Review: Demented

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Demented (aka The Demented)
Directed by Nigel Hartwell
New Blood Entertainment; Flawless Video Creations;
Gate Three Films; Homemade Pie Productions; KBI Productions
96 minutes, 2021
www.newbloodentertainment.com/newblood_demented.html

Just before its release, the film made a subtle title change, from The Demented, as it is currently listed on IMDB, to just Demented, so as not to be confused with another film dealing with zombies with the same name released in 2013. This should also not be confused with the I Spit on Your Grave-ish cult classic Demented (1980, co-starring Harry Reams). So ends the history lesson.

This Canadian film is quite different that those others in that this falls well into the category of torture porn, with a supernatural touch. And in an extremely micro-budget way.

Cheyenne Ennis

Lovebirds Senica (Dakota House) and Amanda (Cheyenne Ennis, giving a brave performance) go up to Senica’s cottage on the lake (filmed at Parry Sound, Ontario, about 2 hours north of Toronto). After dropping a ring on her, they spend the night. When Senica awakes, Amanda is gone. According to a police detective (the ever-fun Felissa Rose), so are her parents, and he’s the central person of interest.

Meanwhile, somewhere there is a room where women are systematically tortured and snuffed for the Dark Web (it’s always the Dark Web, right?) by a burly guy dressed in black, including a bullet-proof vest, and a leather hood. His voice is digitally manipulated, and honestly, I can only make out about half of what he says.

Dakota House

We watch as he’s a-rapin’ (with his pants all the way on and her underwear intact) and a-chokin’ and a-tauntin’ his chained-to-a-bed victims. We see the room through his video camera, a fuzzy black-and-white CCTV on a celling corner, and whichever lens the film’s cameraperson is using to fill in the gaps and keep these scenes from being “found footage” style.

There is also some playing with time, with numerous flashbacks to various periods and present day, making the narrative timeline a bit confusing for a while. In one of these vignettes (past? present? future?), Amanda is a chainee, abused by the dark and mysterious man (though at 30 minutes in, I have a guess on who it may be; I’ll let you know if I’m right, but not who it is, okay? No spoilers).

Between the patterns of abuse, Amanda is visited by knowing spirits (including one played by wrestler Angel Williams), who are helpless to aid her, but communicate quite easily. Don’t get me wrong, this supernatural element is actually what made the film for me. The violence compared to most torture porn is relatively mild and mostly threats (and yes, much full-dressed raping).

But the rules of the film change with Amanda. Her accomplishments are the closest this comes to empowering women (not counting that the main authority figure is the police detective). Women generally are seen as torture victims and strippers. Misogyny? Maybe, but it felt good to have these women get some of their umph back, a lot of good it will do them in the long run.

Nigel Hartwell and Felissa Rose
doing her iconic Angela face

There is a lot of topless women (did I mention the strippers?), and nothing real to talk about in the blood department. There are some cheesy CGI effects at a point, but I believe it was meant to be that way. Y’see, from the way they use scratchy rolling noise on some of the camera images (though new equipment) made to look like VHS in the 1980s would explain the ‘80s look of the company’s logo at the beginning of the film.

The film is overlong at 96 minutes, but there is easily quite a bit that could be excised and not lose any of the story. For example, the “torment” scenes are incredibly mild considered next to something like the Hostel or Saw franchises, but they are on for what feels like a really long time of just the killer yakking away in his hard to make out digitized voice. Too many of the scenes and shots – especially the punishment ones – just seem too “samey,” in part due to the static cameras in the torture room

The acting is okay, but nothing to write home to mother about, though as always, Rose easily holds her own; the two main leads often don’t look like they are trying too hard, especially House, from whom I was expecting more. There are some really well-done shots, including some drone work, which was refreshing after the obvious green screen parts.

