Review: Death Count

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

Death Count (aka Numbers)
Directed by Michael Su
Mahal Empire; Blaen-Y-Maes Bootleg Films; Mezek Films; Gravitas Ventures
81 minutes, 2022
www.facebook.com/deathcountmovie

I love when old tropes are used, and with some imagination thrown in, making it something worth watching, even when it feels so familiar yet puts new skin on it.

In this case, it’s a mash-up of strangers who wake up in a cell and have to compete to be the last person standing. Or, at least, living. They are put through a series of trials and devices, such as in the Saw franchise (2004-Present as of this writing), Cube (1997), and Funhouse (2019). And like the latter, the Internet plays a part.

But I am getting ahead of myself here…

Eight people wake up in separate, dingy cells. They are assigned numbers like on “The Prisoner” (1967) rather than names by the mysterious and partially masked Warden (Costas Mandylor, who was in some Saw flicks). They are (and if you are not interested be warned I am about to list them all with those who played them, if you want to skip this paragraph): #1 (Denny Nolan), #2 (Wesley Cannon), #3 (Sarah French, who has been in the likes of 2012’s Dropping Evil, 2015’s BiteSchool, and 2015’s Insectula!), #4 (BJ Mezek; also the Executive Producer), #5 (Delvanny Pinn, in 2012’s classic Where the Dead Go to Die), #6 (Robert LaSardo, who you will definitely recognized, between his goatee and his tattoos; I’m a fan), #7 (Kimberly Lynn Cole), and finally #8 (Dave Shecter)

Sarah French

While the prisoners are dying, they are vying for online “likes.” In other words, as long as you are popular and do not disobey the Warden’s rules, you may have a chance. Fortunately, right off the bat, some refuse to comply, leading to some quick, violence, and enjoyable deaths. As with Saw, each are assigned to do some self body harm or be “eliminated” (e.g., have their head blown off by implanted explosives in their necks). This is straight out of the Saw playbook, on a cruder level, as the devices here are less elaborate. Both Saw and Hostel (2005) are referenced within the film’s context by newscasters.

Costas Mandylor

Because the whole thing is online live to gather the likes, everyone can see it (but not trace it), so naturally the cops are on it, led by Detective Casey (how-the-mighty-have-fallen Michael Madsen, who has lately been playing the indie horror route). Madsen looks like he is floating through the role, which actually does not surprise me considering his career projectory. This is probably for the bucks, which I do not blame him. That said, his voice is incredibly gravelly like he is gargling with rocks, he moves incredibly stiffly like he is in actual pain, and he has a cut over his eye that looks real and is unexplained, possibly from a non-acting incident. The police are having trouble taking it seriously at first, but that’s bound to change.

So, a question I have is that I wonder how the Warden can not only afford to build the series of cells, but the technology involved with the communication system and devices. That question also goes out to Jaw’s Jigsaw (but perhaps the latter was answered and I missed it). Or maybe I should just drop it and enjoy it for what it is.

Michael Madsen

One of the brilliance of this film is that it is perfect for being recorded during a Covid outbreak. Here are a group of people in separate cells who, except in rare cases, are never seen together, so they are naturally isolated while the characters are in their cells. That would make this a patchwork like a jigsaw (no pun intended) that was craftily put together, piece-by-piece. Creativity during stressful times and making it work is smart. Hell, technically, nearly all could be filmed in the same cell with different characters over time, and the viewer would not be the wiser. Again, the latter makes me think of Cube.

Got to say, if’n I was in the situation that these prisoners find themselves, I would just let them explode my head early on than do self-mutilation. It would be so much less painful for a quick end, because I know I will not be the one who gets out, if anyone does win this “game,” which essentially amounts to body horror and torture p**n. For those who are into that kind of thing, I highly recommend this. If you are any bit squeamish about blood, mutilation, self-harm, and the like (e.g., fingernails), you are warned.

