My Review Of "Seeds"

"Seeds" is a psychological creature feature directed by Owen Long. The film stars Trevor Long, Andrea Chen, Garr Long, and Kevin Breznahan. It is a blend of gothic melodrama and psychological horror which creates a story as compelling and complicated as it is hard to watch. 

After a night of debauchery spirals out of control, Marcus retreats to his family home along the New England coast. Solitude is disturbed when his brother asks Marcus to look after his estranged nephew and niece. As days pass, solace escapes him; he feels baited by a dark force. Is he losing his mind or has something terrible burrowed deep within him? Incubating. Waiting until the climate is right. Haunted by his deepest fears, Marcus struggles not to succumb as he fights to protect Lily, his beloved niece from a monster that lies in wait.

"Seeds" isn't unique in its style or concept when telling stories like this, surreal melodrama and psychological horror meant to serve as a metaphor for something else. It is creative, and even with such dark, uncomfortable material, the film is often poetic. Right off, I got impressions of classic horror dramas like "Suspiria" and "Possession". Two films that hardly made sense at times, flowed in a dreamscape of confusion and melanchalia, but managed to be captivating and hypnotic.

"Seeds" is filmed beautifully, the characters hang between detached mimics and relatable, tragic beings. I have to admit though that a lot of the film is muddled in aimless grandeur, and it took far too long for a clear story line to emerge. There is also a very real moment when you understand the metaphorical significance, it all becomes predictable, and I wished for the confusion and mesmer to return. 

The horror rests mostly on the psychological elements, more so than the monster aspect. The conflict between ones own morality and propensity for depravity is universal and always relavent. The creature, set aside it's own existence within the film, is menacing when on screen . Strikingly so! Still what I personally wanted was a representation a bit more Lovecraftian, than what I got. 

Overall I left the film being a little split on my feelings. There is so much in this film that is told disturbing, beautiful. The acting is superb, and the creativity can't be denied. But I also wanted a bit more actualized, traditional horror. Still "Seeds" is film worth checking out, and a project worthy of recognition. (3.5/5)