Ari Lehman, whose band performs during the final credits

The production pattern is a bit different, but I’m not sure if some of it is intentional on the director’s part, a stylistic choice, or just a distance necessity (i.e., people recorded in different places made to look like they are together). Many times, especially in the police station scenes with Rose, it is pretty obvious that – despite some similar motifs on the walls that I am pretty sure are green-screened – the detective and two of the people she is interviewing are single shots and not in the same room. It seems like House doesn’t know which direction to look, often off to the wrong side of where the Detective would be standing. When she interviews a porn/snuff provider, Brad (Canadian wrestling champion Bret Hart), his acoustical tone is different than hers, and he also looks in the wrong direction. This “separation” with green screen and different sound is also employed with a bartender (by cameo-king Ari Lehman). When Amanda and Senica are introduced as a couple on the drive north, at first this single shot method was used in the car, but then finally a double shot.

One weird plot point to me is that Amanda’s parents are also missing, as it is a family thing with the bad guys. But this is not shown for any other victims. It feels like a pretty big plot can of worms hole that did not need to be opened in the first place.

Speaking of sound, there is an almost amusing moment when we hear a character’s thinking processes, and it was obviously recorded later in a studio by how well it sounds, but also that there is a comment when the actor obviously accidentally falls during the filming, and the narration goes, “Oh, that hurt.” I am so glad they put that in.

The extras are three music videos and three company trailers (including this film).

If I had my druthers, I would like to see them take this film, re-edit it or have third party do it, and see where it goes. It has some nice potential, and I would like to see that fulfilled. And for the record, I was way off on who was the killer.

 

Review: People to Kill

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

People to Kill (aka Severed Ties)
Directed by Adam Scott Clevenger
Epic Failure Productions; Living the Dream Films; Final Sunrise Productions
117 minutes, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/PeopletoKillMoviePage/

The prologue, of course, starts with a violent note, with a mom (Cassandra Engber, who’s roles in her three IMDB credits are listed as “Mom”) being killed, possibly by the Lullaby Killer. She is found by her cop husband, listed as “dad” (Geoff Burkman) and their three sons. Then, cut to five years later. So far, so bloody.

Dad’s now an angry guy, lashing out at gays, people of color (“they’re animals!”), and even God. To me, this is somewhat understandable since his three adult sons still live with him, doing grown up stuff like playing Dungeons and Dragons. Was that ever cool? There’s Shawn (director Adam Clevenger), who owns a collectables store called “Starbase” (Trek­-based, not Wars; it was a real place in Columbus, OH, until it closed), gay Vince (Vincent Holiday), and the youngest, a priest named Mike (Mike Canestaro), whose church is in a poor neighborhood.

Back row: Mike Canestrao, Vincent Holiday, Adam Clevenger
Bottom row:Geoff Burkman, Cassandra Engber

Across the street is the spot for a hooker named Savannah (Erin R. Ryan). We also get to meet her not-so-nice violent Russian pimp, White Ben (Noah Shane). Shawn obviously has a thing for her (non-professionally), and she is startin’ to like him back. Gotta say, she rocks a Trek uniform here (though I worry about her safety as it’s red).

After a sermon at Mike’s practically deserted church, Dad and one of his sons heads over to an equally near-empty strip club (coz that’s what one does after church, right? Actually, I don’t understand the appeal of strip clubs, even as a straight male; I went to one once and I didn’t know who looked more bored, myself or the dancers).

The real motivation for the title of the film begins in the third act, when some unexpected violence affects this family, which I will not divulge. At this point, it becomes a revenge saga. It reminds me a bit of Straw Dogs (1971, which I still say was the model for 1990’s Home Alone), where the first two acts are a bit of a slow burn (though not bloodless) that builds to an extended bout of retribution and death. While the first two-thirds is getting to know the characters to explain motivation, the second is an explosion of action.

Erin R. Ryan, Clevenger, Holiday

This isn’t a Stallone or Van Damme film where basically the hero is surrounded by bullets, standing there unharmed, but shooting tons of the “bad guys,” or in fisticuff, easily beats all comers. Here the action is dirty and with consequences. I don’t know if I would say “credible,” but definitely more realistic. There is lots of blood and a couple of squeamish bits, all of which look really nice.

