DVD review: Fairview Falls (Video 2011)

First I´d like to thank Glen Baisley for sending me a copy of his movie to me.
It looks to be another boring summer in the backwater town of Fairview Falls for the graduating class of 2005 - that is until one of it's graduates dies.  Fairview Falls™ takes place 7 years after the events in Fear of the Dark and 5 years before Sins of the Father.  Various social cliques come together out of boredom looking for the latest thrill.  They hear about a series of "ritual" style animal mutilations that have been turning up on the outskirts of town.  A few set out to see if they can uncover the mystery behind them.  What they don't realize is that someone has been watching their every move and what transpires will forever change their lives. Fairview Falls is written and directed by Glen Baisley. The acting is a a little bit uneven, some of it is strong while some is pretty weak. The vast array of characters are good and interesting. And all characters have more than one layer, they are far away from the usual slasher fodder, which is a joy to watch. The dialogue is good, there are some really fun parts. It is nicely shot and edited. I´ll have to admit that I at first was a bit hesitant to the soundtrack but then I came to the conclusion that it´s really good. On the topic of pacing I should mention that the movie is something of a slow burner as it takes some time before we get into what looks like familiar horror territory. There is gore, pretty good looking and effective practical make-up fx. There is some nudity from three different attractive actresses and a couple of sexual situations but nothing too explicit.
The DVD will be released in two versions -  a standard edition and a limited collector’s “Insanity Edition” on October 30th. It´s also available on VOD (US viewers only).
This review in based on the official Fairview Falls 'Insanity Edition' DVD which is only available here .
Rating: 6½ out of 7. Fairview Falls is a very entertaining independent feature flick. I´ll be totally honest, it wasn´t at all what I expected, I thought it would be a pretty straight forward slasher flick but it is so much more. After watching this I must get Glen's previous movies (Fear of the Dark, The Tenement and Sins of the Father) ASAP. They take place in the same town and and share some characters. Fairview Falls gets my recommendations.

/JL