Unrest (2006 film)
Unrest is an independent horror film directed by Jason Todd Ipson and starring Corri English, Scot Davis, Joshua Alba, Jay Jablonski, Marisa Petroro, Derrick O'Connor, and Reb Fleming. It was shown at the horror film festival 8 Films To Die For during the 2006 fall season.
| Unrest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jason Todd Ipson |
| Produced by | Adam Lebovitz Julio Bove Jason Todd Ipson |
| Written by | Chris Billett Jason Todd Ipson |
| Starring | Corri English Scot Davis Joshua Alba Jay Jablonski Marisa Petroro Derrick O'Connor Reb Fleming |
| Cinematography | Michael Fimognari |
| Edited by | Mike Saenz |
| Distributed by | After Dark Films Freestyle Releasing LLC |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
At the 2006 International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival it was awarded Best Picture for Horror, and the lead actress, English, won Best Actress.
Plot
The film revolves around a cadaver who seems to bring misfortune on those who come in contact with it.
Although there is very little corporeal manifestation of the ghosts, people seem to die when they enrage the spirit which is linked with a special cadaver—by disrespecting it or otherwise. The story takes place mostly inside a hospital, where a young medical student, Alison Blanchard, comes to learn anatomy. By observing the cadaver she was assigned, she discovers that the body had self-inflicted wounds and also had a child. She soon discovers that there is something wrong with the cadaver, which they have nicknamed "Norma." Mysterious deaths occur in the hospital, which include the fiancee of one of Allison's team members and several hospital employees.
It is revealed that the cadaver is a person named Alita Covas, who once led an archaeological expedition on an Aztec sacrificial site. There she uncovered 50,000 bodies which were offered to Tlazolteotl, the Aztec god of fertility and prostitution. Afterwards, she herself became a prostitute, and started showing symptoms of mental imbalance. Later in her life, she committed murders and was subsequently put in a mental asylum where she died—presumably by her own hand.
Once Alison learns of the true nature of the cadaver, she decides the corpse must return to Brazil to satisfy the Aztec god. After a series of gruesome events, Alison and her classmate/love interest take Alita's now dismembered corpse and cremate her in the hospital. In the end, Alison heads to Brazil to spread the ashes in an attempt to put the spirit at rest; however, it is suggested in the final scene that the spirit remains in the hospital.
Cast
- Corri English as Alison Blanchard
- Marisa Petroro as Alita Covas
- Ben Livingston as Ivan Verbukh
- Abner Genece as Malcolm Little
- Derrick O'Connor as Dr. Walter Blackwell
- Scot Davis as Brian Cross
- Joshua Alba as Carlos Aclar
- Jay Jablonski as Rick O'Connor
- Reb Fleming as Dr. Carolyn Saltz
- Anna Johnson as Jennifer
- J.C. Cunningham as Medical Records
- Terence Goodman as Officer
- Rhett Willman as Security
Uncredited
- Stefania Barr – Alison Blanchard (10 year old)
- Julio Bove – Psychiatrist
- Mario DeAngelis – EMT-Specialist
- Susan Duerden – Jasmin Blanchard
- Christopher J. Ghhghhh – Medical Student
- Jerry Tracy – Highway Patrolman
Production
The film was shot in a real morgue, where the cast experienced some haunting dreams. The trailer claims that real bodies were used. However, this is not the first film to use real bodies. In the 1982 film Poltergeist, in the scene where the mother falls into the pool and the skeletons attack her, the skeletons used were real, and were buried in the spot of the set. Likewise, in the 1987 Hong Kong film Men Behind the Sun, a genuine child's body was used for an autopsy scene.