For an indie feature, the acting is rather good, with Clevenger and Ryan coming out on top. Burkman also comes off pretty strong. Many of these cast members have worked together on other local projects, so they play off each other quite well. Another bonus.

While technically this is not a comedy, though one may think a very dark one if it is, there are some outstanding comic relief performances by the likes of the Commander (Chris Gooley) and a lesbian strip club attendee, Ms. Graves (Marylee Osborne, who was also great in 2016's Nothing Good Ever Happens, which shares a number of cast members present here). It’s almost like the four main characters are the straight men for the rest of the cast of oddballs. There is a great moment between the Commander and a stripper (JoAnna Lloyd) that I knew was trouble beyond the fact of orientation that would eventually (and it does) – er – come out. However, by the vengeful third act, the bits of humor is wisely left behind. However, it should be noted that the comic bits are a good way to be the yin of the violent yang, lulling the viewer in with false expectations. Love that.

Noah Shane

There is a subtle commentary that crops up on occasion about living in the strongly Red state of Ohio, including about what is allowed in strip clubs, some political elbowing, and even some jabs at the politics behind religious institutions. And that doesn’t even include the Trek vs. Wars conflagration.

This is the first movie as director for Clevenger, who is a long-time Ohio-based actor. He’s worked with some of the more interesting directors in the area, like Henrique Couto and Eric Widing, among others, which is a good school to attend with experienced mentors. One of the hardest things to learn, though, is excising, especially as also the writer, as this film is overly long at nearly two hours, but luckily it stays pretty interesting throughout. I can easily see some things that could have been shortened, like the D&D game and some of the strip club material. For example, as much as I enjoyed the Ms. Graves scene, it really didn’t contribute to the overall story; it would have been a great “extras” segment on the disc.

Burkman

Speaking of the disc, I watched a “festival screener” that according to the director, “is missing a 20-minute epilogue that delves into the family’s past a little more.“ As much as I thought this film could have been edited a bit more, I would have still liked to have seen it. And for a first time director, that is a compliment to his work.

Meanwhile, the “thank you” section of the credits is worth a read.

Review: The Ladies of the House

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2017

Images from the Internet

The Ladies of the House       

Directed by John Stewart Wildman

Wildworks Productions / Soaring Flight Productions / Femmewerks Productions /

Gravitas Ventures / MVD Visual

93 minutes, 2014 / 2016

www.wildworksproductions.com

www.MVDVisual.com

I have wanted to see this film for a while now, so I’m glad for the opportunity. I have only been to a strip club once for a bachelor party, and it seemed like the only one who was more bored than me were the strippers. But this film is another kettle of fish, more because of what they do at home than on a stage.

In this story, three bros go to a club to celebrate a birthday. Two brothers, the birthday boy Kai (RJ Hanson) and Jacob (Gabriel Horn), who don’t really want to be there, and their macho moron pal Derek (Samrat Chakrabarti), the latter of whom refers to the trio as “Cowboys and Indian.” Yeah, the deep, sensitive type.

Michelle Sinclair

During the performance of one of the strippers, Ginger (Michelle Sinclair, aka real-life adult star Belladonna), Derek slaps her butt, and then pressures the brothers to follow her home, where she shares a house with three other dancers. His intention is to pay her for sex as a present to Kai. The banter between Derek and Ginger on the front steps is nothing short of cringe worthy, especially if you have any social or moral conscious. Yeah, this is a genre film, but it made me feel uncomfortable and squeamish, so the writers (husband-and-wife team Justina Walford and the director Wildman) successfully hit the mark with that one. It’s obviously meant to do just that, so when they get into the depths of the story, it’s not like the guys are innocent flies in a web (even the mentally challenged Kai has a bit of “Lennie Small” from Of Mice and Men in him). Ten minutes in, and I’m looking forward to the comeuppance, especially Derek’s.

Of course, things go awry, and when the other women come home, that’s when the second act begins and the picture kicks up into a much higher gear. These are certainly not women you want to trifle with, that is for certain, as the guys learn, one by one, becoming prisoners.

