Contracted (2013)

 

 

(out of 5)

 

Contracted (2013)

directed by:  Eric England

starring:  Najarra Townsend, Caroline Williams, Alice Macdonald, Katie Stegeman, Matt Mercer, Charley Koontz, Ruben Pla

     Sat down with a small group of friends last night to re-watch slash finish Contracted from director Eric England who directed Madison County a pig-masked slasher film I have yet to pick up.  After seeing Contracted I will surely be seeing anything Mr. England will be putting out.  This film is very unique within the subgenre of infection films.  I was not expecting the end to come out the way it did at all.  Thantatomorphose kept coming to mind while watching this the two films are very similar up until the very end. 

     The film grabbed me from the get go even though I had began the film the night before I re-watched and finished it at a friend's.  The first night was kind of a preview in a way.  I threw it on just before I was ready to fall asleep after reading a review that it was terrible or at least glancing through it.  I really want to go back to it and figure out what exactly this person had a problem with....I saw nothing wrong.  Solid 5 Bloody Handprints!  I mean the acting wasn't just there, it was on point with every performance most especially Najarra Townsend who plays our protagonist Samantha and her mother played by Caroline Williams from the 2nd Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  And I must say Miss Williams put on another caliber performance as the caring and maybe overprotective mother although after seeing the movie through she was justifiably overprotective for sure.  Another notable performance was Alice Macdonald who played Samantha's best friend Alice.  Alice like Samantha's mother got the brunt of Samantha's anger throughout the film most especially towards the end when she was acting more and more like an addict spouting off to those who cared most for her.

     Samantha had issues at work, issues with the women she dates and the men, and as we find out issues with drugs as well.  After a hard night of partying and a one night stand with a strange man named BJ she finds herself infected with what seems to be a sexually transmitted disease.  The fx for this slow viral progression are superb.  Pretty gross and creepy as well between the discolored eyes basically bleeding, greenish veins, puking and peeing blood, and basically rotting face and genitals.  Yes rotting coocharoo!  When you see maggots falling from between your legs you know you are having problems.  At one point she somehow seduces a male friend to have sex with her and I remember him saying, "I can feel something moving in there..." then after the maggots fall out of her crotch he proceeds to puke in the toilet and freak out as anyone would.  But it's at this point in the film where not only her body is falling apart but her brain as well and she starts killing all her friends as they come in contact with her. 

  

The slow decay of Samantha's hold on reality was the best thing I liked about the movie.  Reminded me a lot of Repulsion as well being that most of the movie was spent in her apartment and she was slowly going crazy.  Again also Thantatomorphose because of the graphic nature of her disease and what it was doing to her body physically although in Thantatomorphose our main character was just plane rotting away to a magnificent ending.  This also had a great ending I was not expecting and I will not spoil it for anyone.  I highly recommend this film.