Masks Blu-Ray

By Mrparka 

“Masks” is reminiscent of the 70s and 80s Italian horror films of Argento and other maestros. The story, lighting, script, and death scenes seem to mimic, to a certain extent, the nature, atmosphere, location, and plight of our lead character. “Masks” follows a struggling actress who enrolls in a mysterious acting school. She soon finds out that there are some sinister elements taking place under her and the other students' noses. As she digs deeper and becomes more involved in an outdated and dangerous acting method she begins to lose her grip on sanity. “Masks” most interesting aspect, second to style, is the psychological. In particular, that of our two core characters. We get a glimpse into their backgrounds and understand their interactions with others, each other, and their environment. These glimpses also play into the motivations of the villains. This story line is the driving force and only deviates to include side characters. The side characters are here to be stabbed to bits; to keep the audience's blood lust satisfied and show real danger. Unfortunately most of these characters are just cannon fodder. The motivation of our villains is a doozy, the setup is decent. Our lead discovers an old documentary about the school and its wild acting practices, including drugs and out of control, high energy emotions. When the final twist is revealed it is a bit off its rocker, but the wild idea and originality is appreciated. It doesn't make for an awful film in the end. The location, an old acting school, really helps play into the structure of the script, letting wings and rooms be discovered as the mystery unfolds. Some type of a learning institute has long been a part of the Italian films “Masks” is inspired from, think "Suspiria." The school is also a perfect setup for this style, a scared and or scarred individual being thrust into a hostile environment where they aren't readily accepted. The lighting fits the bill as well with some teals and brighter colors that illuminate well. The deaths in the film are quicker than one would expect and our filmed with less finesse than its predecessors, but are fairly gory and done well enough. The score also brings the creepy atmosphere to full potential and leaves a haunting lingering feeling. By the end of the day we have a solid yet, a little long giallo style horror film made in Germany with good gore, a couple standout performances, a batshit ending, a creepy score and location, and a nice setup. This edition includes deleted scenes, a making of, and a soundtrack and is packaged deluxe.

http://www.cavd.com/product.php?productid=2682
https://www.amazon.com/Masks-Blu-ray-DVD-CD-Combo/dp/B01I492TL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477668710&sr=8-1&keywords=masks+reel+gore
Plot Summary:
In her quest for fame, drama student Stella gets caught in the grip of a mysterious and deadly stage school. Stella longs to be an actress. When she is accepted to a private school in Berlin, her dream seems to come true. But there is something wrong with the “Matteusz Gdula-Institute”. In the seventies, the school´s founder, Matteusz Gdula, practiced a learning style that promised to let students shine by driving them to their mental limits. In the end his method was banned, as mysterious deaths occurred during his lessons and Gdula committed suicide.

At night, Stella hears eerie sounds in the corridors of the school. A fellow student disappears. Stella suspects that behind the closed door to the abandoned, forbidden wing of the school lurks a bloody secret. A secret that kills the students... First 3000 copies include: CD - Original Soundtrack, Collectible Blu-ray/DVD Slipcase and Sleeve, 24 Page Booklet.