Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word

I thought this was going to be the typical revenge from beyond the grave flick. I was wrong. This was a pleasant surprise. "Based" on factual events stories are usually horrible and full of cliches. This could almost pass as believable. the story telling, acting, script, directing was above average. definitely not your typical slasher type flick. The only problem I had was with the colouring of the film. Other than that, I'd highly recommend.

According to the prosecution, on the morning of October 31, 1981, Johnny Frank Garrett raped, strangled, and killed 76-year-old Sister Tadea Benz in the St. Francis Convent of Amarillo, Texas. This film asks: what if he was innocent, and what is he was able to affect his accusers from beyond the grave?

The concept behind this film is an interesting one. The case is real, and was the subject of a documentary from director Jesse Quackenbush. What the writers did here was take the documentary as inspiration and a jumping-off point, and in the process gave the ghost of Garrett a voice.

For genre fans, the first thing that will be obvious is the inclusion of a few choice names. We have an ambitious district attorney played by Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints). We have director Simon Rumley, who shocked viewers with "P is for Pressure". Perhaps most interesting, though, is the composer: Simon Boswell, a prolific musician who got his start with movies thanks to Dario Argento.

Rumley came on board with the script already written, but he was a wise choice if the producers wanted someone to put their own stamp on the material. Rumley prefers to see his work as "extreme drama" rather than horror, and this project gives him plenty of opportunity for social commentary: the Texas death penalty, a miscarriage of justice, strong religious overtones… there is a message under the veneer of a revenge story.

Some critics have complained of "schlocky, bad acting", and Curt McCarl specifically said it's "shameful that an opportunity to tell an honest story was wasted on this schlock." Yes, multiple reviews have used the word schlock. And, sure, some of the acting is a bit over-the-top. But the film has a style all its own and some practical touches (including the lethal injection needle and the teacher's makeup) that should be applauded for their authenticity. Even the effort to get 90s-era computers and whatnot was probably no small task.

"Last Word" is not going to be the must-see horror film of 2017, but it certainly has its merits and is worth a look. If nothing else, it might bring increased attention to the documentary and original court case. And with Simon Rumley being a rising star, it never hurts to get acquainted with his work now (if you haven't already).

The premise is good. A man wrongly sentenced to die for a crime he didn't commit, comes back for revenge.. The trailer looked promising, unfortunately if you have watched the trailer then there's no reason to watch the film.. Its very long winded, nothing really happens for along time, its almost as if they just said "that'll do". It tries to be complicated but it isn't. Tho the movie drags on, the music is annoying, the cast are good but their accents change thru out the film and that's annoying.. I give 3 starts because the first half hour is good, after that tho it all becomes very boring. Its not a film I'd watch again. A real waste of what could have been a good horror script.

Being from the area where this murder and subsequent execution happened, I've always been pretty interested in the story. There is enough doubt in the outcome of the case to make a movie that would be really fascinating. This one isn't.

I get it, they attempted to make a horror movie. Instead, they made a confusing movie that wasn't all that scary. I think I would have been less irritated had they not tried to link it to an actual murder. What is actually scary about the Johnny Frank Garrett story is the possibility an innocent man was executed and that it could happen to anyone. There's a documentary out there by a local lawyer, though it's somewhat slanted, it is pretty informative.

There were a couple of good actors in this film and I think they did their best with the content provided. Sadly, there just wasn't much there to work with.

Johnny Frank Garret raped and killed a nun and is put to death for his heinous crime then returns to exact revenge upon those responsible and their families.

Hardly an original concept, in fact we've pretty much seen the same thing several times over and done considerably better.

So what makes this stand out? Decent performances but lesser known actors, and that deep south old time religion vibe which is scary in itself.

I couldn't decide if this film had anti or pro religious messages but regardless was certainly a prominent theme.

Johnny Frank Garrett looks a lot like Charles Manson. You know Charles Manson? That guy everyone refers to as one of the worlds most famous serial killers even though he didn't actually kill a single person. Seriously, look it up. We live in a glorious age where information is readily available at our fingertips yet people still think that Manson was a killer, that the earth is flat and that pineapple isn't allowed on pizza! The biggest flaw of JFGLW is that its all so confusing, as with many movies of this genre the "Being(s)" don't follow any natural rules so it all gets a bit weird as the creators as making stuff up as they go along. Like Doctor Who when he and he comrades were in space aboard a ship and there was a bad guy in with them so they shot the windscreen out and he got sucked out into deepspace. Did nobody writing that see a problem there? Unoriginal concept, sketchy creation, pretty poor but saved due to a decent cast.