‘Hostile Dimensions’ Review – Multi-Dimensions Are Played For Laughs, Charm And Some Thrills

Any time one watches a film with found footage, instinctively, the thought goes to The Blair Witch Project. The low-budget masterpiece, which kicked off a new subgenre in the horror domain, remains a seminal film partly for its scares and thrills and effectiveness at utilizing a first-person perspective to tell a story. Writer/director Graham Hughes clearly has The Blair Witch Project in mind in his new film Hostile Dimensions. The film begins with two people investigating an abandoned building in the woods and setting their sights on spray painting it with graffiti. However, everything goes to hell quite quickly when artist Emily (Josie Rogers) stumbles upon a freestanding door in the middle of the derelict building and seemingly goes missing. What follows is a documentary-style approach to discovering what happened to Emily, the cause of the door, and an exploration into multi-dimensions.

After Emily goes missing, two filmmakers, Ash (Joma West) and Sam (Annabel Logan), discover the footage of Emily’s disappearance. During this time, they take possession of the freestanding door and find it leads to other dimensions once opened. It is a portal into another world; think The Chronicles of Narnia meets The Blair Witch Project. The doors lead to infinite worlds, some similar to ours, while others are inverted multiplexes of chaos and bizarre creatures. Ultimately, Ash and Sam join forces with Professor Innis ((Paddy Kondracki). In a Doc Brown-esque way, he provides a conduit for their exploration of these universes and alternate dimensions. The trio plunges into these other words; the three hope to uncover what happened to Emily and the source of these infernal gateways.

Despite the film’s finite budget, Hostile Dimensions utilizes its shortcomings quite well. An in-camera approach provides an in-the-room feeling without further expositions or elaborate setups. When these other dimension creatures cross paths with the characters, the shaky cam and quick shots dilute any hokey vibes. Even the reliance on limited practical effects gives the scope a kitschy approach that, in any other context, might come off as hamstrung. These elements work because of the zany nature of the story. The creatures recall aspects of Stranger Things right down to the squid-like tentacles that appear in various forms, including a walking stuffed panda.

The movie is almost surreal after the shock of the opening when Emily disappears. This effect could partly stem from the film’s shoestring budget, but it also creates an element of fun. The film’s ability to not take itself too seriously gives it a certain airiness. Clearly, everyone involved is having a blast, and Hughes’s imagination is boundless. There is the talking head of the dog. Giants populate another world. One portal even leads to a demonic playpen. It is wild! If you can imagine it, create it, and the characters take that to heart.

The film’s tone shifts early on. At the start, there is a sense this could be a thriller or horror-esque, but the first act makes it clear this film will stay in a land of silliness. The lack of seriousness is never a detriment. The film generally keeps it together from beginning to end. The third act is the weakest point of the story, and it suffers from an overabundance of explanation and convolution. The movie does an admiral job keeping the audience engaged with hilarious twists that are never twists in the conventional sense but more to keep the audience wide-eyed.

Hostile Dimensions is unlikely to develop a following, cult or otherwise. Still it is an entertaining romp that, with a bigger and tighter budget, might have something profound to say.

Hostile Dimensions is currently playing in select theaters and is available on Digital platforms courtesy of Dark Sky Films.