Nothing Left to Fear (2013)

(aka The Went Down to Stull, Kansas.)
Release Date: On VOD & DVD now.
Country: USA.
Written by: Jonathan W.C. Mills.
Directed by: Anthony Leonardi III
Starring: Rebekah Brandes, Anne Heche, James Tupper, Ethan Peck and Clancy Brown.

So Slash from Guns n' Roses fame is producing Horror flicks now, eh? Well, he can play the guitar like The Devil, so I guess we have to at least take a look at his foray into film, because creativity is creativity, right?

Nothing Left to Fear is one of those "based on a true story" movies, when it's really more of a "based on a local Urban Legend that isn't true at all" type of thing.

The Urban Legend in question is the one about Stull, Kansas, and how an old, dilapidated Church in their cemetery is supposedly a Gateway to Hell... we'll get into that a bit more in The Downright Horrendous section.

Pastor Dan and his ex-lesbian wife (Anne Heche) are moving across the Country to Stull, Kansas, not only because he's about to take over the Church congregation there, but apparently because God told them to. Stull is a quaint little berg inhabited by all kinds of nice and neighborly folk, all of whom are willing to lend a hand and extend every courtesy to their new Pastor. Of course they are.

"Aaw shucks, mam, it's our pleasure!"

Their sinfully hot daughter, Rebecca, isn't looking forward to small town life at all, and sets to moping around and looking all forlorn and discontented... until she she's a local boy (Noah) who sets her loins all ablaze! She and Noah become fast friends, and it soon becomes apparent that she wants him to deliver a sermon of his own unto her vagina.

In the country, no one can hear you scream.

After Rebecca's little sister Mary eats a piece of cake and finds a tooth in it, things start to get weird for the family, and Stull starts to become a real scary place, filled with weird and scary things. I won't reveal any more about the plot of this one here, because I'm really not in the mood to, but suffice it to say that aside from the last 20 minutes or so of this movie, it could have been called Nothing Much to Fear Here, Folks, and it would have been dead on.

Yeah, hi there Anne Heche. Thanks for barely scaring us at all.

Nothing Left to Fear was a well made movie, that played mostly like a movie of the week on the Lifetime Movie Network. That's not to say that it sucked or anything, but that it felt tame and Horror-less for most of its running time. I was actually surprised when things began to get creepy and tense towards the end, because i never thought the film was going to go there. When it did, it was pretty engaging.

The movie also has a great cast who all do their jobs well, especially the multi-talented Clancy Brown, who is always fun to watch, especially when he plays creeps. Rebekah Brandes was a total revelation to us, and not only did she look crazy hot in this one, but she handled herself pretty well on the acting front. We almost forgot Anne Heche was still an actor before seeing her in this, because, where's she been?

Creeping Death.

This move spent way too much time on the blossoming romance between Rebecca and Noah. Not only was Noah about as emotionally appealing as a piece of wood, but even if he had been Casanova, who cares? We're here for the Horror, not 72 minutes of courtin' and a lovin'. That whole sub-plot really killed a lot of the momentum that the movie could have had, as it got pretty interesting in the final reel... once the romantic walks and such were all over with.

Also, here we go with that frigging black-eyed, elongated mouth/features screaming thing again! Can we please just stop it with that shit already? Too many movies lately are doing it, it's not scary, and it looks like cheap CGI (because it is) to boot. 

We get it. You're scary.

I truly feel bad for the poor people of Stull, Kansas, because this whole "Gateway to Hell" thing must be hellish and annoying for them. Stull is a small town that has about 30 residents, and they are constantly bombarded by Paranormal fanatics who come to their town, all to see the haunted cemetery, and I don't know, hope to see Satan or something?

It's not real, people. It's a story meant to stir your imagination, which it seems to be doing pretty well. You wanna believe in it? Fine. Sit in your rooms and get creeped out about the whole thing, but stop going to Stull and defiling the place where these people bury their dead. THEIR DEAD. You know, like family members and loved ones, and such.

It's just fucking embarrassing. *For the people who go there, I mean, because adults should know better. 

Like sheep they came to Stull, and yet no one was waiting there to slit their throats for them, and save our ears from their nonsensical bleating.

There's not a lot of blood and gore in this one, although we do get to see the execution of a sheep. So, there's that.

Cotton-Neck never realized how ironic his name truly was, until the moment that the kindly farmer who had raised him from a lamb, slit his throat and let him bleed out all over the hay.

Nope, and what an absolute waste of Rebekah Brandes' sexy potential. That girl is smoking hot.

Anne Heche is still pretty hot. Also, the poor people of Stull, Kansas put up with too much BS over this whole "Gateway to Hell" thing.

Of course we want a hug, Anne Heche.

 

Nothing Left to Fear would have been a way better Horror movie had it focused more on Horror, as opposed to giving us so much small town drama/burgeoning romance in the early going. Once the Horror elements kicked in though, this was a pretty decent watch for the most part.

There's nothing new or particularly great going on in this one, but it's not a bad way to waste 90 minutes or so, especially if you aren't real picky. We kinda expected something a little more twisted though, seeing as Slash produced this one. Oh well. Maybe next time.

C

I don't know how in the hell we've never noticed this Rebekah Brandes before now, but I sincerely apologize, because, wow.