Robert LaSardo

There is a level of sadism that permeates not only the workings of the story, but in the viewing of it as well. With Saw, there was a level of imagination in the trappings of the deadly devices which, yes, is torturous, but it is highly imaginative. There was also a layered level to what was happening and why. Here, it is everyday instrument and a large part of the violence is self inflicted mostly with general tools (hammer, boxcutter, and much more). There is a certain layer here, too, as we learn that the choosing of the participants is not quite as random as one might think at first. This does give a bit more cohesion to the story that I was happy to see.

The last person standing (I am not saying if they survive or not) is pretty obvious throughout, but that’s okay. It does nothing to diminish from the events happening. However, the last minute of the film seems unrealistic (which has nothing to do with the main story, and I’m afraid I cannot say why without giving away spoilers), but I am not sure if it was meant to fit in to the cycle of the story, or looking for a sequel (or franchise?).

With its faults, the film is effective if you are into body horror, and I would endorse it for that audience.

IMDB listing HERE https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12338246/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udV3XnNjwdU

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: Ringmaster

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

Ringmaster (aka Finale)
Directed by Søren Juul Petersen
Frightgeist Films; Jingai Films; Danse Macabre; MVD Visual
100 minutes, 2019 / 2021
www.jingaifilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com

I realize it is a gross generalization, but people in Denmark are known for being "happy." Perhaps that is because they watch horror films? Or possibly because they make them? Well, in this case the latter is definitely true, as it is mostly in Danish with English and German, and has English subtitles for all languages. It is based on a novella by Danish writer Steen Langstrup.

With finger firmly beside nose, in the opening – which I am sure will be mentioned in numerous reviews of those familiar with older films of terror – a man comes from behind a movie theater curtain, and gives almost the same speech that opened up Frankenstein (1931; original speech HERE), with some particulars in the center changed. This said to me, okay, we are off to a good start. 

After a prologue which is actually from later in the story and then continues interspersed throughout, we learn that most of the body of the film is a flashback until it eventually catches up. We are introduced to our two female leads that are working the late shift at a gas station/convenience store (which most are these days) where there are few customers because of the big final game in which Demark is in the finals (I am guessing soccer/football). This means every person who drops by the station is under suspicion by the audience because, well, it is a genre film, giving the viewer some possibly juicy red herrings, though honestly, if one pays attention, it not hard to figure out who the Ringmaster is in the early story. But more on the Ringmaster later.

Karin Michelson and Anne Bergfeld

There is Agnes Burger (Anne Bergfeld), who is the daughter of the gas station owner, and trying to finish her Psychology thesis in the back room. She is in a somewhat stable relationship, and Belinda (Karin Michelson), a working-class woman trying to get by – who uses a flip phone that only texts – and has a tumultuous relationship with a man of a questionable background. The women are mostly bored through the first 15 minutes or so, but their personal dynamics, as they have such different backgrounds and personalities, keeps it interesting. You just know they are going to bond by the end, as is the formula for any film with contentious leads, genre or not. I can empathize because I used to work in a single-screen large movie palace in my teens, and I remember those dull, slow nights, where I was assigned to stay inside the theatre proper, watching a film I had seen 50 times or so, and no one to check on in the seats. But, I digress…

While Agnes’s boyfriend, Benjamin (Kristoffer Fabricius) is off at the game (I don’t understand sports devotion when there are so many genre films still left to see), Belinda’s boyfriend, Kenny (Mads Kadoul), shows up and gives us good reason as to why Belinda’s mom is not a fan. He looks like he just stepped out of a MAGA rally in Mississippi, and is a complete macho moron.

At 30-minutes in, I started talking to the screen because these two women, with suspicious characters all around, just do not call the police. This is one of those infamous people in genre films making bad decisions moments that drives me crazy. If that was me, in real life, I would have 911-ed without thinking twice. Here, Agnes is a spoiled girl with rich parents, and it appears, a narre (fool), notwithstanding her higher education. If I was working with the boss’s daughter, I would insist we lock up and go home early on; considering there are so few customers, it won’t make a hoot of difference. Irriterende. Both these women make incredibly poor choices throughout.

