Donnie Darko

Director - Richard Kelly (The Box, Southland Tales)

Starring - Jake Gyllenhaal (Spider-Man: Far From Home, Zodiac), Jena Malone (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Neon Demon), and Mary McDonnell (Scream 4, Battlestar Galactica)

Release Date - 2001

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "What would you do if you knew the future"

Format UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     The year after I graduated high school I was with some friends and we took a trip to a mall that was a couple hours away from us.  The mall had an FYE in there and I spent most of out trip digging through the movies.  I left out of there with a pretty solid stack of movies.  Most were horror but I did snag a few random 80s comedies and action flicks.  Among the movies I grabbed was the 2001 horror sci-fi flick Donnie Darko.  I had not heard about this one before but it looked wild.  I remember watching it with my friends but I don't remember shit about the movie.  A few days ago MVD and Arrow Video sent over the new Donnie Darko uhd release for me to review.  This was a great time to revisit the film since I couldn't remember a damn thing about it.  I want to thank MVD and Arrow for sending this one over!

     The film follows Donnie Darko (Gyllenhaal) doesn't fit in.  He struggles to find acceptance within his school and family and is forced to seek therapy several times a week.  He has a knack for creating imaginary friends but his newest, Frank, is a time travelling bunny that brings him to the middle of the apocalypse unless he can stop it.

     I know a lot of genre fans love Donnie Darko.  I've met many at cons that sport hoodies, patches, and even tattoos of the iconic rabbit.  With that being said, I was not impressed with the film after my second viewing.  I can't remember what I thought of the film the first time around but this second viewing was way too long and such a dry experience.  I can see the appeal of the film to some but it was not one that I enjoyed.  The acting in this one is pretty good.  We get amazing performances from a young Jena Malone, Seth Rogan, Drew Barrymore, and Patrick Swayze, and so many more.  This cast is really noteworthy.  They all deliver amazing performances and not a single weak link among them.  With that being said, I didn't care for Jake Gyllenhaal.  His performance just came across as dull when compared with the rest of the cast.  His real life sister Maggie even out stages him in their shared scenes.  The story for this one tries way too hard to achieve something that could have been done in half the time.  I do like how the time travel story goes around and forms a complete circle while tiring up loose ends.  I also like the aspect of the old woman going mad from having all this information.  The movie should have focused more on this and Donnie's "imaginary" friend instead of all the time spent on painting him unstable.  The movie is way too long and a lot of the movie could be removed because so many scenes are repetitive and unnecessary.  Finally, there is a little make-up effects but if you are looking to Donnie Darko for blood and gore then you will be really disappointed.  There is some visual effects but they did not age well and are very laughable now.  Overall, Donnie Darko was not one I could really get into.  I can see why some like it but it's not for me.  However, this UHD release looks absolutely fantastic.  I'm jealous that I'm not a fan of this one and can enjoy it like others can.  

Death Has Blue Eyes

Director - Nico Mastorakis (Ninja Academy, Island of Death)

Starring - Jessica Dublin (The Toxic Avenger Part II, Savage Hunt), Maria Aliferi (Taxi Driver, Consumer Society), and Peter Winter (Warship, The Pathfinders)

Release Date - 1976

Genre - Sci-Fi/Thriller

Tagline - "Love was her need.  Murder was her deed"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Arrow Video has really impressed me recently.  When I received a package of screeners a few days ago I had only seen two of the film out of the four.  I started my Arrow Video marathon with a supernatural romance flick titled A Ghost Waits that I really enjoyed.  I was not expecting that film to hit like it did and I loved it.  I followed that up with Jack Hill's classic Switchblade Sisters.  This was one I was very familiar with and actually enjoy.  It's an iconic film that should be on everyone's watch list.  When I finished Switchblade I decided to dig into Death Has Blue Eyes.  This is one I had never seen before but it looked very interesting.  As usual, I want to thank Arrow Video and MVD for sending this one my way.

     The film follows two friends who find themselves tasked with protecting a very strange woman and her well to do mother.  However, when not fleeing from gun-toting gangsters and fucking random women, they uncover that the strange woman has psychic abilities and her mother is hiding a very big secret.

