Despite the fact that this film gets 1 coffin, Writer/Director Justin Paul Ritter's sophomore effort shows just how talented the underground filmmaker really is. The film may have many problems, but it is undoubtedly well-directed and has some of the best cinematography I've seen from an indie effort in a long time.

Ritter's film is inspired by three short stories, "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Poe, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" by Nathaniel Hawthorne and "Markheim" by Robert Louis Stevenson. I figured that this meant I was in for a Creepshow type of thing, but instead Ritter decides to mash the stories together into an incoherent stew and goes even further by telling us the tale out of sequence. Here is the films first big misstep, in my estimation. Do not worry, though, because on our journey through the twists and turns of this indecipherable mess we have a guide. A homeless man, played by Roddy Piper who looks about as unrecognizable as he can look, narrates the events in the film, trying to set the stage for the events about to play themselves out. The problem is that he is completely useless and says nothing of consequence, reminding me of Coffin Joe when he spouts nonsense and takes up screen time. By the way, the people that would normally go see a Roddy Piper movie are NOT the right audience for this film.

I am still not very sure what the plot of the film is, but here is what I think is going on to the best of my knowledge. I will not include any spoilers, since this was a screener. Mark Heim, played by Marshal Hilton who looks as if he could play Hellboy without the makeup, spends his time crying and drooling snot as he agonizes over his love for Lily. Lily, played by Jamey Hood and looking like Shelley Duvall from The Shinning, is a bruised flower of a person dressing in worn sweaters and also crying all the time. Her father is Thomas Heidegger, played by C.J. Baker who also spends most of his time crying, is a scientist who is trying to bring dead roses back to life (???) while living in his low-rent laboratory.

Something went down in their past involving a fourth figure who is only referred to as The Stranger, played by Ryan McGivern who, believe it or not, spends a fair amount of screen time crying as well. He is obviously Mephistopheles to everyone's Faust and is pulling the strings of this hyper-stylized, almost operatic netherworld set in a city slum. He carries with him a metal briefcase, the contents of which we are never too sure about, but we know that everyone wants it for some reason. At one point, Lily ends up in a halfway house for troubled women and is visited by The Stranger, who begins to torment her there. At this point, 30 or so minutes from completing the 1 hour and 41 minute film, I had to turn it off. I felt so bombarded by the heavy, depressive atmosphere of the film that I couldn't sit through it any longer. I did finish watching it, right before writing this, because I owed it to the filmmakers to view the entire piece, even if the only way possible was in episodic installments. In the end the film leaves you feeling very cold and sadly very bored. I was left scratching my head and had many questions, but I really didn't care to find the answers.

First of all, I applaud Ritter for producing the most unique horror indie I have ever seen. He has a keen eye as a director and knows how to make a movie look great. The music is also pretty apropos. But obviously I didn't like the finished product and there are many elements that work against it. The biggest issue I have with the film is the acting. Everyone is so over-wrought with their emotions, inflecting ever single line or eye twitch or babble of spittle with such an unreal intensity that I would wager that most of this cast came straight from community theater. I wonder if maybe this film would even work better as a play? But the constant one-note acting from everyone really sets a depressing tone for the film and instantly turned me off. I cared for no one, because no one seemed like a human being displaying real concrete emotions. The next biggest problem is that the plot is incredibly dense and lost me on almost every twist and turn. After awhile, I had no idea what was happening and The Stranger's demands stopped making any sense...hell EVERYONE NEVER MAKES ANY SENSE! I never once understood why anyone did anything. The film also suffers from a massively dragging running time. You could cut a good 20 minute portion and still tell the same story.

All in all, the film looks great but the insides have been over-cooked. This is such a different type of film, very old-fashioned in fact; that I have a feeling Ritter is going to have a hell of a time trying to find a distributor that isn't himself. I can't imagine a modern horror audience taking to this kind of movie. I sure didn't and I consider myself a connoisseur of Hammer horror flicks, which this patterns itself after, only set in a modern-day ghetto. Not that a modern-day gothic film can never be made, but the way this film lays itself out is not only off-putting but almost instantly cringe-worthy and smacks of indulgence. But art is indulgent, and Ritter must be allowed his many counts of visual hyperbole. I don't feel the need to bash anyone, and I do feel bad giving the film such a low score, but I just didn't enjoy it. This film is good for experimental film fans and Coffin Joe admirers. Oh, and Goth Kids! They'd probably love this movie.

- Jose Prendes