Desecration

If film making is an art form, then "Desecration" would have to be director Dante Tomaselli's Van Gogh, or perhaps just his ear... The first thing I noticed while watching "Desecration" was how much thought must have went into each shot. From the lighting set-up to the camera angles, Tomaselli's vision comes across in a visually stunning fashion. As for the story, it seems to move slowly and cautiously, at times far too much, and this tends to take away from the picture's prowess. Confusing as it may be, "Desecration" is worth a viewing, if only to enjoy the director's take on "How a low budget film should look", as it is eons above it's contemporaries. Well acted by the unknown cast, I recommend this film to anyone looking for a little something different from the genre, but don't try to figure out the story too hard or you will end up with a headache...

Tomaselli obviously has a flair for creating eye candy. Although a few of the effects in this film are hokey and ultra-low-budget (the model plane, the scissors), the majority of the visuals are fantastic – reminiscent of many Euro-shockers and the first "Evil Dead." However, what the film lacks is a coherent story. I'm not a moviegoer who needs everything spelled out – "Black Christmas," for example, was creepy because we barely see the killer, let alone find out his motivation. "Donnie Darko" remains an enigma even to the writer/director. "Burnt Offerings" leaves you to decide exactly what happened in the house. But at least the aforementioned have some sense of logic.

The principle story here is about a boy who's dragged to Hell by his dead mother as she attempts to escape. Or so they say. However, nothing that happens within the film justifies that plot line – and it all completely lacks logic. If Tomaselli had ended the film in the traditional Hollywood "it was all a dream" way, perhaps I could forgive the film for lacking sense. As is, it feels like an overlong student film.

The acting is horrendous all around, with the exception of the boy who plays Bobby. The old lady (who can't act, but I've seen in a slew of films) is annoying and, unfortunately, has the dominant part. The few male actors all sound like they're reading off cue cards, and then there's the nuns – but if you can't say something nice….

The DVD ends with an "excerpt from the original short film" on which this movie was based. I don't understand why it's not the complete film (the provided scene is exceptional) nor is there a commentary or any other extras. Enigmatic films such as this ALWAYS benefit from commentaries.

Those seeking something out of the norm might enjoy this, as well as stoner horror buffs. All others, avoid it.

DESECRATION, frankly, is a mess of a movie. Lots of imagery that was intended to be disturbing, but it falls far short of the mark. Badly acted with hamhanded lighting, clumsy cinematography and poor production design all add up to a very amateurish-looking film. For example, I saw surprised to see the Kodak film logo on the end credits, as I was convinced the movie was shot on video, then given the Film Look process.

Yes, the movie tries to weird you out by presenting "disturbing" images (none of which disturbed me), but since the story was lacking and what little bit there was, was confusing, there is no tension, no suspense, and without those, disturbing images won't cut it. You don't care about these people, and without empathy for your characters, all the disturbing imagery in the world isn't going to make a difference.

This, as with Dante Tomaselli's second film HORROR, would have made perfect 7-minute student films.

Very strange imagery is used throughout this film, the scenes with ghostly nuns and clowns will disturb a lot of viewers. It reminded me of a low-budget version of Dario Argento's Suspiria, and the writer/producer/director thanks Argento in the end credits so it most likely was influenced by that 70's horror classic.

I wasn't very into the film in it's first twenty minutes or so, i found it really slow and it didn't seem that the story was truly going anywhere. The rest of the film takes off and becomes more bizarre with each passing minute. The unique camera angles and techniques are quite effective and add a little more than usual to this low-budget film. Just don't go into it expecting a large budget horror flick, otherwise you'll be disappointed.

The acting is a mixed bag, some of the actors did a really good job. However, some had flat performances but this didn't really take away from the overall experience.

I wouldn't say this movie really creeped me out personally (very few horror films do and i do love the genre). It does contain a very dark and brooding atmosphere throughout, plus the dark music score is quite well done. The film also leaves you thinking about what the story truly means, long after the movie has ended.

Definitely above average for a horror film and i would give it a rating of 8 out of 10.

"Desecration" is a creepy psychological horror film from Dante Tomaselli; a New Jersey director whose influences include Dario Argento, Mario Bava and Salvador Dali. This film feels hallucinatory in some parts, and it becomes hard to tell what's actually happening or what's fantasy. The plot concerns a boy at a catholic school, who accidentally kills a nun. When his remote control airplane malfunctions, the blade hits the nun. Because of this incident and his long deceased mother, the gates of hell open up. Creepy, bizarre and unexplained things start to happen. Repeated viewings might help as the ending leaves it's viewers confused and in awe. This film is amazing, it shows what you can do on a low budget with creativity and imagination.