Tales from the Void - Into the Unknown - New Release Review
Director: Joe Lynch
Starring: Mpho Koaho, Martin Roach, Joey Freddy Larsen, John Thomas Gauthier
Written by: Francesco Loschiavo
Produced by: Craig Fleming, Francesco Loschiavo
Cinematography by: Martin Wojtunik
Original Score by: Steve Moore
Synopsis:
When a mysterious black square appears in the middle of an apartment complex, suspicions develop between neighbours about the horrors it may bring.
Thoughts:
Based on the short story 'The Black Square' written by Matthew Dymerski that appeared on the r/NoSleep subreddit, a place for writers to share their own creepypastas, 'Into The Unknown' is the first episode in a new anthology series created by Francesco Loschiavo that will stream exclusively on ScreamBox.
As the original title suggests the episode revolves around a strange black square that inexplicably appears on the lawn of an apartment complex. It floats a few feet off the ground and appears to be both somehow solid and hollow at the same time. It doesn't reflect light either. It's a bizarre anomaly that causes a stir amongst the people that live at the tenement building. And that's essentially what the real story is about, the various reactions of the people and how they deal with this anomaly in their own individual way. Although it has a little bit of a cosmic horror quality about it, it's really a character study, something not too dissimilar to what Stephen King has had a lot of success writing about.
Mpho Koaho stars as Harris, the most curious person who lives in the apartment building. He wants to find out more about the mysterious black square even when it seems that others want to protect it from questioning eyes or rather protect themselves from the unknown dangers the square might possess. Almost immediately paranoia takes over and led by Bill, a middle aged patriotic type, a group forms who begin to watch over the black square but for unexplained reasons feel they have to forcefully push their own agenda on the other tenants. Without provocation they become aggressive in nature and elect themselves as security, much to the chagrin of Harris and his older pal Anton.
As the paranoia grows and mistrust sets in, the fear of the unknown also increases and the men turn on each other. Violence, as so often is the case, is the only way forward. And all just because of some random black square.
The scariest aspect of the episode is the very real "dont trust anybody" atmosphere that Director Joe Lynch manages to encapsulate perfectly. The themes explored are all too familiar with today's society, especially in the current US political landscape. The idea of collective madness and/or the ignorance of reality through the eyes of fear. Lynch builds the tension slowly and helps to carve Bill, played brilliantly by Joey Freddy Larsen, as a gratuitous and somewhat hesitant villain against Harris' worthy protagonist.
Admittedly I just wanted someone to jump into the black square and when we get deeper into the episode there is some intriguing imagery that definitely gave me some 'Under the Skin' vibes. If this first episode is any indication as to the quality of the entire anthology series then I think 'Tales from the Void' might definitely well be one to keep an eye on.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Gavin Logan
'Tales from the Void' is available to stream exclusively on ScreamBox on Sunday 13th October