Review by Jon Donnis
The Tank follows the tale of a young family who inherit a stunning, if neglected, stretch of Oregon coastline including a gorgeous old house. Ben (Matt Whelan) and Jules (Luciane Buchanan), a young couple and their young daughter Reia (Zara Nausbaum), are astonished to discover that Ben's late mother left them it all in a will because she never once mentioned the property. The property is next to the magnificent Pacific and has spectacular vistas, beautiful natural lighting, and of course, an overzealous agent trying to convince the couple to sell even though the house and infrastructure have been neglected for years. Unfortunately, there are some very old, sinister secrets attached to the property.
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Ben and Jules are welcomed by an estate agent with a sizable offer for the property before they even have a chance to recover from the hike out to the magnificent but dilapidated sight. Ben later finds a hidden hatch on the property that unlocks The Tank while he is trying to collect his thoughts as he is strolling the grounds. An intricate network of aqueducts, valves, and underground tunnels may be found inside. Ben, who tends to be curious of such things, observes that the tank is broken. He chooses to attempt to fix and restart the broken device because he quite skilled at the old DIY. By doing this, he awakens a dark power that has lain dormant inside The Tank for a while.
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The Tank is your classic creature feature. A serious horror film that relies on suspense and tension more than it does on fancy special effects and a big budget.
There are plenty of moments where you will find yourself shouting at the screen, telling them to look out, or run. And that is often part of the fun of such films.
Although a little long at 1 hour and 40 including credits and an end credit scene you should stick around to watch, the film chugs along at a decent pace, the story is fine, if not ground breaking, and the "creature" effects are decent.
I worry sometimes that when you have seen as many horror films as I have, if you are missing out on some things because you have pretty much seen it all before, so not much will shock you. Even jump scares these days barely raise my eye brow. But this film makes a decent effort, so I will give them credit for that.
Matt Whelan puts in a strong performance as Ben, and Luciane Buchanan as Jules does an impressive job, in what I believe is her first full length film?
Filmed in New Zealand, so you know you will get some great scenery too.
The Good
An exciting and dramatic last half hour, that builds up perfectly.
Strong performance from Matt Whelan.
Good visual effects on the creature.
The Bad
The film is a little long, and takes a while to get going as they set up the backstory of the characters.
Overall
A decent creature feature that deserves your attention if you are a fan of the genre, this is no comedy horror, this is a proper traditional horror film with an unknown creature stalking its victims.
I enjoyed The Tank, even if the name of the film is a bit dumb.
I score The Tank a strong 7.5/10
Out now on Digital https://apple.co/3VhUXMw
