While watching MALEVOLENCE I realized that I had seen it
before, years ago when it was released by Anchor Bay. It’s being released once
more under the Mena Films banner, the production company set up by the film’s writer/director
Stevan Mena along with the two sequels to the film. For those who haven’t seen
it this is the beginning and a worthy one at that.
The film opens with the kidnapping of 6 year old Martin
Bristol by a serial killer. He takes the boy to his home and chains him in the
barn where he forces him to learn his ways of torturing and killing victims.
This sets up all three films.
Fast forward ten years later. We’re introduced to ex-con Max
(Keith Chambers) who’s plotting a robbery with partner Kurt (Richard Glover).
Also in on the job is Max’ sister Marylin (Heather Magee) and her boyfriend
Julian (R. Brandon Johnson). The robbery goes wrong, Max is killed and Kurt
heads to an abandoned house in the country where he’s supposed to meet the rest
of them.
Along the way Kurt’s car breaks down. He walks to a gas
station down the road and kidnaps Samantha Harrison (Samantha Dark) and her
teenage Courtney (Courtney Bertolone). Taking them to the house and waiting for
the others to show he straps them up with duct tape and begins counting the
money. At one point Courtney breaks loose and runs out the door hoping to find
help. The problem is that the home she runs to is the home of the serial killer
we witnessed at the beginning of the film.
In the meantime Julian and Marylin have to decide what to do
with Max. He’s died en route to the house and they can’t just leave him in the
backseat. They find a place off the road and take the time to buy him. Then
they head for the house only to find no one there but Samantha. At first
thinking they’re her chance out of this she soon realizes they are part of the
team.
As much as I’d like to continue describing the film it
wouldn’t do it justice if I did. Suffice to say that bad things will happen and
that the killer will be involved along with the rest of the cast. Some will
live, some will die and an opening will be made that allows two more sequels to
come along.
Of the three this film is definitely the best. The concept
here of a serial killer trying to teach a young protégé how to kill is
interesting. It brings up the question killers inherently evil or are they
taught to be evil? And can a young child be raised to follow the teachings of a
mentor who kills captives in front of him?
The movie is definitely a low budget affair but never shows
it in the way the entire production is handled. The sets are well done and the
barn where the serial killer lives is among those creepy locations that fill
nightmares everywhere. Of particular note is the use of light and shadow as
well as lighting that allows us to see what’s taking place at night. Far too
many horror films have been shot where nothing is visible at night. Mena does a
great job of that here.
The actors are not highly recognized names but each and
every one of them does an outstanding job here making their characters
completely believable. If they weren’t then the movie would stop dead in its
tracks. Instead they give life to those characters and make us care, even the
criminals involved.
The movie offers plenty of scares and is a perfect fit for a
Halloween viewing experience. Maybe a marathon of all three films. I highly
recommend this one among the three and hope that Mena can move forward from
here on to other things.
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