     I went into Death Has Blue Eyes knowing nothing about the film and was greeted with a well acted but extremely dull film.  The movie had a lot of interesting ideas and the acting was great but it was a fairly dull movie experience which was strange.  How could a movie with such an interesting story have nothing to say?  The acting in this one is the best aspect of the entire film.  I loved the cast and their performances.  The cast was really into their roles and the characters are enjoyable for the most part.  The random sex scenes are a little on the awkward side but the acting for the most part was really well done.  It's a damn shame the story couldn't carry the cast.  The story for this one has some interesting ideas but their delivery leaves a lot to be desired.  The title lead me to believe that the woman with psychic abilities would be doing a lot more killing than she did.  Sadly, this was not the case.  Instead, we get a lot of chase scenes that are very boring along with awkward sex scenes.  We don't get enough focus on the story.  I would have loved to see more psychic chaos over the horrible motorcycle chase scene.  Finally, the film has several deaths but don't expect a lot.  Nothing spectacular or memorable here.  The psychic deaths are actually funny due to the acting but they will not stick with you.  Overall, Death Has Blue Eyes is a huge disappointment and such a missed opportunity.  The blu from Arrow looks great but the movie is not.  Collectors or fans of this one will want to snag it but for a blind buy I would recommend something else from Arrow.  

Switchblade Sisters

Director - Jack Hill (Coffy, Foxy Brown)

Starring - Robbie Lee (The Get Along Gang, Big Bad Mama), Joanne Nail (The Visitor, The Gumball Rally), and Monica Gayle (Pinocchio, Nashville Girl)

Release Date - 1975

Genre - Action

Tagline - "Mothers...lock up your sons.  Switchblade sisters are coming!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Jack Hill was a filmmaker that ruled the 70s exploitation scene.  His blaxploitation films Coffy and Foxy Brown are damn near iconic but his career is more than that.  His contributions to exploitation and horror are legendary after helming such films as Spider Baby, The Swinging Cheerleaders, The Terror, Alien Terror, and so many more.  When I was in college I snagged a few DVDs from a vendor at a pop culture convention.  The pop up event was for comics and collectibles but someone had set up a table full of DVDs that were clearly boots.  A lot of them were titles I had never of before but when I saw Switchblade Sisters was directed by Jack Hill I had to snag it.  When I mentioned it on a horror forum I discovered that most fans of the film had seen it on boots with no quality release of it around to snag.  A few weeks ago I caught word that Arrow Video was finally giving this classic Jack Hill exploitation film a blu release and MVD was kind enough to send a review copy over.  Thanks for giving this film the attention it needed and allowing me the opportunity to review it!

     The film follows a group of female gang members who are known as the Dagger Debs who are part of a much bigger gang known as the Silver Daggers.  A new girl in town shows promise and is brought into the Debs but soon causes ripples among the group when the leader of the Daggers shows a liking to her while dating the leader of the Debs.  She betrays the Debs to get even with the new girl but in the process killing her boyfriend and Dagger's leader.  The power vacuum of his death allows the new girl to take over the gang.

     I'm not going to be like those guys in these forums and pretend like I grew up on this film.  I didn't know it even existed until I found a piss poor boot at a random pop up event.  However, I've watched it a dozen times since then and I absolutely fucking love it.  Some of my college friends didn't care for it so most of the time I was watching it alone but I swear this is my favorite Jack Hill film right next to Spider Baby.  Every viewing of this film is like the first but watching this spectacular blu is like watching some of these scenes for the first time especially when you compare it to the shitty DVD.  This is, by far, my favorite Arrow release to date.  The acting in this movie is questionable at times but the characters are legendary especially among fans of exploitation.  The cast does struggle in a few scenes which is common of films of the time with this sort of budget.  However, the characters they bring to life are iconic.  When I think of exploitation movies of this decade I always think of Patch, Lace, and Crabs.  The entire cast does a great job at creating characters instead of just acting.  The story for this one is so much fun.  We get a dash of blaxploitation, some fun gangs, and a lot of action and drama.  The character development and story progression is what makes this one so much fun.  Without the cast and the amazing characters this story would fall apart.  The drama flows very well with the story and the action scenes are just the icing on the cake.  Finally, the film has some fun kills that mostly involve gun wounds.  The effects are minimal but they work for the film.  I really enjoyed the shotgun blast and the aftermath of that scene.  Overall, Switchblade Sisters is a must see for Jack Hill fans and movie lovers who enjoy exploitation flicks.  This release from Arrow Video is essential for movie fans.  I can't recommend this enough.  

A Ghost Waits

Director - Adam Stovall 

Starring - MacLeod Andrews (Doctor Sleep, Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror), Natalie Walker (BoJack Horseman, Fakers), and Sydney Vollmer (#Awkward Dates, Wildfire)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror/Romance

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I never know what I'm going to pick up at the post office on a daily basis.  For a movie fan, reviewing movies has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had.  I get a fair amount of mail in on a daily basis from companies wanting me to review their movies.  A few days ago MVD sent over a few Arrow Video releases for me to check out.  Out of the four titles sent my way I had not seen two of them before.  One that really caught my eye was A Ghost Waits which was the only new film out of the four.  When I finished my Goriest Production double feature I decided I would toss it in and see what it was about.  I want to thank MVD and Arrow Video for sending these my way.

     The film follows Jack (Andrews) who is hired to clean out a rental property that tenants refuse to stay in.  After spending some time there he discovers that it is haunted.  The ghost, Muriel (Walker) is tasked with haunting the house but when Jack refuses to leave which makes Muriel look bad with her supervisor.  The hard Muriel tries the more time she spends with Jack.  Overtime the two start to fall for each other but when Rosie, a new ghost trying to prove she's good at scaring, arrives the two work together to get rid of Rosie before they realize they love each other.  

     I didn't expect the film to be a traditional horror tale and for the most part it wasn't.  However, the film was very unique especially when compared to the other indie horror flicks I review.  It was very comforting while having great atmosphere and tone.  It's rare to get an indie production that leaves it's mark like A Ghost Waits does.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  The supporting cast is great but Andrews and Walker are fantastic together.  The characters are so well written and the two do a fantastic job together.  Their chemistry is great and they are naturals in front of the camera.  The story for this one is not your traditional supernatural tale.  The mix of moody drama with horror elements mixed with romance creates a rather unique film that will pull the viewer in.  The character development is far above most films with similar budgets.  Finally, this is not a bloody and gory flick.  The black and white mixed with the make-up makes the ghosts stand out but no blood for the average gore junkie.  Overall, A Ghost Waits is a movie I thought I would never like but here I am still thinking about it after it's long been off.  I highly recommend snagging this arrow release.  It's well worth it.  

Goriest Production Short Compilation 2010 - 2020

Director - Patrick Fortin

Release Date - 2010 - 2020

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I love how wild some no budget indie horror flicks can go.  I've seen parodies of some of my favorite horror movies, I've seen fan films, and I've even seen unofficial sequels.  I've always seen some wild original tales told with absolutely no budget.  A few days ago director Patrick Fortin reached out to me to review some of his works.  I started this strange journey with his 2020 horror flick Carnival of Gore.  When I was finished with that it was time for his short compilation which consists of shorts he had made from 2010 to 2020.  I once again want to thank Patrick for sending this over to check out.  

     This short compilation consists of segments ranging from slasher inspired shorts, to music videos, and a few animated segments.  There is a wide range of videos to be seen here.

     I've reviewed a few short compilations over the years and they were all fun experiences.  It's even more entertaining when they are compilations from the same director and you can witness them growing as a director.  I had a lot of fun with this comp here but it was a little too long for liking.  At almost two hours it becomes more a chore to finish than for fun.  The acting in these segments are very inconsistent.  We get some very amateur and inexperienced performances to extremely energetic and intense performances.  None are memorable or amazing but they work for the shorts and show plenty of promise.  The stories, much like the acting, is very inconsistent.  Some of the shorts were fun, like The Evil Massacre segment.  Keep in mind, these are no budget shorts but for the short running time they are fun.  My only real complaint with this comp is the running time.  This should have been split up into two different volumes.  The run time is almost two hours which is a bit too long for one sitting for a comp like this.  Finally, the film has a lot of blood, gore, and fun animation.  The blood and gore is fun but the budget did prevent it from being better than it is.  It's still very enjoyable for the segments.  Overall, this comp is fun especially if you are looking for a late night bloodbath with some booze.  Don't expect a life changing experience but go into it looking for some backyard fun.  

Carnival of Gore

Director - Patrick Fortin

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I use social media as a way to discover new indie horror flicks.  Because these films never have the extra money for marketing they rely heavily on social media to find  an audience so I'm always on the looking out for movies using hashtags on Instagram or befriending indie filmmakers on Facebook.  A few days ago my friends over at Dead Vision Productions announced that a new film was going live for pre-order this Friday (today).  The new film, Park Street Diary, was directed by Patrick Fortin.  I had befriended Fortin sometime ago but I had never seen any of his films.  I commented on the post and after some joking around he messaged me to check out some of his other films.  I graciously accepted and started my movie marathon with his 2020 film Carnival of Gore.  Thanks Patrick!

