Review: “SiREN” sings a familiar tune.

Posted by Liz Whittemore on Dec 3, 2016 | 0 comments

When V/H/S was released in 2012, I was eager to see this mysterious horror film with a bizarre premise. I watched alone, in the dark, and was admittedly  unnerved by one of the shorts presented titled “Amateur Night”. Its startling impact stays with me to this day. I can’t quite place my finger on why it disturbed me so much, but it’s the one segment that I remember vividly. Based on David Bruckner‘s characters, writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski have resurrected the leading lady in the new full-length feature, SiREN.

Here is good and not so good that comes from expanding a short. SiREN has a great presentation of cannon now, working in some of Lily’s backstory. The problem appears when the feature seems to now negate the short entirely. As a fan of the original, I was hoping to weave  this part of the story in. But with the script as is, this moment will never happen. As a stand alone, SiREN has it’s moments. Some feel Hostel-esque while others a bit Rosemary’s Baby. The most interesting bits are vaguely touched upon. There is an entire movie undiscovered in the origin of our main location. That’s the story I want to hear.

Actress Hannah Fierman is back as Lily and it’s nice to see her continue to have a gorgeous screen presence and strong acting chops. When you’re asked to be nude 95% of your time onscreen, you better own it. Another highlight is the performance by Brittany S. Hall. There is more than meets the eye to this character, but you’ll have to watch to find out why. That’s another tale I would delighted to dive into. In the end, I wish perhaps that I had not seen “Amateur Night” to  the benefit of the success of SiREN. The film comes to theaters on December 2nd and on VOD, Digital HD and DVD on December 6th.

IN THEATERS:  December 2, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEYE1Ngy01A