11-11-11 - DVD

Movie: After his wife and son are killed in a fire set by a crazed fan, writer Joseph Crone (Timothy Gibbs) is in danger of falling apart over this loss. Then, when he himself is in a car accident, his life seems to be in ruins for good. Especially since Joseph has to fear that he is slowly but surely losing his mind. Because he feels increasingly haunted by the number 11. Not only did his mother, then his wife and his son die on 11.11, but he also had his car accident at 11:11. No wonder he feels threatened by the approaching 11.11.2011. When his brother Samuel (Michael Landes) asks him to join him in Barcelona to witness their dying father in his final hours, the strange events begin to pile up. Samuel seems to be directly affected by what is about to happen on 11/11/11. And so Joseph sets out to find clues in order to solve the mystery in time, always moving right to the edge of insanity.

With 11-11-11 director Darren Lynn Bousman wanted to try himself after his very bloody Saw films and the no less brutal Mother's Day once on rather quiet horror, whereby he has oriented himself to his great role models, the Polanski films Rosemarys Baby or The tenant. Unfortunately, he can't live up to these models at all. The mystery thriller, which was shot with a mini-budget in Barcelona, creates a decent creepy atmosphere due to the atmospheric locations. And also the actors do a decent job. The film struggles with entirely different problems.

There's the fact that the script doesn't really offer much. The story could have easily been told in 45 minutes and would probably have been much more effective in a condensed form. But even that could be overlooked if the moments of suspense could be convincing. But unfortunately especially these suffered from the many problems Bousman was confronted with during this production. Whether communication problems with the Spanish crew especially with regard to the appearance of the demonic apparitions, the lack of budget and the tight schedule have left clear traces. Especially the finale lost a lot of potential because of that.

On closer inspection, however, it must be said that Bousman has made the most of what was available to him at many moments. He himself admits in the audio commentary that if he had the chance to do the film over again, he would do a lot of things differently, but overall is proud of the film. That actually sums it up quite well: for its problematic genesis, which included an unfinished version of the film making the rounds on the web and providing the basis for many scathing reviews, the flick actually turned out surprisingly well. Admittedly, most viewers won't care much about the backstory and will therefore only see the flaws, which is a real shame. Because underneath its somewhat bumpy and at times unintentionally comical surface, 11-11-11 has potential that, under different circumstances, could have turned this rather bland horror tale into a really strong shocker.

Picture + Sound: The picture has a very atmospheric color scheme to offer. Black levels are a little overdone at times, causing some detail to be lost in the darker scenes, although sharpness is intrinsically at a good level even at such moments. The sound has some good sound effects to offer, but otherwise remains rather quiet in keeping with the action. In the DTS mix, the dialogues sound a little more powerful, otherwise both German soundtracks are equally on a good level.

Extras: The best thing about the DVD is not the main feature, but the audio commentary by Darren Lynn Bousman and his wife Laura, who was a producer on the film. Right at the beginning, Bousman reveals that he hesitated for a long time whether to voice this commentary at all. It's a good thing he decided to, because it's rare to hear a filmmaker speak so candidly about his own bad decisions, problems on the set, with critics who pulled an unfinished version of the film off the net, about expectations falsely raised among fans by marketing, and about his own disappointments. Additionally, it's very interesting to hear what Bousman actually considers to be the big twist at the end and why he feels that bad decisions on his part led to the audience not being able to see it. Unfortunately, there are no subtitles to go with the rather quietly mixed commentary, so only those with a good command of English will be able to enjoy it, which, despite some lengthy pauses, is much more exciting than the actual film.

Much more conciliatory is Bousman's 24-minute look behind the scenes. The most worthwhile part here is the history of the house where filming took place, which Bousman has already touched on in the commentary. He actually nailed it there: the true story of the house would have actually made for much scarier and more suspenseful material. And regardless of whether the whole thing is staged or not, there's a moment at the end that really sends a cold shiver down your spine - and that's something you rarely have in a making of.

Finally, there are some cut scenes, as well as the trailer for the film and more programming tips from the provider. Good!

Conclusion: 11-11-11 could have been a very good and atmospheric horror thriller. The atmospheric locations in Barcelona and the solid acting actors are a testament to the potential that was not realized here due to a budget that was too low, some bad decisions by the director and other production problems. In the end, the film is nowhere near as bad as its reputation and offers a few decent moments of suspense. But just because the promotional slogan From the Director of SAW II - IV suggests something completely different, the rather quiet, bloodless mystery thriller will have a rather hard time finding an enthusiastic audience. But if you like to be creeped out in a completely unspectacular way, can overlook some weaknesses in the staging and don't mind the somewhat disappointing finale, you'll at least get some pretty solid mystery suspense.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp