The Horror Zine
The Orbs
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The Horror Zine Review

The Orbs

A Film by Jesse Knight

Director: Jesse H Knight
Actors: Patrick G Keenan, Christy Johnson, David Joy
Studio: Jesse Knight Films (JK::Films)
Format: HD
Language: English
Release Date: 2013
Run Time: 71 minutes

The Orbs

Fillm Still

The Orbs

A Film by Jesse Knight

Review by C. Dennis Moore

As soon as I saw the promo material for Jesse Knight’s movie THE ORBS, I knew it was the movie for me. The bright green floating ball of light, the tagline, “I’ve seen you see them.” Yeah, I’m there.

Wilbur and his wife Lorraine live in the middle of nowhere, spending their days in a booze-filled haze of disrespect and disgruntlement. These two can’t stand each other, but have resigned themselves to their fate nonetheless. As long as the whiskey and cigarettes don’t run out, that is.

Lorraine remains holed up in the bedroom, downing her “medicine” with the help of her amber friend while Wilbur rattles on conspiracy theories about his time in the space program on an internet pod cast.

Wilbur claims he was once a part of the space program after it went secret and, through flashbacks, we discover his mission was to scout the wreckage of Apollo 20 and try to discover why it crashed. While approaching the moon, his ship comes into contact with the orbs. Twenty-four hours later, he’s on his way back to earth with no memory of anything that happened to him in the last day.

Meanwhile, in the present, Lorraine claims to have made some new friends.  Wilbur insists she’s imagining things—or making them up—and that she’s talking to herself because there’s nothing there.

Conspiracy theories and secrets abound in this story that questions reality and the reliability of memory.

Patrick G. Keenan and Christy Johnson are the main cast and, other than a brief flashback, the only characters we see. Keenen had a little trouble making the dialogue sound convincing, but I don’t think that’s his fault, necessarily, there were just some parts that were simply over-written, especially during the sarcastic exchanges between the spouses. His quieter moments are when he was most believable. 

Johnson, on the other hand, plays an alcoholic bitch perfectly. She’s bitter, argumentative, and condescending in equal measure and she makes herself very hard to like. Which, I assume, was the intention.

While it took some getting into, in the end, THE ORBS is a very interesting movie with some well-executed ideas. Not the most original concept, but it’s a concept I’ve always loved, and personally I never get tired of it, no matter how many variations on a theme I see. THE ORBS is no different. It is a solid story with a solid foundation and, in the end, the material is handled well, resulting in a very rewarding experience.

Would I watch it again? Considering how it ends, absolutely. I think the nature of this story lends itself well to repeated viewings just so you can try to spot all the details you missed the first time. In fact, I think a second viewing would only serve to heighten the suspense level because for the majority of the movie, things are played so close to the chest, there are secrets we don’t even know are secrets until much later. And as a UFO junkie I’m always excited to see another take on the subject, especially one as well-conceived as this.

See more about the movie HERE

About the Filmmaker

Jesse Knight

Jesse Knight has been an active filmmaker since 1995 when he made his first film at the North Carolina School of the Arts during its Filmmaking Summer Immersion Program.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Broadcasting and Cinema Masters Program he continues to make films while teaching at the College level.

In 2009 he began Jesse Knight Films and has been servicing production needs of Western North Carolina and the surrounding area. He especially enjoys creating feature films, episodic series and music videos.

About the Reviewer

C. Dennis Moore

C Dennis Moore

C. Dennis Moore is the author of over 60 published short stories and novellas in the speculative fiction genre. Most recent appearances were in the Vile Things anthology, Fiction365.com, Dark Highlands 2, What Fears Become, Dead Bait 3 and Dark Highways. His novel, Revelations, is available in hardcover, trade paperback or ebook formats from Necro Publications. His most recent novel is The Third Floor.