Damon Younger

The Ringmaster (Damon Younger), who is the center of the fate of many of the characters here, is just the pointman or emcee for a group of both men and women viewers in plain white masks, as he tells Agnes, “It’s only show biz.” He is in creepy whiteface (and hands), reminding me of the Joel Grey character in Cabaret (1972). He presents a snuff game show on the dark web called Escapismus (Escapism) that borders on Hostel (2005) territory.

Despite the outdated phones, television and CCTV technology is prominent here, be it the CCTV at the gas bar, a video camera held by a customer (with a mention of YouTube), and the wall cameras used by the Ringmaster to film his prey being brutalized. I also found it interesting the juxtaposition between the tension in the early gas station scenes, and the physical violence in the interspersed and later events. Another difference is that with later ones, there is a lot of extreme close-ups used to differentiate the mood of the flashbacks and the current. As the film progresses, the new story is intermingled more often, Usually starting with a close-up of a camera lens.

The cruelty, which of course is the point, is honestly sometimes hard to watch, but it is important to think about the voyeurism of the Web; nothing sells like violent pranks and accidents; I blame the worldwide acceptance of such actions on “American’s Funniest Home Videos” and moronic shows like “Jackass.”

The extras are minimal, just caption options, chapters and three trailers (though not for this film).

Despite my quibbling about some actions taken by the women and their boyfriends, whether it is written by Petersen or Langstrup, the build-up and consistency and-yet juxtaposition of the tension and violence, still works, especially if you enjoy talking to your screen, which I do (only at home). The film is well put together, the gore and violence are graphic, and it is a intriguing-yet-disturbing ride from beginning to end.

Documentary review: Gorenography

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

Gorenography
Directed by Tony Newton
Tony Newton Productions
161 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/TonyNewtonFilm/

Gore, at its core, is body horror, and one of its subgenres is torture porn, hence the title of this nearly three-hour documentary, a combination of the “gore” and “pornography” wording. While much of my enjoyment is in the monsters / supernatural realm, I certain do enjoy a fun gorefest.

Gore can flow on different levels, from the silly and cartoon, to the realistic, to the real. I’ll take the first two, as I do not want to see real. Had enough of that in the likes of Cannibal Holocaust (1980), even if it was animals and not human snuff films. I remember laughing at the ending of Snuff (1975) and laughing at how unrealistic it was; however, I would not watch the Faces of Death series. When I saw Fulci’s City of the Living Dead (1983) in the theater, I laughed at the gore; the next day, at work, someone cut their finger open, and I could not look at it. So you know where I stand.

There are a few levels of gore films: you have the upper level of ones like Miike’s Audition (1999), and then you have the middle level which is rougher, like some of the Unearthed Cinema run by Stephen Biro (who, surprisingly to me, does not appear in this documentary) with the new American Guinea Pig series. Then you have what this focuses on, the extremely independent, transgressive, low-budget insanity, which is more where my general interest lies, quite honestly. If you pick up a camera and make films with your friends in the basement, there is a certain level of cool in that.

In the opening of this film, horror historian / writer / director / actor Tony Newton explains its premise: “This is a twisted crazy film here… If you like blood, if you like gore, if you like shock, if you like horror, you’re going to love this film. If you don’t like extreme horror, if you don’t like nudity…you pretty want to turn away now. This film is very extreme. We’ve got some sick films to show you, some shorts films, tons of trailers, tons of trash, and a lot of interviews with a lot of cool filmmakers.”

