Review: Prince of the Crimson Void

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet, unless indicated

Prince of the Crimson Void
Directed by Dakota Ray
R.A. Productions
58 minutes, 2022
https://dakotarayfilmmaker.wordpress.com/

In his ninth film (I think I have reviewed all of them), Denver's auteur filmmaker / writer / absinthe guzzler Dakota Ray happily strikes again with his newest opus. And, as always, he and his instantly recognizably idiosyncratic, gravelly deep voice and a monochrome filter (this time red) presents another tale of depravity.

As usual, Ray plays the lead character, in this case Fabian, who is a serial killer, drug user, and absinthe drinker (the film uses real absinthe, since Ray is a connoisseur of the beverage). His world is full of death and delusion, of evil and self-glorification.

As in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), Fabian has a companion-and-competitor in the form of Kimball (Darien Fawkes). But as in Henry, do not trust a serial killer. In the opening narration monologue, Fabian states he plans to kill Kimball (aka the Necro Wizard), who is as murderous as he, and absorb not only Kimball’s soul but the souls of all his victims. So, this story is going into the supernatural deeper than Ray’s previous films. In many of the earlier ones, Satan has played a role in either influence or presence, but this delves deeper into the metaphysics.

Dakota Ray

Fabian and Kimball are the only two living humans in the film (though there are plenty of corpses in various conditions), and nearly all their dialogue is done in the form of narration. Written by Ray, these inner conversations run from the vile and expletive, to the nearly philosophical…and expletive. There are, as is typical in Ray’s releases, title cards scattered throughout to denote chapters of a sort, with names like “Descending into the Blackened Catacombs of the Necro Wizard.”

There are also lots of shots of close-ups, be it faces, eyes, or mouths, especially as they imbibe in their vices. We also see lots of full moons and clouds, and thunderstorms to represent the mood of the moment. It has nearly a gothic feel to it, especially considering the mood.

After Kimball’s demise, when Fabian delves deeper into the world of Absinthe, oxycodone, and white powder, he feels the power of Kimball inside of him, making him believe he is “god.” This film, as with many of Ray’s, has a central character that has visions of self-grandiosity, and it is this that actually makes him weaker (“need”) and more unhinged. Think about those people who took LSD and thought they could fly, as their last acts. Psychologically, that is where Fabian resides, especially post-Kimball.

Darien Fawkes

But like “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843) by Edgar Allen Poe, Kimbell’s spirit is haunting Fabian; whether it is real or in his imagination is up for grabs, but considering the number of substances (and lack of food) that are absorbed – to the point of nosebleeds – it can easily go either way.

The SFX – all practical as far as I can tell – look excellent. They were done by Ray and S. Donatello, and it is one of the highlights of an already interesting film. That it is just under an hour is actually perfect, rather than trying to bloat it out with filler, and besides, it was filmed during June through October 2022, which means Covid was still a factor, so the small cast makes sense.

I like that there is a narrative line to the story (some of the early works are a bit sketchy in this area), which is the backbone, but not the appendages, which are all the add-ons, such as the sky shots, the asides (e.g., a body in a basement), and the overwhelming, pure atmospheric mood. If you want to get a taste of Ray’s releases, some of them are available on YouTube, but I must say Ray keeps improving over time, so this latest release is one of his better, for those reasons alone.

IMBD listing HERE