So if there were two ways to judge a movie, one by content
and the other by production value, then I’d have to start this review by saying
that production wise this movie is sufficient but offers nothing outstanding.
The effects are decent enough but nothing notable that hasn’t been seen or done
before. As for the cinematography the same holds true with decent enough
filming going on and night time sequences that we are at least able to see.
That’s about it production wise.
As for story and the like, not my cup of tea. I know there
will probably be many out there who enjoy this sort of film but for me random
acts of violence, especially against women in today’s world. I could say
another aspect of this that I disliked but to do so would involve a major
spoiler. Suffice to say that I found little to enjoy from start to finish in
this movie.
The story involves two Romanian girls who are riding along
with three young Italian men in Italy on their way to a rave in the country.
The girls don’t know the guys having just met but are game for a party to go
wild at. Along the way they drink, get stoned and talk back and forth having
problems understanding certain phrases, but seem to be having a good time. One
of the men calls a friend back in the city to make sure they had the right
directions. He confirms this while answering the door to admit a prostitute to
his place.
Eventually (and it takes some time) they arrive at their
destination. They can hear no music and the guy’s cell phone isn’t working so
he borrows the girl’s phone to make another phone call. He tells the girls that
they’re the first to arrive and others will show soon and they continue walking
into the woods. This is one of those moments where you’re supposed to suspend
belief and assume that two young girls from a foreign country are naïve enough
to trust these guys in the woods at night with no music from a rave they are
supposed to be going to.
Eventually they find a clearing and sit down to wait, still
drinking and smoking. At one point during their walk they came across a stone
tablet in a wall that had writing on it, but no one could decipher what it
said. Sitting around the first they’ve built they mention it to the only member
of the group who can decipher Latin but forget about it quickly.
Things take a turn for the worse when one of the guys takes
one of the girls into the woods for what we would think is flirting but instead
becomes a brutal oral rape sequence. Back at the fire the other two guys grab
the remaining girl and start their own rape there leaving her helpless and
naked as they each take a turn. Whether this is supposed to be a homage to
films like LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT or I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE I have no idea, but
it is an entirely repulsive thing to watch. I’ve yet to understand how some
consider this either art of entertainment.
While all of this is going on an eerie smoke rises around
the area and suddenly we have a group of gray skinned gladiators show up.
Apparently the inscription said something about an area of the damned and these
are the ghosts who protect the area. They don’t take sides either, attacking
both male and female members of the group. If you want to know who survives or
doesn’t you’ll have to watch. I will say that doing so would be a waste of time
and effort.
As I said from the start, I’ve never been a fan of the whole
torture porn horror genre and this does nothing to make me change my mind.
There have been efforts in the genre that at least present something
interesting or different (AUDITION) but for the most part it is nothing more
than gore for the sake of gore or degradation for the sake of degradation. In a
world where complaints are made daily about misogynistic comments or attitudes
to witness the treatment of women in this movie makes me wonder why those who
are so up in arms about an innocent comment aren’t creating protest movements
about films like this.
The extras on here are nearly non-existent. The movie was
originally made in 2011 but is just now making its way to blu-ray release. For
me this is too soon. I understand the importance of releasing movies on blu-ray
format, of trying to retain films and keep them alive as a historical record of
movies being made, but something like this doesn’t seem worth the effort. If
what you enjoy is seeing women debased and beaten then hey, this movie is right
up your alley. For the rest of us it is one to steer clear of.
Click here to order.
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