Review: Brimstone Incorporated

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

Brimstone Incorporated
Directed by James L. Edwards; Brad Twigg
Buffalora Entertainment Group; Fuzzy Monkey Films; Panic Button Films
97 minutes; 2021
www.facebook.com/Brimstone-Incorporated-100935518481130

As I have often postulated on this blog, I am a fan of anthology films, especially ones that were put together by few directors, thereby giving a more consistent feel to the films. The one exception here is a story by Brad Twigg, but we’ll get to that when we get to that.

What is interesting to me is that not counting the wraparound, there are only three stories spread across the time span, which means there is more of an opportunity to build suspense. This is a rare way to present an anthology film, but it is quite effective. Each of the stories lasts about half an hour.

The set-up wraparound tale, “Tempter and Associates,” is the titular Brimstone Incorporated, which is a law firm  that serves as the gateway to Hell, so the “cases” involved is good vs. evil/natural vs. supernatural matters. They are, one might say, fulfilling the St. Peter role, for those going in the opposite direction. The receptionist/assistant, Lilith (Tharasa DiMeo), serves the same purpose as Cerebos, guarding the sanctuary, but the three-headed dog is much tamer. Each person is interviewed by Gregory Asmodeus (Drew Fortier) to see whether they are worthy to be in Hell or not. Gregory is appropriately smarmy, but also a hoot.

James L. Edwards

The opening story, “First Date,” concerns a man named Richard (director James L. Edwards) and his first date with Renee (Shianne Daye), two-weeks after they met on a dating site. This takes place in a busy diner (because isn’t that where you would bring all your first dates, rather than a restaurant?).Things unravel quickly as we learn the truth about just how psychotic is Renee. As a sidenote, when I worked in the World Trade Center in the mid-1980s, there was a co-worker who was hyper Christian, as Renee claims to be, who was one of the most vicious human beings I have ever met, because she was sure Jesus was on her side no matter what horrible way she treated anyone (she tried to get me fired on a number of occasions because I was a non-believer). She was quite attractive, and the longer I got to know her personality, the uglier she became to me. I digress, but this is true of Renee and her devotion to Jeebus. The story ends with not one, but two twists that I didn’t see coming. That’s nice.

Drew Fortier

The next tale, “Mama’s Boy,” sees the titular Justin Parker (Tim Hale) arriving at Gregory’s desk to defend his honor, or lack thereof. Justin seems like the shy type, but he’s actually quite a ladies man beyond his level, considering he’s a bit of a dullard. The reasons are explained by the end. Anyway, mommy dearest, Priscilla (Sasha Graham), is overly protective of her son, and will do anything – and I mean anything – to keep him “safe” in her eyes. This includes donning a mask and cape and going on deadly adventures. We see a large body count in this story, dealt with in many gruesome fashions (e.g., fun). For our edification, we meet his latest flame, Brittany (Kaylee Williams, who stood out in The Horrific Evil Monsters in 2021; reviewed HERE) whom he brings home to dinner with has darling matriarch. Will Brittany be up to the task and win over murderous mom? While there are some, again, nice twists and turns, it’s not quite to the O. Henry-esque level of the first story, but is significantly satisfying.

Shianne Daye

The last story is “Skunk Weed,” and is directed by Twigg (see I told you we would get there!). It concerns John Simmons (Tim Novotny), a salesman whose job it is to sell jingles written by his agoraphobic brother, Bennie (Rick Jermain). While we meet John in the “Tempter” wraparound, in the main story, the only person you see in the tale proper is Bennie, who isa bit of a slovenly guy in an Oscar Madison kind of way. John has sent him some “special” skunk weed; I’d be shocked if you didn’t know that was another name for pot. But this blend is different, giving Bennie odd and gory hallucinations, such as some cooking eggs turning into a bloody brain. This could easily have been one of those late ‘60s “Dragnet” kind of “Don’t use drugs, kids” propaganda, but the twist at the end explains all and is, again, unexpected. I thought they were going to twist it in a different way, which would have been a bit cliché, but they avoided using old motifs. 

Kaylee Williams

The acting is quite well done, especially considering the impressive volume of the cast overall. That being said, Fortier really does steal his scenes, seeming quite natural in the role (well, after all, he is the guitarist of bands like Bang Tango and Zen from Mars). The SFX make-up is quite the joy. Yeah, it tends to be a sloppy mess rather than “surgical,” but honestly, I like it like that.

I don’t know if this is going to be a franchise, but I would look forward to seeing more of these stories.