He is right, there is a lot going on in this, and quite honestly, what I am going to do to explain it, is to just show you the cleaned-up notes I took during the watching of it. And please note, there is way more than I mention. The film isn’t totally coherent in its format, because it goes beyond the usual talking heads broken up with some clips. This has a completely indie tone, which is more appropriate. I certainly enjoyed the obscurity level that brings it more to light. It’s not the usual suspects of directors from his previous documentaries, but more of an international feel and more obscure.

Thanks to COVID, a lot of the material is pretty up-to-date, including films release in 2021. Leave it to a worldwide pandemic to bring a documentary about deathly horror. Many of these films are so extreme and underground, they are not even listed on IMDB (the ones mentioned below without release dates). The ones in Italics are full features, quote marks indicate shorts. Also, films without dates are not IMDB listed.

And now for the notes:

Random trailers include The Driller Killer (1979), Tony Newton’s own Snuff Video (aka Snuff Underground X). Sometimes the listing of influences of the directors sound like the ‘thanks to” speeches at The Oscars.

Jonathan Doe, director and host of the “Cinemas Underbelly” [sic] channel, talks about how he got into horror. Released Carving the Cadaver 1-3, which shows actual human autopsies and also vomit fetish films such as Barf Bunnies; be warned, the trailers and some short clips are shown. Not for me; his film clips are the only ones I fast-forwarded over.

Wilhelm Müller

Wilhelm Müller, body piercer and body horror director from Austria; fake trailer for The Doctor and real one for In Nomine Satanae (which is close to Dakota Ray’s style). Clips are also shown from his films Exzessiv and Neighbor No. 9.

Zach Shildwacter (wearing a t-shirt of 1970s amputee porn star Long Jeanne Silver; no, I did not need to look it up), director Powerbomb (2020); the complete short “Solid Gold” is presented, which includes many Republican symbolisms, such as someone wearing a Trump mask and drag, and hitting a victim with a (I’m going to presume upside down) Bible.

René Weisner, director and producer of Mondo Siam (2020). Mainly talks about his films (with very short clips shown). Includes trailers of Mondo Siam and ABC’s of Superheroes (2015; reviewed HERE). 

Tony Newton

Tony Newton. trailers for VHS Lives: A Schlocumentary (2017), and Troma released and participated anthologies Grindsploitation 666 (2018) and Grindsploitation 9 (2021). Actually, there is a few Troma references in this entire film.

Davide Pesca, director, including Gore Grind (2020).

Mercedes the Muse

Moses and fetish model Mercedes the Muse, writers / directors, and founders of the sex and cinema “cult” the Underground Front: trailers of Troma-released Rose and Viktor: No Mercy (2017; directed by Moses) and Evul Twinz (2020; directed by Mercedes the Muse). Mercedes is the only female filmmaker who shows off nudity during the interviews. Moses tends to wear a Star Wars stormtrooper mask but still comes off as nerdy (I do too, so not an insult).

Lucky Cerruti: director and runs an underground distribution company called Dead Vision Productions. Long take on how he got into filmmaking. We are shown the opening clip – i.e., the prologue – to his film, Freak (2020); I would like to see this one.

Rob Ceus is from Belgium; Director and producer. His company is Terrorvisions Productions. Multiple clips included are from shorts like “ Bride Zombie” (2015; not to be confused with the yet released Zombie Bride) and Zombies from Sector 9 (2020).

Matti Soikkeli, a Finnish filmmaker who wears a skull mask to hide the lower half of his face and whose voice is digitally manipulated. We also see some clips of his films (probably taken from the trailers, considering the consistency of the music behind them, as with many of the short clips in the documentary), such as Born to Lose, Live to Die.

Michael "Mickey" Espinoza (d. May 2021) is also in a mask, full one this time, with an electronically altered, deep voice. Clips include ”The Games We Play” and others, such as “Pink Porcelain,” which looks like it was shot on a cellphone by the vertical frame.

Nathan Hine of Hardgore Core Productions. Writer, director and actor for a number of trailers we see, including the short teaser trailer for “The Last Days of Livermore” (2016) and The Sideling Hill (2019).

