Fallen Angels

Fallen Angels is an unusual horror film. It moves fast, has demons and cool kills, quite a few actually, and immerses you in a great story. With Screamfest you have to appreciate the wide range of films that are all in one genre but yet span so many differences. Hatchet plays like an original 80s slasher film with style and wit, Feast is an awesome monster romp, and Behind the Mask was a great mockumentary. Bringing me to the new Fallen Angels, a very creepy and elaborate demon movie with a great cast, featuring all the genre greats, and an even better story. From the start, I didn't know what I was watching as the film moved from one location to the next introducing themes and characters that ultimately all tie together in a very satisfying and original ending. The effects are awesome, Bill Moseley did rock! in a very different role for him, and all the actors fleshed out characters that are different from what we normally see as cannon fodder in films. Plus, the main location of the prison is both breath taking and chilling. My only complaint is with the score. Sometimes overbearing, is is somewhat powerful but very overpowering, sometimes less is more guys. At times sexy (love the dominatrix) and at times scary (love the Bill Moseley vs. Kane Hodder scene), Fallen Angels is always rewarding for telling a great story with cool creatures. The final frames are very unusual for the genre but provide a great cinematic experience.

I soooooo wish someone had clipped writer-director Jeff Thomas' wings before they allowed him to get behind the camera and make this turkey! This "Fallen Angels" crap should NEVER have gotten off the ground! Yes, it's THAT BAD! Despite the incredible cast, this movie sinks faster and stinks worse than most direct to DVD efforts! GEEZ! I had such high hopes, too. It sure is being promoted to hell on MySpace and other areas---probably because it's such a turd that they are hoping to score SOME of the money back before word gets out.

In Thomas' head, I'm sure this all makes sense and I'll bet he thinks he has made a masterpiece. OOoooo... How sad. He had a cool location and an amazing cast---but nothing to hold them together. The script was incoherent, laughably amateurish and jaw-droppingly implausible...despite the supernatural elements! And, once we get into the "demons" (yawn...the one with the silly eyeball sticking out is laughably silly, by the way)...at the end, it's an overly used cliché that defeats them (I'm avoiding spoilers...why, I don't know, since everyone should AVOID this movie).

But HOW did he rook the cast (which includes Michael Dorn, Bill Moseley, Adrianne Curry, Christopher Knight, Ruth Buzzi, Reggie Bannister, R.A. Mihailoff, Kane Hodder, Michael Berryman, Kevin McCarthy, Martin Kove and David Hess!!!!) into being a part of this snooze-fest? Most only have what amounts to cameo appearances (I kept waiting for Adrianne Curry to pop up, not realizing she was the girl in what I thought was a pre-title nightmare sequence...although, maybe it wasn't a nightmare?). The other cast members were strictly amateur hour nobodies. I'm embarrassed for EVERYONE involved.

Be weary of all of the hype on the Fallen Angels review/message boards. I'm sure by and large it is by people involved in one way or another with the production. Yes, THAT is how desperate they appear to be to unload this crap-o-rama turd.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!! You have been warned...

The plot: In an abandoned prison, several people end up hunted down by demons.

There are some interesting elements that work in Fallen Angels, but, overall, the movie is dragged down by bad acting, bad writing, and bad directing. If you're a big fan of cult movies, then you'll probably be drawn in by the numerous cameos. However, if you're interested in seeing anything more than semi-famous B movie stars, I think you're going to be very disappointed. A bigger budget would have fixed some of the problems, but it would still be a clichéd, derivative ripoff of Clive Barker's Hellraiser.

One of the more annoying aspects of this movie is the amount of silly Christian propaganda and sermonizing. If you're a Christian, then I guess this probably won't bother you much. I have no problem with movies using Christian mythology and symbolism (such as The Exorcist or Rosemary's Baby), but, when they start getting preachy, I rapidly begin losing my patience.

Instead of watching this amateurish movie, I'd suggest you check out Hellraiser or Hellraiser 2. If you're truly desperate for low budget, gory Hellraiser ripoffs, you can even try the later sequels, but I wouldn't recommend it. I might also recommend a somewhat recent movie called Necromentia, which I liked more than many other reviewers.

I tried, I really did, but this movie couldn't hold together long enough to keep even the most rabid horror buff in their seat. The movie starts off with a crazy scene and then jumps to some other point in the film; one of the many disjoints that loses you and leaves you wondering why. It's like this fill is some absurd puzzle the audience has to try and put together themselves, it might have made more sense if I put the DVD player on shuffle and watched it that way.

Acting was fairly decent, but at times really boring. The action scenes were over-done, yet quite gory, so you might get some recompense for the crappy plot. In the end you'll simply ask yourself why you even bothered sticking with it, as that will be an hour and a half of your life you'll never get back. Avoid unless you want to donate the money to the production of another crappy flick like this one.

First, the people who created this film are clearly Christians with a religious motive. From the content of the movie, I'd guess they're conservative evangelicals, though not complete fundamentalists. So if you aren't OK with themes and a message that are specifically religious, beware.

Nevertheless, they do not shy from gore, employ good special effects and deliver some high quality chills. The demons, settings, and killings are very well done, and make most of this movie worth watching for fans of the genre.

Having said that, the film suffers from a few flaws severe enough that I would advise most viewers against it. First, weaknesses in the acting and/or script make the dialogue painful at times to watch. Second, the plot is rambling, difficult to follow, and unnecessarily convoluted.

But the biggest failure is the ending, which is an unmitigated disaster that posthumously dynamites the chills delivered earlier. Mind you, it's not the message, per se, that I object to, but the fact that in terms of tone and theme it's so utterly incompatible with the rest of the movie, that it drags down the whole edifice.

Recommended for only for serious fans of supernatural horror, but stop the movie about 10 minutes before the end.