     The film follows a pair of clowns who are cannibals as they murder, eat, and party their way through the countryside.

     I had heard about Carnival of Gore sometime ago when some people I follow on Instagram shared copies of the film on blu I believe it was.  The title really caught my attention and the artwork was phenomenal but I forgot to follow up on acquiring a copy for my collection.  Aside from the title and it having something to do with clowns that was all that I knew about the film.  After watching it I can safely say that I knew about 50% of the film just from the title and artwork alone.  The movie is very straight forward but very fun.  The acting in this one is nothing award winning but I really enjoyed the energy the cast brought to the film especially the clowns.  They all look like they are having fun on set which translates very well for the scenes.  The story for this one is nothing complicated.  We have clowns goofy off when they are not killing and eating people.  Simple as that.  The film does look like it was two short films put together which I think would be more effective if it was left as two segments instead of one.  The film runs for a little over an hour but with the type of story we get it does run a little too long.  Seeing it as two shorts would have been far more enjoyable.  Finally, if you want blood and gore then you are luck.  The film is filled with practical effects.  We get blood, some gore, and lots of props that fit the film well.  Some are a little funny to look at and the visual effects are cheesy but the rest are worth noting.  Overall, Carnival of Gore doesn't try to give the viewer the next genre defining film.  Instead, it went with a simple and entertaining approach.  It was a movie that looks like it was fun to make and just as fun to watch.  Check it out.  

Dolly Deadly

Director - Heid Moore (Mommy, Soul Doubt)

Starring - Justin Moore (Dolly Deadly 1.5, Kill Dolly Kill), Kimberly West-Carroll, and Jay Sosnicki (Elliot, Hi-Death)

Release Date - 2016

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "All dolled up and ready to kill"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been a fan of Troma for sometime now.  Ever since I first found the tapes in high school I was hooked.  Writing for Horror Society has it's own perks.  Getting to hear about new and upcoming horror movies prior to their release is a big one.  Sometime back I received the press release from Troma announcing that they had acquired the indie horror film Dolly Deadly for their streaming platform Troma Now.  Sometime has passed and I saw that the film was getting a blu release.  I had yet to see it so I went ahead and snagged a copy to check out when I had the time.  After watching Reunion from Hell I decided it was the perfect time to give it a spin.

     The film follows Benji who lives with his grandmother and her deadbeat boyfriend in the trailer park.  He lost his mother when he was a baby and now only has dolls and stuffed animals of hers to remember her by.  Because of his attachment to these he is often ridiculed and mocked by his family and friends.  He finally reaches his boiling point and things turn deadly.  

     Dolly Deadly is not what I was expecting at all but I fucking loved it.  The film would be the second movie in my unintentional LGBTQ double feature after spinning Reunion from Hell.  It was extremely well written and fun with that Troma trash/punk aesthetic.  I really enjoyed it and I think if you were open minded you would as well.  The acting in this one is phenomenal.  The supporting cast brings to life a wide array of characters that are not only memorable but very fun to watch.  Even if you are meant to hate the character you still find yourself enjoying their performance and almost picking out common traits you share with them.  With that being said. Justin Moore is the star of the show.  He doesn't let his age or lack of experience stop him from shinning.  His portrayal of Benji brings out a lot of emotions in the viewer.  As someone who grew up in a broken home I really felt his performance.  He really struck a chord with me.  I can't wait to see him appear in other genre titles as he gets older.  The story for this one is one we've seen before but with a little LGBTQ flair.  We've seen so many horror and exploitation films following a kid/teen/pre-teen who is bullied and neglected living in a trailer park before turning to bloodshed.  Hell, just a few months ago I reviewed Gun Crazy which follows a couple from a trailer park that goes on a mass shooting.  What sets this one apart from the others is the added trash cinema flair with the young killer donning a dress while killing.  It's hard not to say this is a horror film from the mind of a John Water's fan but fans of both will see the similarities.  Finally, the film has some extremely bloody and violent deaths with some solid practical effects.  We get a little gore but nothing that will really stand out.  Overall, Dolly Deadly is not your typical horror film.  It has an emotional range that most indie films are unable to produce while delivering the standard horror chills.  I highly recommend this one.  