Super Tromette Double Dementia

Super Tromette Double Dementia: More like Double-D Dementia, with tons of cleavage, belly, legs and tatts. She plays a bimbo here in character, slinking back and forth in her trademark leather bikini like one of those hula dancers that sit on dashboards, while rubbing herself; but I’m willing to bet she is actually pretty damn smart in reality. I mean, she directed and edited the music video for “Cretins Sell Dope,” which we get to see, and is based on the Return to Nuke ‘Em High series. The band is Vanik and she’s the lead singer.

Harmony Filth keeps with the Troma theme, and presents a trailer for a short from the UK in which she appears, “Slutty the Clown” (2021). Speaking of which:

Joe Cash is the director of “Slutty the Clown” and shows a trailer for his “She Dogs of the SS” (2021), which gives away too much of the story, unless the trailer is actually the whole film.

End of notes.

For a three-hour sitting, this certainly kept my attention, waiting to see who was next, and so enjoying the interviews, clips, shorts, and trailers. The ending has a bit of a surprise that I wont reveal, but made me smile.

It is really worth checking out if you are into some of the extreme ends of horror, but like it cheap, down, and dirty. Tony is right in his introduction, this will not be for everyone, but you know your own tastes by this point, and if you like splatter, this will eat at your brains and give you a great list of new films to seek for your collection.

Trailer TBD

Review: A Serbian Film (Srpski Film)

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2019
Images from the Internet

A Serbian Film: Unrated Version
Produced and directed by Srdjan Spasojevic
Invincible Pictures / MVD Visual
103 minutes, 2010
Invinciblepictures.com
Serbianfilmmovie.com
MVDvisual.com

”It’s dangerous, Max…it’s more – how can I say – more political than that… It has something you don’t have, Max. It has a philosophy, and that’s what makes it dangerous.”

– Marsha, in Videodrome

David Cronenberg’s Videodrome should almost be a prerequisite for watching this film from the former Yugoslavia. They both deal with the issue of violence through media with a political bent. But Videodrome only brushes where Srpski Film takes off.

We are introduced to retired porn star Milos (Srdjan Todorovic), whose specialties were having a bit of a violent streak and being fatigueless. But now he has a (understanding) wife, Marija (Jelena Gavrilovic) and a six-year-old son. He is struggling to not only survive financially, but part of him misses the action, though he won’t admit it to himself.

Asked to come back for just one film by an ex-co-star, Lejla (Katarina Zutic), he is hesitant, but the promise of a big paycheck and “the itch” calls him. With Marija’s blessing, he meets with the director, Vulkmir (Sergei Trifunovic), who states that he wants Milos to just be himself, and so refuses to let him know what the film is about. Reluctantly, Milos agrees. And you just know it’s not going to end well.

Now, the North American audience has spent years watching graphically violent and disturbing films like Wolf Creek, and the Hostel and Saw franchises. This genre has come to been labeled by the term “torture porn.” Well, A Serbian Film pushes the scale ever further toward the latter. The most graphically and disturbing scene that comes to mind in previous films I have seen is the fire extinguisher incident from Irreversible, but parts of this one if not beat it, come thisclose.

Slowly but surely, through his own dark nature and a bit of an injected “sex drug” (a comment on Viagra or Calais?), Milos doesn’t just lose whatever is left of his moral compass, he becomes the pawn in a game that is completely out of his control as he suffers blackouts, only to find out later through videos and flashbacks just what kind of sick actions he’s been in the middle of performing.

No, I won’t go into detail, but there is a point to it all. Truthfully, I’m not aware of much Serbian history or politics, so a great deal of the context is stripped away leaving mostly the violence and sex (sometimes graphic, landing somewhere between softcore and hardcore in various degrees, including an erect penis, though I’m assuming it is a prosthetic, considering the length), without the point of a good deal of it.

