Stockholm Syndrome

Director - Ryan Cavalline (Mountain Devil, Dead Body Man)
Starring - Jason Senior, Eddie Benevich (The Great American Serial Killer, Day of the Ax), and Lisa Marano (Discipline)
Release Date - 2008
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "No one escapes"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     After watching the documentary VHS Massacre I decided it was time for some blood.  I've been away from the carnage for far too long and needed to return to my bloody roots.  I went through my review stack and one film caught my eye and that was Stockholm Syndrome.  The fact that I had a Sleaze Box film to review excited me and I had to rack my brain about when I had actually got the film in to review.  I can't remember getting the package but I was excited nonetheless.  I was even more excited when I learned that Ryan Cavalline had directed the film who brought us Dead Body Man and the new Wild Eye release Mountain Devil.  I want to take a moment to thank Chris and The Sleaze Box for sending this one my way!

     The film follows a young couple expecting their first child soon as they stop for the night at a cheap roadside motel.  Two men are casing the place and see them enter their room.  They plan on kidnapping them so their boss can sell them for a hefty profit especially where the young bride is expecting a child.  They kidnap them both and take them back to their warehouse where they learn the woman and child are not healthy.  Their "doctor" advises them to terminate the baby and when the mother fails to recover they kill her.  They take the man to one of the dealers where is has to fight for his life or die in a human trafficking operation.
     I wasn't expecting to see one of the best movies I have seen but I was expecting to see a movie full of blood, gore, and nudity.  The movie did deliver on that and was actually pretty entertaining.  There was a few moments where I felt uncomfortable and I love that feeling.  The acting in this one is not the best but is far from the worst.  The cast is very dedicated to their role and some have a great deal of experience.  Sadly. a good portion of the cast does not have the same experience and the interactions show it.  A little more direction would have went a long way with these awkward scenes.  The story for this one has a lot going on for it.  It could have been a simple abduction film but it adds many more elements to it.  We have a priest that fucks the sin out of girls, a man looking for redemption, a businessman trying to turn a buck, and a serial rapist who prepares people for auction.  The film really does toss a lot at you instead of just a tale of abduction.  With that being said, the writing is a little awkward.  There is times in the film where the story feels like its going nowhere and we have an overabundance of characters on camera.  This can be frustrating for the viewer that looks at every detail.  The editing could have been a little tighter.  Finally, the film has several gory moments ranging from a fetus being destroyed to a girl being fucked with razor blades.  The film is truly deranged.  The effects we get are solid but there was plenty of room for improvement.  Some of the kills/gags were a little unnerving and I fucking loved it.  Overall. Stockholm Syndrome is a rough film that is rough to watch but delivers on the red stuff.  If you are looking for horror with a little backbone then let me recommend this one to you!  Check it out.