It would seem that the well would run dry of ideas for a decent horror film these days. We've had tons of slashers and serial killers, demons and wizards, witches and warlocks and vampires that run from blue faced ghouls to sparkly inspirations for lust. But still once in a while a decent idea comes along that's new and fresh. The only problem is it usually ends up in a so so film like NEEDLE.
Opening with the death of a dirty artifact dealer years ago by some remote instrument, the film moves forward to the present day. Ben Rutherford is a college student with the usual group of friends (which these days means there must be at least one gay couple). The family lawyer shows one day with an item belonging to his late father, an item found in a warehouse, an intricate box with a burned picture inserted in it, ornate metalwork and a crank. With no idea what it is or what it's for, Ben shows it off to his friends that night.
Waking the next morning with a hangover, Ben discovers the box is missing. Having taken a picture of it the night before, he takes that to a teacher who specializes in antiquities to see if she has an idea of what it is. Eventually she lets him know that the French inscribed on it seems to lead her to think it was connected to the Grand Guignol, the graphic horror shows from France around 1800. After talking to someone she knows, it is later discovered this is a machine made to wreak revenge on others and worth nearly $500,000 to the right buyer.
At the same time this is going on, Ben's brother Marcus is attempting to make contact with him once more. Having left behind the family years ago he hopes to reunite but Ben isn't having any of it. To say he carries a grudge is oversimplification. But the two are forced together as Ben's friends begin dying in mysterious ways. Since Marcus is the crime scene photographer he takes an interest in the murders and trying to solve them.
The list of suspects includes nearly everyone seen so far, from various friends (that don't get killed off) to Ben's teacher to even Marcus. When it's finally revealed who the killer is it is actually a bit of a surprise, a nice twist.
But the mystery isn't the main reason fans of horror films watch these days. Hardcore fans are there for the kills and how original they are and they're fairly inventive here. We watch as a gloved hand pours wax and blood into the box, inserts a picture of one of Ben's friends, turns the crank and then extracts a wax figure. The hand then wields damage to the figure which in turn happens to that friend, everything from limbs torn off to eyes skewered.
What makes this film part of the so so crowd is that while well made it doesn't leap from B-movie status to top line feature. The acting ranges from believable to mediocre not helped by a script that does the same. Still it made for a nice evening's entertainment and would be well worth the cost of rental.
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