I do get some of it, though, such as when Milos is wandering around Belgrade in a sex-drug-induced fog, and seeing all different forms of acceptable sexually suggestiveness, such as lingerie billboards, and magazines at a deli.

But it is pretty obvious that the film has, as posited at the beginning, a philosophy. It’s not simply violence for violence sake, especially when viewed in the Serbian historical perspective, but as I said, the message is hazy to one (e.g., me) unfamiliar with the background.

On YouTube, you can find lots of videos of people watchg the film, the most I've seen since the infamous two women and the cup reactions.

How far can one man go into the depths of his own depravity? And who is there to push him over that line? And to what purpose? The answer lay at the end of the film, but it’s not a pretty picture, both figuratively and literally, and as I said and which is pretty obvious, it does not end well for many. Does art imitate life/politics?

Does politics/life imitate art? Where does art begin and politics end, and vice versa? These are chicken-and-egg questions that the film addresses. Whether they answer it or not seems unimportant since, as one philosophy states, the question is as – if not more – important than the question.

This review was originally published HERE

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Review: Talon Falls

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2018

Images from the Internet

Talon Falls

Written and directed by Joshua Shreve

Lost Empire Entertainment; JJ Films; Flashback Pictures; MVD Visual

75 minutes, 2017

www.talonfallsthemovie.com                      

www.lostempirefilms.com

www.facebook.com/talonfallsmovie 

www.mvdvisual.com

Hey, after all, what is more realistic than reality, am I right?

Within the first 10 minutes, if you’re truly a genre fan, you know where the story is going, how it’s going to get there, and where it’s going to end, thanks to a helpful prologue. Of course, the question is, what’s a-gonna happen between those bookends, once they get there. That is the meat off the matter.

The “they” is two couples (usually it’s three to add the body count, but the filmmakers managed to figure out how to work their way around that very nicely). Among the first couple is Lyndsey (Morgan Wiggins), the sensible one who does not want to venture out of the way, though she initially comes across as kinda standoffish. Her boyfriend is Sean (Ryan Rudolph), who is leaning towards unlikeable due to the way he ignores Lyndsey. The other couple is the hot Ryder (Ryan Rudolph, aka Roller Derby Queen Black and Blue Jay), who is out for some fun (understandable), and her love interest is Lance, the macho moron of the bunch (his backwards, sparkling white baseball cap is surely an indicator). He is a hyper, macho, privileged white male and has no problem expressing it; in other words he’s the one you are really hoping will die.

The fetching foursome – college students is my guess though the they are referred to as “teenagers” in the description – are on a trip from Nashville to a place in Kentucky called Goreville (wait…what?) and get sidetracked after seeing a sign at a gas station run by a very loud speaking good ol’ boy (Evan Miller). Now, in these situations, pay attention to the guy you meet at the gas station before the whatever happens, as you can usually tell by the age whether he’s a “good” or “bad” guy: the old crazy coots are those who warn the travelers (“You kids better not go there!”), the younger kooks are more the ones who direct the action (“I know a great place for y’all to check out!”).

Where our protagonists are led to a “haunted house” themed place called, of course, Talon Park.  Once they get there, it’s at an actual crowded theme park, but they have been singled out by… well, I won’t say who though it’s a given in the storyline. They are ushered through the line and separated from the herd by sliding doors and walls. As they roam around (and of course get separated), they all slowly come to find out that not everything is what it seems, and that they are in for the Hostel experience.

I’ll stop there story-wise, as this is merely the set up that is obvious. It’s at this point things break out into its own until the end, and I don’t want to give it away. Amid all the clichés that bookend the main thrust which starts, yes, at about 20 minutes in, to take on its own and twisted path. In other words, it begins to get really interesting. Unlike other films that tend to start at 20 minutes, there’s enough to keep you watching from the beginning, even though flush with clichés, but don’t be lulled into the belief there’s nothing original here.

