The Millennium Bug
Although I did not watch the horror film, “The Millennium Bug,” at Dragon*Con, it did come to my attention there. On Sunday night, the marketing team for the film was out in force to promote the film’s screening at 1am. One of the most distinct things I noticed about the promotion was their making sure to point out that the film was CGI-free; indeed, when you watch the film, you learn that one of the production companies is called, No CGI Films. While it’s commendable to not use CGI, that doesn’t mean it should be touted as a reason to watch your film. Still, that didn’t stop me from buying a DVD for my own collection, and future moviewatching pleasure.
The film takes place on December 31, 1999, when the whole world was in a tizzy about the possibility of an apocalyptic breakdown of society because the computers might shutdown because of the Y2K programming bug. If you don’t remember what all the fuss was about, I’m not gonna remind you– it really wasn’t worth the hype. A family is looking to escape the hysteria by spending New Year’s by spending the next few days in an isolated mountain area. They get more than they bargained for, however, when a family of deranged hillbillies capture them. Little to either of them know, though, that there’s something even more dangerous out there.
This film from writer/director Kenneth Cran is really two: the first is a grotesque, “Hills Have Eyes” entrapment thriller; the second is a straight-up monster movie along the lines of “Cloverfield.” Both of them are gore-heavy and absurdly entertaining in a way that recalls the “Evil Dead” trilogy. And remember how I questioned the use of “no CGI” as a selling point? I’m cool with it, especially considering how freaking awesome the the monster looks. The monster made me wish there was less incestuous hillbillies and more honest to God monster mayhem, but Cran combines the two elements effectively into an enjoyable stew of fun and low-budget fright. I’m glad that about a month and a half after my Dragon*Con ended this year, I was able to add one more highlight to my weekend by watching this flick, and adding another smart horror film to my collection.
