VOD Review: Digging Up the Marrow (2015)

(aka The Ray Wise Show.)
Release Date: February 20th.
Country: USA.
Rating: NR.
Written & Directed by: Adam Green.
Starring: Ray Wise, Adam Green, Will Barratt, and Josh Ethier.

As gory and over the top as Adam Green's Hatchet movies were, we were expecting Digging Up the Marrow to be cut from the same cloth; after all, it's a movie about deformed monsters, so isn't it reasonable to expect that maybe those monsters would rip some people apart or something?

Unfortunately, this is not the kind of  movie where monsters rip people apart.

Writer/Director Adam Green loves monsters. In fact he loves them so much, that not only does he want them to be real, but he's determined to prove that they are. When he receives some crazy fan mail from a guy who claims that monsters are real, and that he can prove it, Adam jumps on the chance to finally prove that he's right.

HE TALKED TOO MUCH.

The guy, Willian Dekker, tells Adam about a place called The Marrow; a place where the deformities and rejects of our world go to live amongst each other, have families, and just be happy. The Marrow is underground, and it's really hard to find an entrance to the place, but Dekker knows where one is, and he's always watching it. He also might be insane, which is probably not good for Adam or his safety.

SHIT JUST GOT REAL.

Dekker invites Adam and his cameraman out into the woods at night (of course) to watch the entrance to The Marrow with him, and Adam can't resist the chance to exploit the guy, all while treating him like he's some sort of loon... because Adam is a bit of a dick. From that point on, things get crazy and creepy.

MAYBE HE JUST WANTS TO BE FRIENDS?

Watching Digging Up the Marrow was a pretty enjoyable experience for us. It's a bit of a laid back movie, with most of it involving people talking rather than doing all that much. The way that it laid a foundation for the whole "there are monsters among us" premise though was fun, and at times, and even a bit creepy. The Mockumentary style that Adam Green used for this one gave him a lot of freedom to make things feel more real and natural, even including interviews with other Genre talent to bring that point home.

When we did get some action involving the creatures that live in The Marrow, it was pretty effective and unsettling. The creature designs were pretty spectacular, and even though you only get to seem them a few times, and some of them only in quick flashes, they felt real and threatening. We especially liked the dude with the pumpkin sack on his head. He was creepy.

Aside from its fun premise, the thing that really carried this movie was the performance of Ray Wise. That guy is a fantastic actor who can go from crazy to broken-hearted to scary, with ease, and he does so all throughout the movie. Above all else, he's fun to watch, as his absolute deadpan delivery makes for some great darkly comedic moments and scenes... and its self-aware, tongue-in-cheek vibe is what really makes the movie so enjoyable.

WHERE'S LAURA PALMER, RAY?

Adam Green is not the best actor, and playing opposite of someone as talented as Ray Wise, it really shows. The way he plays himself as a kind of asshole-ish jerk probably didn't help things very much.

WHY IS HE SUCH A SMARMY LITTLE D-BAG IN THIS MOVIE?

What was with that ending? We're not going to spoil the final scene for you, but the way that it built and built, and them ended in such a "Huh?!?" kind of way, was disappointing. We still can't figure out what was "screamed" either.

EVEN THIS SWEET OLD COUPLE WAS BAFFLED BY THE ENDING.

Digging Up the Marrow is a gore-free endeavor, though it does boast some really great creature designs, both physically and on paper.

MONGOLOID OUT OF NOWHERE!

A quick shot of a girl sleeping in her panties, but that's it.

Don't ever try to "dig up the marrow." Also, maybe don't trust crazy old men who beg you to come into the dark woods with them at night to look for "monsters." We did, and we've been in therapy since we were 8-years-old because of our naivety.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!

Fans of Adam Green will most likely love Digging Up the Marrow, as you can plainly see that it was a labor of love for him to make this movie. The premise may feel cheesy, but the way that Green lets it unfold, along with the excellent performance of Ray Wise, makes it a good kind of cheesy. It's not perfect, and it certainly could have "done more" with its exciting premise, but it's definitely enjoyable enough to give it a rent on VOD.

B-

Digging Up the Marrow is available now on VOD, and will hit Blu-ray & DVD on March 24th.

Rileah Vanderbilt is in this.