Anna: Scream Queen Killer

Director(s) - The Aquinas (Dark Satanic Magick) and Melanie Denholme (One Hour to Die)
Starring - Melanie Denholme
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Horror/Drama
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror is a genre that is so wide and diverse.  So many people are dedicated to the genre and are often trying different things to bring something new to the genre.  Horror has seen so many new things pop up over the course of the last 15 to 20 years.  We now have web-series, found footage, mockumentaries, and even a few interactive films on youtube and vimeo. There has also been experiments that did not take hold and many people did not like them.  I really do understand and respect those that go against the mold and create something different than the norm.  Though I do respect them for it I am still wanting to be entertained and not all experiments are worth watching.  That brings me to this film here.  I was sent this to review by the fine folks over at Chemical Burn Entertainment and heard around from various people that this film was a little different.  So I threw it in thinking it I would see something strangely new.
     The film follows rising actress Anna who responds to an audition.  She is being recorded during these auditions by a cameraman that is never filmed.  Anna has to act out different scenes that is typed out for her with no reaction from the camera man.  After several days of doing this the camera man rapes her (it may have been a skit but is never revealed).  Anna then starts to become uncomfortable and asks the cameraman to stop recording and is soon placed in a cage and her fate is undetermined.
     Just because a film tries something different does not mean that it is worth watching.  I knew this movie was going to be a little different than what I am used to watching after I saw the trailer but this movie bored the hell out of me.  The movie ran just a little over an hour but it felt like a fucking lifetime.  The movie moved at a snails pace with a storyline that I could not see anyone having an interest in.  The movie honestly felt like a demo reel for an audition instead of a movie.  I guess that was the vibe they were going for and in that case they succeeded but it resulted in one of the worst films I have ever seen.  The acting by Melanie Denholme seemed forced in almost every scene of the film making it even more difficult to finish.  Denholme may be an amazing actress on screen when interacting with another character but by herself rehearsing scenes was very hard to watch.  Finally, the film has no special effects or on screen kills. This film does not really pass as horror and the title is very misleading.  I saw nothing that deserved to be called "scream queen killer."  Overall, this film is very disappointing.  The title is misleading, the story is non-existent, and the acting is very hard to watch.  I can not recommend this movie.