Reunion from Hell

Director(s) - Hayden Newman and Sam Hodge (Twelve Pole, Glam)

Starring - Hayden Newman (Slasher Scotty, Beam Me Up Scotty: A Podcast), Cody Alexander (Truly, Madly, Pool Party), and Adam Freeman (Cannibal Hookers, Piggy)

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Everyone is a suspect and no one is safe!"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Several years ago I befriended West Virginia filmmaker Sam Hodge on Facebook when he was promoting his debut film Twelve Pole Manor.  The film was a fun supernatural flick that I was not expecting to enjoy as much as I did.  Not longer after this the film was released by my friends over at Wild Eye as Twelve Pole.  Hodge has been hard at work since then working on several shorts and scoring several films for other filmmakers.  A few days back Sam reached out to me to check out a new feature length film he co-directed with first time filmmaker Hayden Newman.  The film, Reunion from Hell, looked like a fun one so I jumped at the chance to check it out.  I want to thank Sam for allowing Horror Society and myself the chance to check this one out.

     The film follows Riley (Newman) who returns to his hometown after his friend was brutally murdered.  Riley left sometime ago when his father died in a car accident on his wake to pick him up while he was partying.  Now, after returning home his friends are being murdered one by one.  Knowing someone is out for him he begins his own investigation to find out who is responsible but discovers that the killer is someone very close to him.  

     Reunion from Hell looked like it would be a fun slasher with a modern spin.  For the most part, it was but it struggled in a few different aspects.  With some editing and trimming of the scenes we could have something fun but the cut I watched was way too long and had severe pacing issues.  The acting in this one is a little hit and miss.  Some of the scenes are extremely well acted but other scenes are a little tough to sit through.  The cast's dedication to their role is unquestionable but several scenes has underwhelming performances.  The cast struggles with their volume while over-acting resulting some unintentional laughs and drawn out scenes.  I want to explain, this is not the entire film.  Some of the scenes are well acted and everyone seems comfortable with each other resulting in other enjoyable scenes.  The story for this one, much like the acting, has some ups and downs.  The film's beginning is an amazing plot device to get the story rolling and the ending is extremely wild but the hour long lump in the middle of the film is rough.  The film is compromised of several long and drawn out scenes full of tedious dialogue.  This really throws the pacing of the film off and makes it tough to sit through.  The film could have a lot trimmed out and the story would still remain intact.  Honestly, the film would flow a lot better if it was trimmed down to around 50 minutes or so.  With all of that being said, I don't think enough modern indie horror flicks do a great enough job representing their fans.  Most horror movies follow heavily tattooed characters who often have horror oriented tattoos as they act like they've never seen a horror movie before.  Reunion from Hell brings in a group of diverse characters that represents the LGBTQ community.  It's not often that I get a LGBTQ friendly film to review.  Finally, the film has some fun kills that are a great tribute to the slashers of old.  They are bloody, violent, and look surprisingly well for the films.  However, if you are looking for a lot of gore then you will be very disappointed here.  Overall, Reunion from Hell has some fun moments but the story is stretched way too thin.  The movie could use some heavy editing with at least 30 to 40 minutes cut.  It still deserves a watch because the opening and ending is well worth it in my opinion.  

They Reach

Director - Sylas Dall (The Blue Line, Hit Squad)

Starring - Mary Madaline Roe (The Ice Cream Date, Two Pictures), Morgan Chandler (Silence), and Eden Campbell (Z Nation, The Mortuary Collection)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "First you hear them.  Then you see them.  Then..."

Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Sometime ago, last year I believe, I received the press release for the horror tale They Reach.  The artwork looked fun and I was getting a Stranger Things vibe from it.  I marked it down to check out later but I forgot which is typical for me.  I look at so many movies through out the week for the site that I often lose count of which ones I was interested in and which ones didn't peak my interest.  A few days ago I was at a Walmart I typically don't visit when I saw that they had a bigger selection of movies than my local Walmart.  I snagged I Am Lisa, Sacrilege, and They Reach.  They Reach was the one I was the most excited to see so I put it at the end of my movie marathon.

     The film follows a young girl in 1979 who just lost her older brother.  Her parents are taking it hard but she finds herself following in her father's footsteps of tinkering on electronics.  She finds a box of junk at an old store and buys it when she discovers an broken cassette player in it.  While working on it she accidentally cuts her hand.  What she doesn't know is that the recording on the cassette is of a failed exorcism.  Her blood on the tape opens up a portal allowing a darkness to enter this world and take over her small town.  It's up to her and her two friends to stop them before everyone they love dies.  

