The Void (2016) ***

I first saw The Void (2016) just shy of three years ago and have been meaning to revisit it for some time. My star rating and overall feelings remain the same. The visual references to Hellraiser (1987) (my review here), The Beyond (1981) (my review here), H.P. Lovecraft and John Carpenter films like The Thing (1982) (my review here), Prince Of Darkness (1987) (my review here) and Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) are neat but can be a bit on the nose. Lead Aaron Poole's acting is inconsistent and the writing is a bit tropey, which can undermine the sense of dread at times. On the plus side, barring a few shaky cam scenes and a few that don't pack quite the punch that they need, the look and feel are very solid. The gore and creature f/x are the film's strongest suit—basically all practical, with almost no CGI in sight. That's thanks to Steve Kostanski, who—along with fellow Astron-6 member Jeremy Gillespie—directed this little horror movie that could, which I can't help but admire for its spirit, despite any faults.