Evan Miller

This story is, if I may pontificate for a moment, a good glimpse into American culture, where the women are instinctively aware that there is something wrong in a bigly way, and the dudes just will – not – listen because they are so sure they are right. I find this to be true a lot. If your girlfriend is saying don’t go there, my friend, you should not go there. Not just in the pictures, but in life. Get off your frickin’ macho horse and listen, even if you don’t agree with it right off. I find, in my life, when my partner says something, I think through it rather than just being dismissive. Trust her spidey-sense; it could save your life, especially in a genre flick! But I digress…

If you’ve ever been to a “haunted house” (no, I have not and have no interest; my love of horror exists in the screen, not in a live dimension), from what I understand, the best ones are those that are pretty realistic. That is what this film is playing on. Of course, it helps that it was filmed at the real Talon Falls Screampark in Melber, KY. It was a smart idea to play with the how realistic do you really want it? notion, so that those observing what is actually happening assume it is part of the oeuvre of the place.

As the story unfolds, it gets more intense, more realistic, more snuff-like, and pretty damn close to touching the hem of torture porn. But what takes it beyond into the Meta is having ticketholders watching what is happening to our poor travelers through glass windows, now subjects of the grand experiment. My guess is that this was filmed in the rooms actually used for the screampark, but what I ponder is whether the people who are observing through the windows really watching them make the movie are extras who are placed there by the filmmakers, or paying screampark customers. What I mean is, are the audiences watching aware of what is really happening to the trapped, thinking it’s part of the park’s action? Other than the protagonists early on, you see the patron window viewers only through said window, from where those in peril can see them. Quite the Catch-22, and I applaud the filmmakers for that. Honestly, I don’t need to know definitively, but that question got my attention.

I’m not quite positive when this is actually supposed to take place on the calendar, as. cell phones are minimal, VHS tapes are prevalent, and all the cathode monitors are black-and-white rather than High-Def. We see that the VHSs are dated along the first decade of the 21 Century, the latest being 2010, but wasn’t DVDs big by then (they were introduced in the US in 1997), or is it that the technology just hadn’t caught up to that part of the Blue Grass State yet? Y’know, in the scheme of things, that’s not an important detail.

Torture scenes are wisely broken up with other parts of the concurrent story, which is also at high tension, so we don’t overdose or numb out on the pain a character is feeling as a constant stream (or scream). Going against logic, by cutting away from one action and flipping back and forth to another, the story manages to keep both streams taut rather than dissipating it; it’s good writing.

The gore is extremely well done and there’s plenty of it, and is not for the squeamish (though odds are if you’re reading this, you’re probably beyond that). Also, considering that many in the film have only this for their IMDB credits, there is a load of decent acting here, and I’m looking forward to seeing the cast in more.

Tim McCain

For me, the biggest flaws (and nearly every film has at least one) are as follows: first, the film is too damn dark. It looks like there is some kind of filter on the lens, sometimes with a dark blue hue (day-for-night, perhaps?), that occasionally interferes with the action (but none of the more gory bits) – not enough to totally obscure, but you may want to watch this in a darker room to make a better contrast for the screen. The only other thing is that while the masked villain (Tim McCain) is great at being threatening, considering some of the injuries he acquires it does not seem reasonable for him to be at 100%, no matter what his size.

Other than the trailer, the only extra is a fun 10-minute Behind the Scenes featurette. It has no narrative theme, just a jumble of bloopers, some brief in-process interviews (such as while make-up being applied), and showing that the cast and crew got along real well. It’s an enjoyable piece of fluff that doesn’t really push the film any, but I still recommend the viewing because it gives some personality to actors behind the characters.

To sum it all up: as I said, you know how the ride starts on a nice and even track, and it’s pretty darn easy to predict how it’s going to end, but the hour in the middle is definitely a super-express terror ride that’s worth the time and the price of admission.

As for the real Talon Falls Screampark? Nah, won’t see ya there, but if you like haunted house amusements, it does look like it’s a non-stop adventure.