     Stranger Things did a lot for the genre.  It made horror and sci-fi more trendy than what it already was and gave production companies a bigger reason to take a chance with horror.  With that being said, it didn't really do anything new or inventive.  It gave nostalgia hungry millennials something to watch.  Now, we are getting movies that are ripping the show off in the same way the market became oversaturated with zombie films after The Walking Dead premiered.  They Reach is extremely inspired by Stranger Things but the film struggled to find it's own footing.  The acting in this one is very well done.  The relatively young cast delivers a great performance that rivaled shows of films featuring casts of the same age.  The budget for this one is nowhere near that of Stranger Things, It, and so on but this cast delivers just as good of a performance as the actors in those.  They work very well together and their characters were extremely fun to watch.  The supporting cast is just as great.  I loved the casting in this one.  The story for this one is one of the biggest missed opportunities in horror history.  The movie goes in too many different directions.  We get the story centered around kids who have these creatures after them that are afraid of light.  This was a solid premise but we then have moments where this children oriented movie goes extremely dark and gruesome which is not how the film was set up.  It's out of place but if the film would have went that way from the very beginning it could have worked.  We then have these random scenes scattered throughout that are extremely light-hearted and even more out of place than the darker scenes.  The writing in this is very inconsistent which created an inconsistent film that falls short.  Finally, the film has some extremely bloody moments but the deaths, sadly, take place off screen.  We get some blood splatter at various times throughout the film but if you are looking for practical effects and fun deaths you will be disappointed.  Overall, They Reach was such a missed opportunity.  The story could have been one hell of a horror flick but the movie struggles with itself.  It has some fun moments as it is but don't expect a movie that will stick with you.  

Sacrilege

Director - David Creed (Special Delivery)

Starring - Tamaryn Payne (Vikings, One More Lie), Emily Wyatt (Spring Heeled Jack, 100 Streets), and Sian Abrahams (Tales of Modern Witchery: Darla's Vegetarian Magic Pies, Aylesbury Dead)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Face your fears"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

     Several months ago I received the press release for a British pagan horror film titled Sacrilege.  The artwork turned me off of the film but the title and synopsis sounded extremely fun.  A few weeks had passed and I completely forgot about the film until I was at a Walmart that I don't typically visit when I noticed a few horror titles on the shelf.  I Am Lisa really caught my eye but beside it was Sacrilege.  I was excited to finally have some horror titles to pick up so I snagged them.  After I gave I Am Lisa a spin I decided to follow it up with Sacrilege.  

     The film follows four young women who decide to get away for a weekend and rent a cabin deep in the woods.  The locals are celebrating their history by hosting a pagan festival and invite the ladies.  They arrive and enjoy some drinks before writing down their fears and tossing the paper in the fire.  Soon they are faced with their worst fears imaginable and discover that the pagan celebration was real and they are the sacrifices.

     After watching I Am Lisa and enjoying it I was excited to dig into another new release that I had never seen.  Sadly, the movie was extremely dull and the part of the film that was the most interesting takes the backseat.  I'm a sucker for cult and pagan horror tales but they always put that part of the film on the backburner.  Sacrilege is no different.  The acting in this one is pretty solid.  I was apprehensive when I saw that the film followed a group of young women.  In the past when I watched a film with a similar plot I found the interactions among the cast to be extremely cringy.  However, I really liked the cast and the characters here.  Everyone had their own personality and they worked very well together.  The supporting cast is done just as well.  I loved the wide range of characters and though they were somewhat generic and cliched the cast still did a fantastic job with them.  The story for this one is where the movie lost me.  The film had a fantastic set up.  Sure, it's got that Wicker Man vibe where people are tricked into attending and becoming the sacrifice but it could have still worked.  Sadly, most of the film is based around the four ladies which doesn't start out wrong.  It does help with creating character backstories but the movie continues to focus on them and their living arrangements for far too long without letting the rest of the story develop.  The movie did not need an hour to establish who is who, who slept with who, and who is the most shallow.  This was already established BEFORE they arrived at the house.  The movie really needed to make the pagan cult a bigger part of the story.   Finally, the film has a few deaths scenes.  They had blood with a little practical effects but nothing that made them stand out or leave a lasting impression.  Overall, Sacrilege is like so many movies that I've seen over the years.  It has an interesting story on paper but is unable to pull it all together in front of the camera.  This is one I would skip.