By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Jonas Govaerts
Starring: Evelien Bosmans | Maurice Luijten | Sef Aerts | Titus De Voogdt
Original language title: Welp
Year: 2014
Running time: 84
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3061836/reference/
Brett says: “CUB is a film loaded with potential for a horror film, taking its premise from the campfire stories that are commonplace among scouts crowded around the camp fire in the woods on a weekend retreat. This premise is identified quite early in the film and sets the tone for what could be a unique take on a tried-and-true concept. The necessary element of dramatic irony thickens the build early as the audience knows (or should know) that the legend of a killer animal-instinct-saturated child who lurks in the woods will come to fruition while the campers and their scout leaders keep a loose, easy-going vibe as if oblivious.
“This textbook setup is accompanied by the revelation that blue collar workers in an area near the camping location faced the impact of having their plant closed, thus leading to string of deaths (implied as suicides) from said displaced workers. At this stage, the foundation is laid efficiently and within a respectable amount of exposition time to gear the audience up for what should be a major thrill ride.
“The story uniquely ties in the campfire tale and the factory workers along the way, and the use of unique gadgets and traps engineered by the forest lurkers make things really fun really quickly. In fact, this is undoubtedly the greatest feature of the movie. That and the fact that the secondary threat that is introduced in the woods are actually–in many ways–more frightening than the primary spook. It is clear that the film offers some things that are fresh to the horror genre, thus making it worth a ticket-buyer’s time.
“So the potential is there. The problem is this. Aside from three camp leaders who are adult(ish), the dark cloud of irony tells the audience that this is going to be much more than a typical campfire romp because of the overwhelming presence and character development devoted to kids. The bully premise is there in droves, so the idea of brutal comeuppance sticks at the back of the viewers’ minds. It’s so thick, it could even be said that the biggest sense of dread in the movie is knowing that these little punks are going to get some groundbreaking kid death scene that is rarely attempted by directors because, quite obviously, they are kids and kids just can’t die traditional villain-style. But it’s a plot device that gives the film its flavor, and we cringe at the notion that it will likely happen. Knowing that heads are going to have to turn during an inevitable child death scene (one which we are conditioned to expect in an all-adult cast and one that we normally welcome) is part of the ironic payoff the audience is invested in. And as a side note, at two Q&A’s during the film’s North American premiere/2nd screening, this very point was brought up when the ‘payoff’ in question is never satisfactorily delivered even though it is clearly foreshadowed otherwise. In short, the question becomes, ‘What was the point in all that work at the beginning of the film?’ This question is especially valid given what happens during a particular scene earlier in the film that clearly indicates, ‘This isn’t your typical comical gag-death-driven film. We break the rules here.’
“Secondly, the ending is clearly disjointed from the pace and development that gets the audience to that point. Added to that is how easily all of the previous lore and mythos of the woods and the factory worker tie-in is undermined in one fell swoop during the climactic final conflict. The communication established with the audience early in the film is quickly tossed aside for a finale that can be compared to the easy route Hollywood horror often takes. CUB begins as film set to unravel the typical Hollywood clichés and give us something brand new (and it does, certainly, at times) but the build-up to a satisfactory payoff unfortunately falls short. The idea for the concluding camera sequence/reveal is indeed a great idea, but the rushed nature of how it unfolds is indicative of a horror movie that seems to be more about the gags and deaths that occur midway through the film rather than supplying the same level of delicate care it offered its characters and plot right out of the gate.”
Jason says: “CUB (or WELP, as it is called in its native Belgium) initially seems premised on the sort of attitude that makes those who aren’t into horror movies rightfully squeamish: That if killing college kids who go out into the woods doesn’t get a rise out of the audience any more, maybe killing cub scouts will. The good news in this case is twofold: One, filmmaker Jonas Govaerts does have more on his mind than cheap exploitation when all is said and done; and two, he and co-writer Roel Mondeaers are coming up with great horror movie bits from minute one.
“Speaking of minute one, the newest member of an Antwerp cub count troop, Sam (Maurice Luijten), is running late for the camping trip, which means lots of push-ups and such, as he is far from the favorite of the older troop leaders, Baloo (Sef Aerts) and Chris (Titus De Voogdt), with Baloo and some of the other kids particularly seeming to have it in for him. Only his friend Dries and Baloo’s girlfriend Jasmijn (Evelien Bosmans) seem to care for him at all. But when couple of local punks racing their go-kart around the planned campsite send the troop deeper into the woods than they had planned… Well, could there actually be something to those stories about werewolf boy Kai that Chris and Baloo were telling to make things more exciting?
“Well, there’s something; we see Kai in the first shot. The fun thing about that shot is that while it seems to give a lot of the game away – not just that there is a kid who is at the very least feral in the area, but that there are some impressively elaborate mechanics going on as well. It may give too much away – the desire to start the movie off with an action beat (and presumably not build to something most will have already seen on the poster or in the trailer) can under cut a later reveal – but I don’t think that’s necessarily the case; by the time the film circles around to those images being particularly relevant, the audience should have enough to occupy their minds that they’re not just waiting impatiently.
“For example, the deathtraps that are set up throughout the film are a welcome distraction. They are, in fact, some of the most ingenious I’ve seen in a horror movie in some time, mechanical, creative, and with an eye toward both looking good and seeming effective. The black comedy portion of these things is vital, and the filmmakers here manage the important trick of having that moment that elicits a guilty laugh just before something that will make you cringe happens. Govaerts and company tie them together in a neat way that both gives the film a different environment to play in but doesn’t make the villain too omniscient.
“For all that it’s having fun with its mayhem, what elevates CUB a bitover other slasher movies is arguably that it can make find a way to make its cartoon violence and the more realistic thing coexist. There’s a scene cruel and reality-based enough that a certain chunk of the audience will just hate it and check out of the movie in the middle, but I think it underscores that the crap Sam takes (which crosses the line from teasing to outright bullying) is important, and not just a bit of backstory erected that makes his eventual heroics more impressive. That’s pretty important, because having this movie just be vi olence involving kids would be ugly and exploitative, but the movie earns it.
“It’s a lot to put on newcomer Maurice Luijten, but he handles it quite well. We like Sam pretty quick, and Luijten doesn’t overdo it when Sam is being treated like crud. Troubled kids often internalize things, and while that may seem he has to do less, he’s reliably excellent when things have to come out. The older ones are a nice trio as well: Stef Aerts nails the guy who is a lot of fun until he decides you are going to be the target, while Titus De Voogdt is similarly pretty square-on as the leader who seems to have his heart in the right place but turns a blind eye too often. Evelien Bosmans has does a nice job of bringing some maturity out from under an often goofy exterior.
“I do think that in trying to make its point (pun kind of intended), the film rushes and stretches things a bit in the end, but even then, I think CUB deserves a fair amount of credit for aiming higher than ‘one last jolt, whether it makes any sort of sense or not’. It’s still a horror movie built around creative dispatching of characters at heart, but there is certainly at least an attempt to make it mean something. 4.5 cats
“Seen 18 September 2014 in Alamo Stafford South Lamar #5 (Fantastic Fest, DCP)”