IMBD listing HERE 

Review: Beyond Hell

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet

Beyond Hell
Directed by Alan Murray
Dark Spirit Films / Indican Pictures
89 minutes, 2019 / 2020
www.beyondhellfilm.com/
www.facebook.com/beyondhellfilm

“Just say no!” was Nancy Reagan’s rallying cry in the 1980s, but films where taking any drugs leads to mayhem, be it insanity, murder or turning the user into a zombie is hardly new. For example, there were a string of anti-marijuana releases in the 1930s and ‘40s (e.g., She Shoulda Said No [1949], The Devil’s Weed [1949], and the infamous Reefer Madness [1936]). That theme still runs occasionally with the likes of Dropping Evil (2008) and Bong of the Dead (2012).

This Canadian film takes that trope and makes some sinister changes: this derivation of the drug, changa (apparently a real thing; being straight-edged, I had to look it up on Wikipedia), takes the user to literal hell. But I am getting way ahead of myself here.

We open up for the prologue in the jungles of South America where apparently indigenous native people speak perfect English and talk like professional wrestling announcers (wait…what?). It is here that this film’s version of changa originates (though in reality it is generally considered to have come from Australia… thank you Wikipedia).

Kearsten Johansson

The main protagonist, Maryssa (cute, doe-eyed Kearsten Johansson) was the good girl all through high school. Now she’s in college and wants to learn about some… tacit knowledge (life experience). Her two friends (from high school, now also in college) are the bad girl, Brooke (Natalie Jane), and Heather (Dominque Smith), who is the go-between since Maryssa and Brooke are frenemies. One could picture Heather with the good angel – Maryssa – on one shoulder and the devil – Brooke – on the other.

On the testosterone side, there are buddies Tyson (Chris Kapeleris), who is Heather’s boyfriend, and Jake (the heavily inked Sebastian Deery). Jake is the object of Brooke’s lust, but he’s into Maryssa (sort of a Ginger and Mary Ann choice). The five head off to a party, stopping off at Seth’s (Sean Rey), a dealer’s abode, to pick up said changa. While there, they try out this new drug and get shitfaced, but Maryssa alone somehow manages to get transported to another dimension (supposedly hell, I am assuming from the film’s title), where she is linked to the multi-toothed demon Belial (Gavin R. Downes) who looks like a creature out of the cult film Equinox (1970). Then the slaughter begins, slowly but surely.

Sebastian Deery

Belial starts to kill off her friends, and because she is connected to him, she can witness all the murders though she’s not physically there. The demon’s goal is the trope that if he can gather enough souls, he can enter our world at will and bring his bad demon buddies with him, to enslave and torture humanity.

The film isn’t brilliant, but then again, it is also a lot of fun. The cheese level is high, as is the blood and gore (sometimes looking good, other times cheesy). This is solid independent fare that is both cliché at times, and yet smart in that it takes some old tropes and mixes them around a bit. Again, while it has been done before, part of the fun is watching Maryssa turn from shy, sheltered girl to warrior woman to try and fight the malevolent power.

This comment has nothing to do with nothing, really, but who throws up in the toilet without lifting the seat, no matter how out of it one is, even if one misses the toilet completely? Just sayin’.

Natalie Jane

This is the director’s first feature film, other than a short, and it shows great promise. There are definitely things one can point to, such as Belial’s make-up moving every time he talks, which is hard to make out at times thanks to the effects given to his voice to make it sound “demonic.” While it’s not a comedy, there are a few moments where one cannot help but chortle at the way certain lines are spoken, or on-screen actions. But despite that, overall, it was better than I expected (and I always hope for the best), and it certainly kept my interest (and not just for the numerous topless women).

The scenes in hell are visually a bit on the dark side, but this viewer was able to make out what was happening. The end result of the storyline is a bit convoluted, but it’s still pretty satisfying, and tying it in to what is happening in the world today is a nice, intriguing twist. It also might have been good, however, to explain a bit about the Mexican god Quetzalcoatl (I have been to its temple at Teotihuacan near Mexico City), who is actually a feathered serpent, though featured in human forms here.

There was also a nice mix of both practical SFX and digital effects. And speaking of Belial’s make-up, it actually looks pretty decent for its budget. In fact, most of the creatures/demons look good. The acting varies, as one would expect, but everyone seems to be on board, which is a good thing.

One aspect I really enjoyed in the film was the Interesting transition b-roll shots between scenes, usually sped up in the style of Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1982). It’s bright and colorful, and works well as separation of segues from one set piece to another.

Thanks to its film boards, Canada helps produce a lot of its independent releases, unlike in the United States (anyone from the ridiculous Right want to scream socialism?), so the industry is supported, whether the film is top notch, really bad (remember The Room?), or in this case, an enjoyable exercise in a genre that is always in demand. I’m grateful to the Toronto Film Industry Arts and Entertainment Foundation, and I’m hoping this is just a stepping stone for Alan Murray to send us more fare. This release certainly lends itself to a sequel, and I look forward to it.

The film is now available on Digital HD via Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video, FandagnoNOW, and more, and will be on DVD in mid-January.