Brina Palencia

As time goes on this tragic start leads to a revenge-fuelled carnage. But I’m getting ahead of myself. It comes down to the three bros against three of the women, being the strange and childlike Crystal (the very cute Brina Palencia, who has sort of a Jill Banner vibe from 1967’s Spider Baby), the determined Getty (Melodie Sisk, rocking the look of the muscle-making woman in the “We Can Do It” poster), and the “matriarch” leader, Lin (Farah White). While mad, they are more cunning than reactionary. They have obviously dealt with men in such a fashion before, as they have a calm routine way of… dismantling.

With the film having a catch phrase like “They’re dying to have for your dinner,” well, it’s no surprise what the end result is supposed to be (won’t say one way or another what is the actual ending, so don’t worry). The cannibal women subgenre is not a new one, such as The Cannibal Girls (1973), the goofy-yet-fun The Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989), and the even more recent Model Hunger (2016) and The Neon Demon (2016). There is also the stripper horror subgenre, with the likes of Zombie Strippers (2008) and Stripperland (2011), but this is something else. Despite there being a history – albeit small – in this subgenre, this is a pretty original storyline. That being said, there is a very nice gender-reversal nod to an iconic bit from the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

Melodie Sisk

One of the things I like about the film is that while it’s technically not a horror film, relying more on terror and suspense, it certainly does not shy away from a bit of violence and gristle here and there (well done by Oddtopsy SFX, led by indie effects maven Marcus Koch); when it does, because it is not the main focus, it comes out as a bit more shocking and welcomed, without wearing out its welcome.

                                       

The four female leads are spot on, with just the right amount of sexiness (minimal nudity) and cold-hearted determination. They are to be feared, but without losing their humanity; that is, even considering their dietary regimen before these tools enter their lives and abode. And then there’s Piglet (Frank Mosley).

Yet through the carnage and chopping and caging and slicing and hacking, somehow, on more than one level, this remains… a love story?! This shows some solid directing by an ex-actor of genre films himself (Wildman starred in the amazingly titled and even more gloriously goofy cult classic Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, in 1988). The lighting, the angles, and the gore, all look and feel glorious.

Farah White

The original ending to the film is included in the extras as an alternative deleted scene, but I have to say, the non-linearity (or, as the director might have said, lineerity) of the final product is much more subtle and effective, and fits in well with certain aspects of the film throughout.

There are some quite enjoyable extras, such as a few deleted scenes, which were right to be deleted as they would have changed the tone of the film (the finger one, especially), yet they were not like many of the deletes I have seen that were just a waste of time; rather it was an interesting choice and it helped me appreciate some aspects of the film because they were excised.

The other is a series of seven interview segments with members of the cast and crew – both singular and in groups – that lasts between three and 13 minutes a pop. Most of it was interesting. While it didn’t change anything in knowing more about the story, that’s okay, because it’s also nice to see the cast as themselves. I would have liked a bit more anecdotes about the filming, but again, they were enjoyable and had no trouble sitting through all of them.

This is hardly what one would necessarily call a date movie, depending of course on whom you are relating, but for the genre fan, it was an entertaining film (even with the uncomfortable ants-in-the-pants early scene described above). Considering it was the first feature directorial by Wildman, that is even more amazing. If you decide to do another film, my suggestion is keep the same lighting, cinematography and editing people, as they helped relate your vision so spot on. They did an amazing job.

BONUS, UNRELATED VIDEO:

Two Reviews: End Game; Dark Wake

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2015
Images from the Internet

The reason I placed these reviews together is that these crime genre dramas are the first two features directed by Bruce Koehler, who works out of Romero-town, aka Pittsburgh. There is also a strong overlap of supporting crew. Note that I reviewed them in the opposite order they were released.

 End Game

Produced, shot, edited and directed by Bruce Koehler
North Shore Pictures / z-Diet-3 Productions
93 minutes, 2009
www.northshore-pictures.com

Wow. While I don’t usually do this, I happened to read the “reviews” by IMDB visitors, and I have rarely seen such a scathing series of comments as for this film. It got my hopes up. I’ve always said I’d rather see a film that has 0 stars than 4, because they tend to be more interesting. I joyfully hit Ø.

