(2004/USA)
REVIEWED BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-DON BENJAMIN CAST-ERIC SCEALF, DAVID KLAES, CARL BENNETT, CATHY EAKER, DENISE FRYE and RON WILSON
SOURCE-TRILLIUM PICTURES/NEW PLANET PICTURE DVDR SCREENERGregory Kane is set to director his third film, given that the first two failed miserably he wants everything to work for this production. With his cast of actors in place and set to go, they head for their primary location called Raven’s Hollow. An area known for it’s haunted past, stories of cannibalistic murders only adding to the film’s already gruesome storyline. Upon wrapping up after a full days worth of shooting, the cast and crew head back for home. Tired, they fall asleep only to wake up to a terrible surprise Gregory has had laid out for them. They are now apart of Gregory true film, one that pits them as victims of torture and ultimate death. To give the world the final stages of complete realism, to capture the passage of one's life slipping into the darkness of death.
Not since Texas Chainsaw Massacre have I been visually or mentally stunned by such pure brutal rawness. Anti-Horror is quite simply insanity given the power to spread it’s wings. Over the top acting, coupled with tons of red stained gore, this low budget offering from Don Benjamin will surely leave a mark on your cinematic viewing experience. The total effort put into Anti-Horror on all levels, from it’s straight forward plot to it’s excellent acting. Even the film’s score compliments fast paced bloody roller coaster ride into oblivion. Casting of this film has to be given it’s rightful dues as well. From bloody screams to violent yelling and utter fear, every known emotion is not spared here. With all that aside, the most important aspect about this film that really propped this above many others of it’s kind, it’s style. Anti-Horror brings a whole new fresh look at what an indie film maker can do with next to no budget. Freedom reins high with this production, there is simply no holds barred and the scary thing about that is it’s right in your face about it. Slick editing leading to some smooth transitions, especially during the scene of the pseudo production at the start of the film. The scenes that incorporate going from the black and white behind the scene to the colored shooting sequences.
Anti-Horror is certainly not for the weak in the stomach either as there are many scenes that are over the top in gore. One scene in particular had my gag reflexes in overdrive, the scene where one of the characters is forced to swallow pieces of meat with a string attached to them, five in total. This scene was shear gut wrenching torture as they extract the lures from within him, ripping his innards. It wasn’t the gore that had me gagging, it was the character's unpleasant experience on a whole that had me by the...well, you know. Swallowing them one by one, and doing it at a leisurely pace to boot, pure torture at it’s best. Another shocker of this film comes by way of the character of David (David Klaes), though calm and very collective through the start of the film, he completely unleashes a rein of totally madness in the worst possible way. The is simply no words to explain his outrageous rampage that ultimately leads to the overall pace of the second half of Anti-Horror. There are areas where you suspect that there's something not right with him though, and that of course has you as a viewer watching him carefully. My hat is off to a piece of entertainment, mind you maybe not in everyone’s eyes, created by director Don Benjamin. I’m sure we can expect even more crazier cinematic experiences from him in the near future, though it'll be a touch to top Anti-Horror.
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4 BITCH SLAPS
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