The great thing about Spookers is that no one knew what to expect.
Before debuting at the NZ International Film Festival, all viewers knew was that it was a documentary about Auckland's popular horror attraction - and that was all.
We expected horror, laughs and some great behind-the-scenes action. What we got was a surprisingly heartfelt and emotional look into the lives of the cast and crew who work there and their struggles with everything from fitting in to mental health.
Director Florian Habicht's unique vision adds a touch of weirdness to the already pretty bizarre. He interjects facts with fantasy reenactments of the strange dreams some of the Spookersactors have had. This means the documentary vibe is broken up with low-lit and slightly misty interludes of zombies playing rugby or sailing the ocean on a four-poster bed.
It's unusual both in terms of storytelling and aesthetics, but it works well within the realm of the weird and wonderful world that is Spookers.
The film goes into the history of Spookers and shows goes into making the sets and scares convincing. Best of all there's some delightfully creepy footage of the fully made-up actors doing what they do best; scaring the living daylights out of people.
At just 83 minutes, it's an easily digestible piece that shows the scary monsters of Spookers through a much more human lens.
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Cast: The cast and crew of Spookers NZ
Director: Florian Habicht
Running Time: 83 mins
Rating: M (Adult themes)
Verdict: A strange and fanciful yet honest and indepth view of Spookers.
DID YOU KNOW...
Jennifer Lawrence dropped out of another film - The Rosie Project - in order to work with Darren Aronofsky on Mother!, during which time the pair began dating.