Penny Dreadful

I saw Penny Dreadful at its Screamfest Premiere. The film was simply a cut above.

It is rare to see a worthy story told so ably. And even more rare to see a horror film that delivers so thoroughly on its promise of scaring us moviegoers.

At the screening, there was a palpable sense of glee as "Penny" picked up steam ... This is a REAL horror movie. The full roller coaster ride that made this viewer, for one, remember why he loves the genre. (Unfortunatley there are so many movies out there that conspire to make us forget...)

So, in short: bravo! Long live the intelligent, witty, compelling horror film! I can't wait to see Mr. Norton's first feature.

What a night! I attended a cast screening of the new short film Penny Dreadful last night which was a wonderful time. Betsy Palmer was on hand to sign autographs after the show as was the lovely Emily Vacchiano who plays the lead role of Jessica in the movie. Both were so nice and were willing to talk to fans. Penny Dreadful is an excellent film with good, old fashioned story telling. No flashy or slick BS thank God. Listen carefully and you can hear the 'Silver Shamrock' jingle from Halloween 3 in the background of the kitchen , which made the audience erupt with laughter, as did an wonderful in-joke about Betsy's take on dead children being mischievous. The story is good and there is a neat twist at the end that makes me want to see the movie all over again so I can pay more attention.

I've seen plenty of short horror films through my travels. Most are complete trash which make me ask myself "How the hell did this get distribution?" But every now and then, you come across something different, something unique. When it seems like all hope is lost and you're about to give up on movies, that gem comes along that makes the wait worth it. Walking into "Penny Dreadful", I never thought it would be anything more then another sloppy horror short. But it turned out to be that gem us horror fans so badly needed.

After her Aunt dies, Jessica (Emily Vaughan) and David (Sebastian Lacause) inherit a huge house in the upscale section of NYC. Right away, strange things start happening. Jessica is sure the house is home to some odd apparition. She brings in Psychic Trudie Tredwell (Betsy Palmer) to check things out, while David is constantly away, working. According to Trudie, the house is completely ghost-free. Regardless of the house being haunted or not, the weird happenings continue. Incredibly creepy phone calls of a woman screaming for help and Jessica waking up in a refreshingly large pool of blood, really take a toll on Jessica. It pushes her over the edge, and there may be no turning back...

The first thing I want to say about this movie, is that it puts the characters first. That's not only rare for a horror film, but for ANY modern film in general. Being a horror film, it would usually showcase the gore and violence above everything else. But there is little of both in this film. Don't get me wrong, this movie does have some nice gore shots, really good in fact. Nothing extreme to push it to splatter film status, but definitely enough to satisfy the gorehounds and gross out the chicks. There are also some extreme moments of tension here. I've watched every kind of extreme film genre there is, and even I felt a sense of dread at times. The cinematography and music were top-notch as well. I'll leave it at that, or this review will end up being 60 pages long.

Of course, the characters wouldn't have become who they are without the wisely chosen cast. The biggest attention grabber here is obviously Betsy Palmer, which any horror buff will know, played Pamela Voorhees in the ultimate slasher epic, "Friday the 13th." Although her role is brief, she does what she came to do and really adds something to the movie. Another known name in the horror community, Warrington Gillette, also stars. Gillette played the unmasked Jason in Friday the 13th Part 2. He did an outstanding job as the a-hole husband of the couple who buy the house from Jessica and David. I'm not sure who played the real estate agent, but he was a real scumbag and I loved it. Bryan has thrown in some truly REAL characters. Leading lady Emily Vaughan really made this movie something special. I hope she sticks with the craft, because I see big things for her. Oh yeah, and she's really hot too. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person. I'd also like to note Sebastian Lacause, who played the husband, starred in "Boogie Nights" as a character called "Hot Traxx Dancer." That's hands-down the greatest name ever. It has nothing to do with this movie, but it's so ridiculous that I had to say something about it.

Hollywood has lost its magic, it's up to little guys like Bryan Norton to keep that flame burning. Penny Dreadful is a ball-gripping experience that leaves a taste of blood in your mouth. This is an amazing short horror film from Bryan Norton, and I'll be waiting for his debut feature.

The much hyped short "Penny Dreadful" comes to DVD finally after endless reports and tidbits posted on every horror website and magazine since 2005. But is it worth the wait? Well, the answer is YES....and no. The movie itself is a neat little thriller, so sweet and nice at first, ugly and mean spirited in it's final moments. Tech specs are top notch and the cast of genre vets, including the underrated Betsy Palmer, fill their roles with aplomb. The "no" comes in because I wanted more. A few short extras on the DVD to a 30 minute program do not a DVD make. The Betsy Palmer featurette is nice, but there are no subtitles, close captioning options or other languages to choose from. Final score: Movie :10 Final score: DVD : 7

This little film really caught me off guard. I couldn't believe this was a student low budget film. The quality is excellent and very very well made.

The director of this film has a bright future ahead of him and I cant wait to see what else he comes up with. \ Betsy Palmer is wonderful as Trudie the psychic and even though his part isn't a big one it was great to see another Friday veteran Warrington Gillette again after an all too long absence from films.

This film deserves all the attention it can get. Don't miss this one and pay close attention to ALL the details.