Okay, so there are only about two things in this world that get me hot. One: the sound my XBOX 360 makes when it starts up, and the second: an attractive girl covered in blood, carrying a large red fire axe. Yep, that about does it for me. Seeing how the poster of THE 8th PLAGUE depicts one of these magical properties, I was more then pleased when asked to review the film.
THE 8th PLAGUE is about a girl with gorgeous green eyes named Launa who heads out to the town of Halcyon Springs with a few others, to look for her missing sister, Nikki. Launa and the gang quickly team up with local police officer, Buck, and the mysterious Mason (D.J. Perry), another local. Shortly afterward, they come across the deteriorating Halcyon Ridge Correctional Facility, where the majority of the film plays out. It's on this hallowed ground where our heroes learn that the 'curse of The 8th Plague' is still very much alive. What's the curse you ask? Watch the freaking movie! Jeeeeeez!
So watching THE 8th PLAGUE, at first I found that everything was pretty much business-as-usual. Nothing was overly impressive, but nothing outright sucked, either. The majority of the first act is spent following Launa and her friends as previously described. We are treated to a few creepy sequences but for the most part, it's straight-ahead story development. Some people will like this and some won't; my feelings were somewhere in between. The music and cinematography were great, but even then I found myself a tad bored at times. I think the problem was that I didn't care much for Launa and company. A simple scene showing them hanging out laughing together would have helped. A few jokes, perhaps?
Once the gang runs into Mason, (a.k.a. the mysterious local who knows a thing or two about a thing or two) that's the key plot point of the whole movie. It's an important moment because a) D.J. Perry comes into the picture and he's damn fun to watch, and b) the almighty red axe is introduced! From this point on, when they head out to the abandoned Correctional Facility, is where the film begins to earn its gold stars. Once inside, most of the 'Scooby-Doo crew' decide to look around, except for Crystal (Hollis Zemany) who decides that she wants to screw her dorky boyfriend and quickly strips down. ("Mmmmm
.gratuitous sex
." Homer Simpson moans.) While the scene felt completely out of place in such a serious film, it was still a treat to watch. The girl's got some good lookin' stems, nice stomach and boobies to die for. We thank you Hollis, from the bottom of our skeevy little hearts!
But where THE 8th PLAGUE truly shines is in the gore and special effects department. One of my favorite scenes is when one unfortunate demon takes an axe to the mouth. It was very well-done considering the budget, but even in a mega-budget film it would be pretty damn impressive. I mean, during the final twenty minutes of the film it's as if everyone's taken a blood bath, literally. Main characters are dying left and right, the plague is working overtime, people are cutting their eyes out, pools of blood the size of small lakes are forming everywhere. It's pretty insane! Even my wife couldn't watch it anymore, and she eats racks of raw meat for breakfast! The final minute is pretty cool, too. (Do I smell a sequel? Oh, no
that's just puke on my shirt from last night. Damn Playboy Mansion parties!)
The only real complaints I have with this film were with the pacing, a few sketchy acting moments from the supporting cast and some of the production values. I love that artists today can make films reasonably cheap because of technology, but I find it nearly impossible to invest on an emotional level when dealing with digital cinematography. I'm just constantly reminded that I'm watching a movie. That's the format's main downfall; nearly impossible to ignore. With that being said, the filmmakers did a great job with what they had. I don't think the film could have looked or sounded any better. To die-hard horror fans like us, this is nothing new, anyway. At this point, half the stuff coming out now is shot with the more affordable digital format, which I support one-hundred percent.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by THE 8th PLAGUE. I think it's a solid first feature for director Franklin Guerrero Jr. and crew, so much so that I would easily check out his next project based on the quality of this one. If you happen to stumble across it at your local video store, it's definitely worth picking up. I give you my guarantee that it's better then most other flicks you'll find dominating the middle shelf.
