I was rather surprised when I heard that director Francis Ford Coppola was returning to his horror movie roots with his newest project, “Twixt.” Even more surprising was that this film was going to be released direct to video. After all, Coppola is the celebrated director of “The Godfather Trilogy”, “Apocalypse Now”, and “The Outsiders.” Oh…. But then he also helmed “Jack”, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “Captain Eo.”
“Twixt” aptly focuses on a once famous horror novelist, Hal Baltimore (Val Kilmer), who is at the tail end of his career. Having embarked on a book tour for his latest novel, we are introduced to Hal as he enters a small, out of the way town to set up for a signing. Setting up a table in the local hardware store, he quickly finds himself overwhelmed by absolutely nobody. Enter the town sheriff (Bruce Dern), whose purchase of a book serves as an opening to collaborate on a novel that he wants to write about the murder of a local girl.
Needing something new to get him back on top, Hal agrees and sets up shop in a rundown motel. There he prepares with some Irish Whiskey and sleeping pills. Oh, that’s right… I forgot to mention his ideas come from his dreams. Yup…. his dreams.
So there you are. We have a murder, an author who dreams about conversations with Edgar Allen Poe (Ben Chaplin), a surreal and eclectic small town, Emo Goth kids and for the most part no discernible direction for the story. I’d tell you more about the plot, but truth be told, I’m not sure what else happened. It was that disjointed. It was as if the film was never properly edited, which may be the case as Coppola had planned to tour with the film, taking it into theaters and editing it ‘live’ while audiences watched. This never came to be and in watching this mess, one might be led to believe it was finally given a Blu-ray release simply to accommodate some contractual obligation.
The audio and video presentations are spotty at best. Some parts of the film look crystal clear, while others spots seem muddy. Inconsistent would be the proper word to use here.
I have long been a fan of Coppola’s better works, and I had hoped to find something new and exciting here with this re-entry into the horror genre. Sad to say, “Twixt” is better left in the bargain bin.
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, Elle Fanning
Extras: Twixt – A Documentary by Gia Coppola
Release Date: 7/23/2013
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.twixtmovie.com/
