The independent horror genre has spawned many great directors and movies. Sadly, Perseveration misses its target almost completely and director Adam Sotelo delivers a mixed bag of grisly goings-on.
Let's deal with the negative elements, first of all. The film has some truly awful acting and direction in a few scenes, with poor sound and vision combining to produce a headache inducing mess. The plot is wafer thin and there are times when the music and dialogue are painfully bad.
This is a film that goes out to shock but some scenes are almost comedic, in a very dark and dirty way. This is partly due to the editing. Perseveration doesn't know when to cut away and when to focus on the terrible events unfolding. Pacing is a major issue.
On the plus side, some of the effects (no, most of them) are quite special. There's bloody carnage captured throughout the 77 minutes of screen time and some of the mayhem and mutilation is genuinely surprising. Every scene seems full of blood, dirt and guts. There are powerful images thrust upon the viewer and, sometimes, the effect is quite stunning.
Also, this movie is a game of two halves. Whilst early scenes seem poorly directed, edited and scored, the later ones gel really well. There's a gritty feel about the piece that brings the viewer into the heart of the horror.
Julie Ann Hamolko is a terrific scream queen and her piercing cries penetrate the soul. This lady has a great future ahead of her. Her arrival in the film gives it new impetus and she saves Perseveration from being totally forgettable.
With a bit more crafting, this could have been so much better. 5 out of 10. Moments of greatness are few and far between. Too much filler, not enough meat.
