Heyfever

A hay fever pandemic is taking place and three friends find their lives endangered.

High levels of pollen are causing cases of hay fever to rise at an alarming rate. Aware of this, three young friends go for a camping trip in the countryside. These guys are Shawn (Richardson), Scotty (Roberts) and Paddy (Skates) and they spend their time in the outdoors telling stories, having a drink, building a campfire, playing some football and just generally having fun. However, their enjoyable break in nature comes to an abrupt end when they encounter a photographer (Hall), who has been exposed to the deadly disease and by coming into contact with him, the three of them might end up catching it themselves.

This hour-long horror movie was inspired by Cabin Fever (2002) and The Evil Dead (1981) and it shows. Heyfever bears similarities with these two horror films, as the plot also revolves around individuals being stranded in an isolated location and dealing with a deadly threat and in this case, that threat is a substance that causes victims to cough blood and worse.

The story begins the indication that something is seriously wrong and then moves on to the three friends as they enjoy themselves. Things turn nasty and gory with the arrival of the photographer and from then on there is mayhem, with a great deal of blood, hand-to-hand fighting and people being violently killed. The only thing that matters is survival and Shawn and his two friends desperately try to achieve that. Shawn is the main character and as the narrative progresses, he is forced to resort to violence in order to survive, eventually turning into a sort of warrior.

The production value indicates that the budget was tight. The blood and the makeup do not look very realistic, however that does not stop them from being gruesome. Characters have their lives ended in a variety of nasty ways and the gore is plenty. The image appears scratched and damaged, which is not a bad thing as it helps create a dark atmosphere. The point-of-view shots are well-executed.

Regarding the audio, the sinister music is a positive addition and the song Hay Fever by The Kinks was a great choice.

This is an outbreak survival horror feature that will most likely appeal to fans of flicks such as The Evil Dead and Cabin Fever. The film does have its flaws, which include poor acting, nevertheless horror enthusiasts will probably appreciate the intriguing plot, the gory scenes and the feelings of dread.