of his wife Stacey. The official DVD of Cryptic Plasm should be out in the next couple of months. Expect some good extras like an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes, and more.
