Red Velvet is one of the goriest and wittiest horror movies not just of this year, but EVER! Its highly original script gives the genre of horror hope amid all the PG-13 films made for tweens and wretched remakes clogging the video shelves.
The film was screened to a packed house (standing room only!) at this year's Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles and no one in the audience left disappointed. The script is uproarious in all the right places while still maintaining its horror sensibilities and having some truly splatterific set pieces. From the opening scenes in the laundromat where Aaron and Linda are trading jabs to the hilarious scene where they come up with the "perfect killer," the film is blackly comedic. And then there's the gore the amazingly bloody gore! Like one scene where an unfortunate dude gets sawed in half. Or the scene in which a couple tries to climb out of a deep hole but the end of the rope is attached to an alligator that keeps getting steadily and steadily closer to falling in the hole every time the couple climbs a few more feet how's that for original? The acting is superb with Henry Thomas giving a manic, off-kilter performance as writer Aaron. Kelli Garner as Linda holds her own as well and proves that she won't be bullied by Aaron's snide remarks 'cause she dishes 'em right back! It was nice to see her character wasn't the stereotypical "helpless" female victim, but one who fights back. The supporting cast holds its own through the ever-changing characters' as Aaron molds his story to fit the personalities and looks of Linda's friends. Despite the many character incarnations, all of the actors held their own, among them Eric Jungmann (Killer Pad), Michele Nordin and Carlie Westerman (An American Crime).
Heightening the atmosphere is the direction by first-time director Bruce Dickson. The shots are engaging and beautifully bathed in unnatural reds, purples, yellows and oranges (especially for the story-telling scenes). The uniquely disconcerting score also gives the audience the impression that they are entering the "Twilight Zone" and that we are in for something truly special and weird.
My only complaint with the film was the ending, which lacked the punch of the rest of the film. Other than that, I am aglow with high praise for Red Velvet. It is truly one of the most memorable and unique horror films I've ever experienced.
Read the entire review at www.fatally-yours.com.
The film was screened to a packed house (standing room only!) at this year's Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors in Los Angeles and no one in the audience left disappointed. The script is uproarious in all the right places while still maintaining its horror sensibilities and having some truly splatterific set pieces. From the opening scenes in the laundromat where Aaron and Linda are trading jabs to the hilarious scene where they come up with the "perfect killer," the film is blackly comedic. And then there's the gore the amazingly bloody gore! Like one scene where an unfortunate dude gets sawed in half. Or the scene in which a couple tries to climb out of a deep hole but the end of the rope is attached to an alligator that keeps getting steadily and steadily closer to falling in the hole every time the couple climbs a few more feet how's that for original? The acting is superb with Henry Thomas giving a manic, off-kilter performance as writer Aaron. Kelli Garner as Linda holds her own as well and proves that she won't be bullied by Aaron's snide remarks 'cause she dishes 'em right back! It was nice to see her character wasn't the stereotypical "helpless" female victim, but one who fights back. The supporting cast holds its own through the ever-changing characters' as Aaron molds his story to fit the personalities and looks of Linda's friends. Despite the many character incarnations, all of the actors held their own, among them Eric Jungmann (Killer Pad), Michele Nordin and Carlie Westerman (An American Crime).
Heightening the atmosphere is the direction by first-time director Bruce Dickson. The shots are engaging and beautifully bathed in unnatural reds, purples, yellows and oranges (especially for the story-telling scenes). The uniquely disconcerting score also gives the audience the impression that they are entering the "Twilight Zone" and that we are in for something truly special and weird.
My only complaint with the film was the ending, which lacked the punch of the rest of the film. Other than that, I am aglow with high praise for Red Velvet. It is truly one of the most memorable and unique horror films I've ever experienced.
Read the entire review at www.fatally-yours.com.