Mikes Film Talk

Protanopia (2024) feels a little like raw Rob Zombie, hold the humour. (Think House of a 1000 Corpses on acid. I am not talking about plot here, but filming style.) Matthew Mahler writes and directs this offering. The just over one hour film presents itself as a tense and grim take on horror. It is about a “special” house and its pull on the current inhabitant; Alan Roscoe Jr (Played to perfection by Timothy J Cox) who is a deeply disturbed fellow.

Protanopia means colourblind

This film starts with the disappearance of a young woman. We see her running in the dark. Her brother starts dreaming of Alan’s house. A detective questions the brother; Luke (Anthony Carey) and we are treated to the sight of Roscoe Jr cutting his grass in a bathrobe. He finds mutilated remains in the lawn. Reaching into his robe pocket he collects the fly covered animal.

Alan then feeds the thing to his house.

Fast forward to what appears to be the monthly meeting of the neighborhood watch group. Alan is uncomfortable with his new role as President. Janice (Paula Mahler) is a b***h.

As the film progresses Luke’s dreams become nightmares and Alan becomes more unhinged. *By the film’s end, I never found a connection to colourblindness. Although, there is the use of red and green filters in some scenes and this could be the meaning behind the title.*

Where do we go from here

Protanopia does have some splendid moments. There is a scene with Alan Sr that, barring the overlong expositional moment, that is definitely creepy. There is another where Luke is trying to run down the hall. The FX used were spot on and anyone whoever had one of those “running dreams” were literally in Luke’s shoes at that moment.

Cox holds Protanopia together. His journey as Alan Jr runs the gamut. He even manages to make this disturbed and driven man an object of sympathy. Carey pulls his weight as the brother trying to find answers. And Paula Mahler manages to make us hate her the moment she goes into the house.

However.

To be honest, this was not quite my cup of tea.

But.

This was clearly a labour of love. Mahler puts himself into his work/passion. I loved To Be Alone (2017) with its up close and personal look at death and grief. There were things that I really liked about Protanopia, just not enough to make me a fan. Unfortunately, the movie is slow. The one hour 13 minute run time felt much longer. I literally had to take breaks. *Although to be fair, this is more of a “me” problem. Everything I have been watching lately moves at “trotting” speed vs walking.*

Raw Zombie VS Rob Zombie

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, there is a semblance of Rob Zombie going on here. I hasten to add, again, not in terms of plot but the shooting style and visuals made me think of Zombie, in the raw. And with no humour. I am a self-confessed fan, although after The Devil’s Rejects, the bloom has sort of fallen off that rose.

While I did not fall hard for Protanopia it still earns a 3.5 stars out of 5. A lot of work went into this film and it shows. It just did not move me. I am a nut about horror films, have been since those old Hammer days, but this offering left me cold.

It is worth checking out though. The performances of Cox and Carey almost demand it. Kudos to John Mahler as Alan Roscoe Sr; you really put the wind up with that piano scene.

Trailer

Watch the trailer and see what you think. The most important part of any review is to leave it to the viewer/reader. Do not take my word for it, watch it to see if it floats your boat.