I have to say, in all honesty, those people do have some valid points. The acting is pretty bad, for example, but for this crime / police and serial killer cat and mouse genre, even more than horror, this is pretty par for the course, which means I have seen a lot worse (e.g., Rise of the Black Bat [2012]; reviewed HERE).  The viewer needs to jump in feet first, meaning that you have to know that it’s not going to be A-level, but even looking at it like that, when it comes to crime even good actors tend to chew the scenery in major films (for example, look at Brad Pitt in Burn after Reading [2008] or any Batman film prior to [and arguably including] Christian Bale). This is especially true in many Noir, like anything written by Mickey Spillane. So despite the over-reaction acting from this cast with little film experience – even though some would go on to some major credits later – it’s better than average.

Another complaint stated is that the camera work tends to be stilted and stiff. Again, common in this genre more than horror, especially the indies that tend to use a single camera. Honestly, I thought Koehler did some nice work here and there, such as the opening shot that swings up the side of the cheap hotel from the sign to the villain silhouetted in a window. My big issue is with the tendency towards terrible continuity. For example, a crime scene photographer is seen holding a camera up, it cuts to a wider shot and the camera is by his side, and then a third angle he’s holding it at chest level. And don’t even get me started on his using an old twin-lens Leica with a replaceable flashbulb. What is this, 1940?

For me, the big cliché is the lighting, which tends to be very stark splashes of primary colors that look like it could be from the original “Batman” television series (1966) or Creepshow (1982). In this case I found it a bit distracting.

That all being said, the film was somewhat better than what those reviewers said, even though they were right on points. I mean, this is the Ramones, not ELP; it’s down and dirty, inexpensive and stark, and considering the very large cast, it is meat and ‘taters. Again, if you’re looking for Se7en [1995] or The Usual Suspects [1995], you’re looking at the wrong financing and demographics.

Professional wrestler Kurt Angle plays Brad Mayfield, a narcissistic, charmingly sociopathic serial killer who likes to strangle his female partners as he has sex with them, but proves that he will also do it after. A master of disguise, despite his enormous bulk (I laughed when one character referred to him as “that fat guy”), he manages to elude police often while even being in their presence. For example, he pretends to be a police officer to get any information a recently off’d girlfriend might have mentioned in a diary or scrapbook, to put off the police. That being said, he never uses gloved and he certainly left enough DNA on/in the corpse for him not to worry about that. I’m glad the cops figure that out pretty fast, and so it’s a search to find him, rather than a “who-done-it.” Angle, in one of his first acting roles playing someone other than himself, seems to really be having fun here, with flashing blue eyes and a somewhat handsome face that, well, also looks a bit like it is right out of a Dick Tracy cartoon strip thanks in part to his jutting jaw. Oh, and did I mention he goes shirtless to show off his muscles almost as much as he is dressed?

On his trail is a copper, Det. Burke, played with furred brow by the also muscular Eric Wright. He always seems to be in the middle of an Edgar Kennedy-worthy slow burn while he ignores his family (a Noir standard) and can only think about the case. That is when he’s not emotionally cheating on his shrill wife (Asbury Lake, who sometimes goes by the name Lake Asbury, I kid you not) with the female lead in this film, that I will be getting to shortly. Though he has lots of screen time, Burke doesn’t really seem to have much of a personality, other than consternation, but that’s okay, he’s frustrated by how Mayfield is owning him.

As the lead female, “Survivor” survivor (the youngest to date) and reality television star Jenna Morasca plays stripper-who-wants-to-go-legit Carol Peterlake. Morasca swings from being decent as an actress to wooden, seemingly depending on the inflection needed. The whinier the tone, the worse it gets. And Carol is a complainer. The question here, of course, is will her character – er – survive this film?

