Sound of Addiction | Average Guy Movie Review

A mercenary team - known as the 'Vipers' - is tasked with extracting a young girl named Maria (Tetta Sanders) from a secluded country home, and the cult that resides there. The only problem; the cult have taken their experimentation with recreational drugs a bit far, and the resultant effects have a certain undead quality. 

Sound of Addiction (SOA) - which you can watch below - was inspired by the rise of Fentanyl in the USA and the zombie-like effect it has on its users. It's a horror short with an action twist. From the moment the boys (Jamie Clark, John Mortimore, Aaron Mackenzie, Sam Seeley, Will Bowden) leave the van to begin their approach to the target building there is a sense of eerie foreboding that descends over the film, leaving our heroes feeling oddly exposed. The tension rises slowly. All of which the tight, up close and personal filming style only compliments, with the directors putting the viewer right alongside them.

On top of its creepy, horror vibes, SOA also happens to be a pretty good showcase for the tactics involved in an armed search of a building, not to mention the realities - i.e. the difficulties - of it. If the whole 'Hollywood vs. Reality' discussion interests you, this is definitely something you should check out. Several of the team members are played by former military and police firearms officers who bring a high degree of authenticity, to the banter as much as the tactics. In other words they look, sound and move like a real team. Again, something the tight shooting style compliments. As they work their way through the house it can feel almost claustrophobic, even in the more open areas. Watch out for a beautiful shot of the boys, lit from behind, as they work their way down a dark corridor, clearing rooms as they go.

But this is a zombie flick, so it's not long before the Vipers awaken the cult and things descend into brilliantly choreographed chaos. Almost in an instant tension switches to terror as we come face to face with the residents of this charming country home. Some excellent make-up effects certainly help with the aforementioned terror. The result of a disease that mutated from addicts biting each other to get that extra hit off of someone else's blood to a hunger for human flesh, the cult members explode into action like a nest full of angry (and very hungry) flesh-eating wasps, swarming the team with terrifying fury. It's almost overwhelming. There are times when it feels like there are cult members coming out of the walls, and yet you can't help but be drawn into this nightmare as the team try to fight their way out. 

Sound of Addiction proves to be a fun little action/zombie short. It's action-packed, creepy, intense, and the directors put you right in the middle of the nightmare. 

8/10

You can check out Sound of Addiction below or on YouTube. And don't forget to watch the behind the scenes clips during the end credits.

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