Bishop's feature film debut, The Other Side, made the rounds of the festival circuit in 2006, where it earned a well-deserved reputation as being a stand-out movie. And if the filmmaker-with-no-money story hadn't been done to death a decade ago, then maybe we would have heard more about Bishop and The Other Side. But as it stands, even without the hype of Hollywood, it is safe to say that Bishop has managed to take the "you made that for how much" crown that Rodriguez has worn comfortably for 15 years. Now, all that remains to be seen is if this guy can catch a break, and show if the talent exhibited in The Other Side was a once-in-a-lifetime deal, or if he really has the goods.

Effortlessly mixing several genres, including supernatural thriller, action, mystery and romance, The Other Side kicks into a high gear with a terrible car accident. Bishop then goes back in time just far enough to introduce us to the accident victim, Sam North (Nathan Mobley), a recent college graduate who is returning home to Georgia to be with his long-time girlfriend, Hannah (Jaimie Alexander). Having a set a romantic candle-lit dinner by a picturesque waterfall, Sam waits for Hannah to show up at their reunion. But when she is late to arrive, Sam, sitting in his car, starts to worry. Suddenly, from out of the darkness, a van emerges, slamming into Sam's car, pushing it over a cliff into the river below. And this is where things begin to get interesting.

Although he doesn't realize it at first, Sam was killed in the accident, finding himself in Hell. As he struggles to make sense of what is going on, he is caught up in what amounts to a prison-break from the underworld, and he awakes to find himself in the hospital. Sam isn't the only one to escape, several other souls, including Oz (Poncho Hodges) and Mally (Cory Rouse), who commandeer bodies from the hospital morgue, have made it out of the pit of damnation, looking for another chance in the mortal world. The problem is that all the escapees are being pursued by a trio of Reapers, super-powered bounty hunters from Hell determined to retrieve all of the runaway souls. With the Reapers hot on his trail, Sam teams up with Oz and Malley to find out who it was that killed him. But things get more complicated when Sam discovers that Hannah is missing, and that whoever killed him is most likely responsible for her disappearance.

From the very beginning there is never any doubt that The Other Side is a low-budget film. But that doesn't stop the film from being impressive in and of itself. Bishop sets up an interesting premise early on, and executes it with enough competence and efficiency that the film effectively captures your attention from the start. But once Sam awakes in the hospital, having returned from the dead, only to be followed by a great moment in the morgue where a gang of escapees from Hell all sit up in unison, The Other Side pretty much has you hooked. All hell breaks loose--literally--when the Reapers arrive at the hospital and proceed with their killing rampage; and it is hard to believe the film will get much better than that. That's when Bishop throws in the mystery of what has happened to Hannah, and how it all plays into the bigger picture. And, of equal mystery, is the question of what a seemingly innocent guy like Sam was doing in Hell in the first place.

The Other Side would have been an impressive film if it had been shot on digital video for a budget of around $50,000. But, as is revealed in Bishop's tell-all audio commentary, The Other Side was shot on Super-16 millimeter film stock, at a cost of $15,000. That right there, given the scope of what Bishop and his cast and crew pull off, makes The Other Side all the more impressive. The fast-paced story is engaging enough that even though there are a few plot elements that could be called into question, all is pretty much forgiven. This is a film that you want to like, and that counts for a lot.

Since the emergence of Robert Rodriguez, and the ascension of digital video as a viable medium for filmmaking, we have all seen micro-budget films that strive to impress with their ability to do something with practically nothing. Most fail--some more so than others. But Bishop has managed to do more than just something with practically nothing, he has done something special. For what The Other Side pulls of in terms of special effects and stunts alone it deserves kudos. The running leap off a third-floor walkway of a motel into the back of a moving pick-up truck is especially impressive. And in a film with this much action and effects, a less-than-competent cast is almost always a given. But again, Bishop works some serious magic, assembling a solid cast that gives great performances, especially Mobley, Hodges and Rouse, who make an unlikely trio, but have enough individual charisma and group chemistry that they keep the film moving.

By the measure of independent films made for very little money, The Other Side is a good movie. When you study the film, and understand exactly how much was really pulled off and executed, and what the cost actually was, The Other Side goes from being more than just an entertaining little supernatural thriller, and emerges as an incredibly impressive achievement in the world of indie cinema. Clearly, Bishop and his talented cast and crew put a lot of time and energy into making this movie something special, and they succeeded.

Video:
The Other Side is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture is often grainy, and at times is dark, but that is the film itself, and not the result of a bad transfer. The overall picture quality will no doubt bother some people--as will the handheld camera technique--but this is not a film built on the pristine quality of picture, and if that is the sole criteria by which you judge a movie, you won't want to watch this. But if you can get past the image quality, you're in for a treat.

Audio:
The Other Side is presented in 5.1 Surround Sound. The sound mix is very good, made all the more impressive by the fact that most films with budgets this small suffer from inferior sound quality.

Bonus Features:
The Other Side offers a pair of featurettes that are entertaining and informative, but ultimately incredibly frustrating because they are too short. Simply put, "Entering The Other Side" (12 min.) ends way too quickly. Meanwhile, "Visual FX of The Other Side" is a complete tease at a scant 3-minutes. The disappointingly abbreviated featurettes are at least made up for by writer-director Gregg Bishop's commentary track. Bishop manages to address most of the creative and technical questions you could ever think to ask, without ever sounding boring or pretentious.

Final Thoughts:
By the nature of its horror genre roots, The Other Side may not appeal to some audiences. Likewise, the love story that informs Sam's harrowing escape from Hell and quest to find Hannah may not appeal to horror fans. But the film balances itself well, and delivers enough entertainment that it truly deserves consideration. However, for die-hard fans of micro-budget independent films, as well as aspiring and established filmmakers, The Other Side verges on being required viewing, standing out as movie that is entertaining, impressive, and most important, inspiring.