I kind of took a break from writing reviews over this last weekend. I decided to get out for a bit, so that has put me slightly behind in getting reviews done. I still have three more reviews to catch up with after this one. I feel like I should step up the pace, but I know if I rush things then I won't want to write. Anyway, I got another review done at my other blog for the movie Candie's Harem, so check it out when you get the chance. I'm almost done with reviews from the convention, just one more after this one. I managed to miss Dane Granger (2016), I got called away, but a friend of mine got the DVD and let me borrow it, so I get to review it after all.
Dane (Frankie McKay) has had a hard life, When she was a young girl, her father ended up killing her older brother and himself. Later in life, her mother committed suicide. Dane eventually left her hometown, but now she is back for a funeral. Her old flame, Grace (Linda Schrader), still lives in town and still has feelings for Dane. Grace's family doesn't want her having anything to do with Dane though, as they don't approve of the lifestyle. Dane has recently started seeing her parents and wants to hurt people. Seeing Grace again, and getting mixed signals from her, is just adding to Dane's problems. Will she be able to fix her problems, or succumb to her desires?
From what I was told, Frankie McKay and co-directors Bryan Jolliffe and Stephanie Hensley, who was also the writer, was on hand for the screening. After I got to watch Dane Granger, I was a little surprised that it showed up at a horror film festival. The film does have some horror elements, but I wouldn't give it a horror tag. Not that it is listed as one anyway. The horror elements have to do with Dane seeing her mom and dad. Especially her dad who's face looks demonic almost. Of course if my dad killed my brother, I would probably view him in an evil way as well. I thought maybe something scary would happen with him because he seemed to show up at times when something bad could happen. Nothing ever really does though, and all he does is just kind of stand there. Not that having your father kill your brother isn't stuff horror movies are made of. I'm not sure if it is ever explained if Dane is really seeing ghosts or if it is just in her head. Since she is taking some kind of pill, I assumed it was just one of her many problems. For what Dane Granger is though, it isn't a bad film. IMDb lists the films as a romance and thriller. I would call it more or a drama than anything else. The best thing about this film was the character Dane Granger. She is a pretty interesting character with all the hardships she has had to deal with, and still dealing with. The character is fairly fleshed out, so you get a good feel for her. I was a bit confused over Grace. One minute she is telling Dane how much she loves her, the next minute Grace is showing up with the guy she is engaged to and looking pretty smug about it. A very weird relationship. My main problem with the film is I kept waiting for something to scary to happen, and of course that never happens. I can't really blame the movie for that since it isn't meant to be a horror film.
There are some minor effects to be found here. The demonic looking face the dad has most of the film and slit wrists are all that will be found. The acting wasn't bad at all. Some of the minor characters weren't great, but that is to be expected for a low budget film. Frankie McKay and Linda Schrader are pretty good in their roles, especially McKay. Since the story revolves around McKay, it was nice to see that she could handle the role well. It wasn't a perfect performance, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
If I remember right, it says in the credits that the story is based on a book called Dane Granger Reborn, which I believe was written by Hensley. Overall I did enjoy the movie, even if it wasn't a horror film. It is a good story with Dane trying to figure life out and coming to terms with things in her life. I'm not going to suggest looking this film up to any horror friends, but if you are into this kind of film, Dane Granger could be worth a look for you. It has a pretty good story to it, doesn't matter to me if the lead character is a lesbian or not, it is still a good story.
3 out of 5 I'm glad I don't have that many problems
Dane (Frankie McKay) has had a hard life, When she was a young girl, her father ended up killing her older brother and himself. Later in life, her mother committed suicide. Dane eventually left her hometown, but now she is back for a funeral. Her old flame, Grace (Linda Schrader), still lives in town and still has feelings for Dane. Grace's family doesn't want her having anything to do with Dane though, as they don't approve of the lifestyle. Dane has recently started seeing her parents and wants to hurt people. Seeing Grace again, and getting mixed signals from her, is just adding to Dane's problems. Will she be able to fix her problems, or succumb to her desires?
From what I was told, Frankie McKay and co-directors Bryan Jolliffe and Stephanie Hensley, who was also the writer, was on hand for the screening. After I got to watch Dane Granger, I was a little surprised that it showed up at a horror film festival. The film does have some horror elements, but I wouldn't give it a horror tag. Not that it is listed as one anyway. The horror elements have to do with Dane seeing her mom and dad. Especially her dad who's face looks demonic almost. Of course if my dad killed my brother, I would probably view him in an evil way as well. I thought maybe something scary would happen with him because he seemed to show up at times when something bad could happen. Nothing ever really does though, and all he does is just kind of stand there. Not that having your father kill your brother isn't stuff horror movies are made of. I'm not sure if it is ever explained if Dane is really seeing ghosts or if it is just in her head. Since she is taking some kind of pill, I assumed it was just one of her many problems. For what Dane Granger is though, it isn't a bad film. IMDb lists the films as a romance and thriller. I would call it more or a drama than anything else. The best thing about this film was the character Dane Granger. She is a pretty interesting character with all the hardships she has had to deal with, and still dealing with. The character is fairly fleshed out, so you get a good feel for her. I was a bit confused over Grace. One minute she is telling Dane how much she loves her, the next minute Grace is showing up with the guy she is engaged to and looking pretty smug about it. A very weird relationship. My main problem with the film is I kept waiting for something to scary to happen, and of course that never happens. I can't really blame the movie for that since it isn't meant to be a horror film.
There are some minor effects to be found here. The demonic looking face the dad has most of the film and slit wrists are all that will be found. The acting wasn't bad at all. Some of the minor characters weren't great, but that is to be expected for a low budget film. Frankie McKay and Linda Schrader are pretty good in their roles, especially McKay. Since the story revolves around McKay, it was nice to see that she could handle the role well. It wasn't a perfect performance, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
If I remember right, it says in the credits that the story is based on a book called Dane Granger Reborn, which I believe was written by Hensley. Overall I did enjoy the movie, even if it wasn't a horror film. It is a good story with Dane trying to figure life out and coming to terms with things in her life. I'm not going to suggest looking this film up to any horror friends, but if you are into this kind of film, Dane Granger could be worth a look for you. It has a pretty good story to it, doesn't matter to me if the lead character is a lesbian or not, it is still a good story.
3 out of 5 I'm glad I don't have that many problems
