Compound Fracture

Director - Anthony J. Rickert-Epstein (Fingerman: Dr. London and the Triangle Force)
Starring - Tyler Mane (Rob Zombie's Halloween, X-Men), Muse Watson (White Lightnin'), and Derek Mears (Grimm, Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Some family secrets are darker than others"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screeners)

Rating (out of 5):

     Some movies enter production and become bigger than they should.  This is usually due to the caliber of cast or simply from title alone.  These films usually have big shoes to fill just because of cast.  A few years back I caught wind that Tyler Mane and Derek Mears were teaming up to be in a new horror flick through Mane's production company, Mane Entertainment.  That film, Compound Fracture, was receiving a lot of hype among the horror community but it just never sparked any interest with me.  That was until a fellow horror fan was able to check it out and told me about it.  At that point I had to see it for myself so I reached out to Level 33 who is handling the film's release and was lucky enough to secure a screener.
     The film follows Michael (Mane) as he travels back to his father's compound after the death of his sister.  His sister was murdered by her husband (Mears).  Michael is taking his nephew to see his grandfather.  His grandfather, Gary (Watson), is obssessed with Norse mythology to the point he branded his children with one of the symbols.  Once Michael arrives he starts to notice strange things.  At first it was little things out the corner of his eye over time he notices it more and more.  He starts to see his deceased sister and before long he starts to her murderer.  At first it was just glimpses here and there but before long her manifests into something much more darker and starts killing.  It is then that Gary tells Michael that he branded those symbols on their arms so they could be joined in death.  Wanting to do the same with her husband, Michael's sister did the same with her husband.  Now Michael and Gary have to deal with an angry supernatural presence that is bound to his house and is hellbent on killing them all.
     I typically dislike films that gain a following before the film is released.  These kind of films know they will make a profit before the film is ever made so they usually just whip together a pile of shit and shove it out the door to the raving fans.  For the most part the fans will then praise the film just because they see a few familiar faces.  Also, these films tend to lack any depth or story.  With all that being said, this film really surprised me.  Mane Entertainment did not want to cash in on the value of the cast's faces, but instead, delivered one solid film.  The acting in this one is top notch.  The entire cast did a great job but some of the cast members out did the others.  The acting was not consist throughout.  The story for this one is fucking amazing.  This was far from your typical supernatural thriller and nothing was predictable or cliched.  Sadly, the film is a bit slow at first.  To be honest, I was almost unable to watch the film because I was so bored at first but I am glad I stuck with it.  Finally, the film does have a few on screen deaths but not as much as one would expect when you watch a film with actors who played Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, and Ben Willis (I Know What You Did Last Summer).   For what few kills we get the special effects look great which is also a little disappointing we did not get more.  The film also had some great visual effects which is something I have been saying more and more lately.  Overall, Compound Fracture is a brutal supernatural tale that deserves some of your time.  It has a slow start but kicks like a shotgun at the end.  Check it out!