VidMate
Free YouTube video & music downloader
ACTOR
Eric LangeJohn BillingsleyRay WiseStephanie Venditto
DIRECTOR
David Prior
SYNOPSICS
AM1200 (2008) is a English movie. David Prior has directed this movie. Eric Lange,John Billingsley,Ray Wise,Stephanie Venditto are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2008. AM1200 (2008) is considered one of the best Short,Horror movie in India and around the world.
More
Same Actors
Same Director
AM1200 (2008) Reviews
The Creepiest Lovecraft Tale that Lovecraft DIDN'T Write!
Writer/producer/director David Prior's short horror thriller AM1200 follows in the great tradition of PSYCHO and FROM DUSK TILL DAWN in both its high quality and its story structure: a taut protagonist-on-the-run thriller that devilishly morphs into an atmospheric, razor-sharp tale of supernatural terror under your very nose. Eric Lange is solid as Sam Larson, an almost sympathetic white-collar everyman (if that makes sense :-)) whose company is going downhill fast. Going into Dick-Over or Be Dicked-Over mode, Sam makes a bad, no-turning-back decision to embezzle company funds before his slippery boss (Ray Wise, in the kind of role at which he excels) beats him to it. Sam escapes in his Audi on what seems like an endless desert highway, literally scared sick whenever he sees a police cruiser in his rear-view mirror. But his nerve-wracking flight from the law feels like piña coladas and Key West sunsets compared to what happens when, in the dead of night, he hears and responds to a desperate SOS broadcast as he tunes his car radio into the titular evangelical AM radio station.... Refreshingly, unlike so many other protagonists of his ilk, Sam sees the red flags (metaphorically flapping in the breeze), and does his best to avoid the station until he's truly left with no other options. AM1200 is an original story by Prior, but once Sam enters the all-but-abandoned station and discovers the terrifying truth, the film becomes a brilliant modern-day homage to H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu tales. It packs more potent suspense, dread, and eerie atmosphere in its 40-minute running time than many feature-length horror films. It also looks and sounds amazing, thanks to Brian Hoodenpyle's crystal-clear digital cinematography, and the brilliant use of sound and light (and dark) by Prior and his crew. The sparingly-used special effects are so artfully rendered that they seem quite natural, as opposed to the kind of F/X which practically scream, "Hey, look at me! I'm a special effect!" Great use of music, too, ranging from Bela Bartok to Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street." Among the rare, fleeting instances of comic relief, my favorite was when the seemingly millions of unseen crickets that have been insistently chirping -- nay, screeching -- away in the background suddenly STOP -- just like that! AM1200 was like having a knife to my throat for forty minutes -- in a good way. It's well worth seeking out and recommending to others. I give it an A+!
A great little horror/suspense film.
I recently saw 1200 AM at the H.P. Lovecraft film festival and was absolutely blown away by it. Although it is based on an original story (rather than being an adaptation of one of Lovecraft's works) it fit perfectly into the genre. When embezzling businessman Jonah Henry (John Billingsley)begins driving cross country his greatest fear is that he will be captured by the police. A mysterious radio broadcast from an isolated radio station, a few wrong turns, and car trouble on a lonely country road are just the start of his troubles. Forced to take shelter in the nearly abandoned radio station Jonah comes into contact with a far greater horror than he could ever have imagined. Although the story is fairly straightforward, this short film really packs a wallop. Suspenseful, gory, and with a nasty surprise at the end, 1200 AM is hands down the best horror film I've seen in quite awhile.
A true lesson on how to create tension.
This short film did in 40 minutes what many horror films won't do in two hours. AM1200 is a little masterpiece of horror that boasts clever direction, precise editing, awesome performances and superb cinematography - this could easily be a feature length film if I must say so. What really caught my attention to this short film was its Lovecraftian style, and although those elements only show up later in the narrative, I was hooked on how well made the whole piece was (just look at that masterfully done sequence which the camera pushes in to a map hanging on the wall and becomes a an aerial shot of a car, just beautiful) and the horror aspects of the short showed up to be a more than satisfying payoff for those who were looking forward to it. "In 40 short minutes, David Prior shows why he is one of the most promising directors I've ever seen. People always ask me what to do for a 'calling card' in Hollywood. Well do something like this, and try to do it half as well." Well, I did not said that, David Fincher did.
Brave
Throughout the whole film I was both terrified and morbidly curious, looking for a clear explanation and wanting to stay in the dark and enjoy the mystery. It's terrifying and subtle, and acted magnificently. It's not flawless, for aesthetic reasons I won't go into because I don't want to include spoilers here. Still, it is a brave movie, and you should watch it.
This is why I use Spotify now.
The story of how the main got into this situation and the tension leading up to his car breaking down outside of the recording studio feels like filler. It does help suspend the audience's disbelief of him entering into this situation because he assumes the police are after him for a crime, and calling a tow truck might get him caught, but all the backstory with Leland Palmer was really boring. It was very stylish, however, when they used that long zoom to focus on the road of a local map, then transitioned to a helicopter shot of said road with the main's car, followed by another zoom upon the car and transitioning inside of the car, but not much else is notable for the first half. A broadcast on AM1200 arouses his attention and his car breaks down when he investigates. Great use of the mysterious man with the flashlight. Inside of the building, the lighting and sound design are at their peak, with plenty of lighting practicals, flickering light, and ominous industrial music and white noise. The confrontation with the rambling mental patient is amusing and hints and some greater, Lovecraftian evil. A demonic entity seems to be able to transfer itself from host to host via some unexplained manner. Probably the most interesting unexplained element is the man with the flashlight, who the possessed main character signals by turning the lights on and off (it's very peculiar that he allowed the man inside to remain handcuffed, even though he seemed to be doing... the "devil's" work? Flashlight man is the star of the film and will make any viewer swoon!) Then the possessed main feeds a strange monster inside of a hole with a massive face, which we only ever see part of--an eye here, a mouth there. Since he feeds the last man who was possessed, it seems to be a cycle, where, whoever is lured to the station, becomes possessed by the entity, and hacks up the former servant. I feel like too much of the creature was shown (which might be okay if they were using more traditional effects, instead of the CGI). Overall, it's an okay supernatural horror that's fairly well-made, but there's nothing very interesting about the story, and while there are some unexplained elements, it doesn't present itself like a wonderful mystery or great cosmic horror and it has a rather slow start.