This leads me to a point that actually does get under my skin: all the women are bitchy. Ann, the detective’s wife, comes across as nasty – surely to justify Burke’s affection for Carol – but if one has their “ears on,” she’s actually just unsatisfied with the life that she’s been dealt specifically by Burke. I mean, he comes in at 1 AM stinkin’ of booze, he’s gone for more hours than not to leave her to raise their daughter and take care of everything domestic (this isn’t the ‘50s, y’know). In her shoes, bored and lonely, I would be bitchy, too. But Burke’s new locus of interest, Carol, really isn’t much better. It seems all she does is rail: “I thought you were going to have a detective on my door!” or “Stripping pays my rent. If I don’t strip I can’t pay it!” One character calls her “materialistic” (even though he later asks her to become the lead dancer in his troupe), but she really does need to the pay rent. It’s the whiney tone, as I mentioned before, that is the fingernails on the blackboard to me. Just would like to add that while there is no nudity in the film, even in the stripping routines, there is some very nice and ample cleavage shown off by Morasca in a scene towards the end.

There are some really nice and subtle touches here, such as you see a character duck out in the background in a flash during a distraction that you may not notice unless you’re paying attention, or with a bed in the background, you may note that someone has moved, setting up the next set of events. These are some really nice flourishes that showed some thought went into it.

As for the ending, well, I only had it partially right, so that’s good. The only extra, however, is the trailer.

So was it as terrible as those reviews? Not by a long shot. Was it a great film? No, but it was fun in its oeuvre. It’s gritty, it’s appropriate for its genre, and it didn’t bore me, so we’re good.

 

Dark Wake
Directed, photographed and edited by Bruce Koehler
North Shore Pictures / z-Diet-3 Productions

88 minutes, 2008

www.northshore-pictures.com

What we learn from being introduced to Pittsburgh police detective Jake Dalton (Gary Horner), after a brief 1959 prologue, is that he’s a hard drinkin’, electric blues lovin’ (soundtrack by the Blues Junkies), hard-nosed, heavily armed, tired of life, single guy (the gun and switchblade unprotected on the nightstand is the clue).

He’s called onto a series of mysterious murders of people bound and thrown in the river(s) that run through the city. Jake is partnered with Max Ross (Irish actor Brendan McCormack, aka Vardis Egen in Game of Thrones, though here he looks very different than in Thrones, and he has an Aussie accent; perhaps it’s easier for him to do that than a Pittsburgh one?), who is also hard-hitting, boozing, etc., but he’s a bit more tender, a minor-bit of the humorous hue, and the butt of the jokes by Jake and his ex-cop dad.

While a bit convoluted, the winding story of these killings that somehow having a common thread of an elderly nun, Sister Mary (Ina Block), spins out through the large cast of victims and possible suspects, including some quite close to home for our burnished policeman.

The mostly male cast is strong and the acting is either good for the leads, or quite amusingly bad for some of the secondary ones, but it all works together. The film also has a bit of a ‘70s feel being just post Noir, and yet not quite ‘80s-unpurposefully goofy. The city is practically a character in itself, with beautiful river views and waterfronts, and slummy back alleys and bars.

Yes, the acting is not top notch, but that’s nothing unexpected for fans of low-budget genre films. What I find to be a thorn in the paw here that the script needs some serious trimming, and be edited down to an hour to make this a more-than-decent release. There are too many scenes of people sitting around and talking that have nothing to do with anything, including character development.

There are a few interesting action scenes, and the visuals are shot pretty well if starkly, but all the sitting around and drinking mucho cans of Iron City Beer (was ICB a sponsor, or was it just a nod to a local brew?) with angst tones isn’t really exposition, it’s a commercial.

After a couple of decent red herrings, the story of revenge comes across as a conservative leaning against late-term abortions (not legal in 1959 and not legal now), and can be arguably be considered a pro-life document of sorts, with a possible anti-Catholic feel; sort of an anti-Call the Midwife, I guess. It doesn’t come across as preachy, but it absolutely if subtly makes a statement.

For a first film, in this specific genre (i.e., crime sans Noir), Koehler makes some steps in the right direction, but needs better support in the production. As a note, he now has six features under his belt listed on IMDB.