La prison hantée

There are a couple of things this horror flick has going for it.

Firstly, the story. I have to admit I liked the way they tied Blackgate Prison into the Roanoke disappearances though it could have been a tad bit stronger and crisper - just like the spirit of the dead warden's daughter... The writers, Scott Aronson, William Butler, Angus Houvouras, and Aaron Strongoni add a few twists to this revenge tale.

Secondly, the acting. This is above par, even Ja Rule does a decent portrayal of his character, Terrence Dufresne. The strongest of the cast are Michael Pare, Jenny McShane, Kelly Stables, Tom Sizemore, and Danny Trejo. Since these are all major characters in the film they add both depth and strength.

Unfortunately, neither of these issues could save this film. The major drawback is the direction. William Butler, who directed, does try to add atmosphere and tension but he can't pull it off. The pace is also pretty steady and for this type of story, it doesn't work. It required a more rollercoaster-like form. Faster for the action, slower for the tension, and steady for the rest. Give the audience a ride. It's this tempo and unoriginality in the camera work that makes it more than a little boring at times. Regrettably, even the special effects are so lacklustre they damage the movie. These have to be the worst ghosts-come-spirits ever to be filmed. With a little imagination and ingenuity, this could have been so much better.

I wouldn't recommend anybody buying this film, though if it makes it onto a terrestrial, cable, satellite, or streaming channel and there's nothing else on then go ahead and give it a watch. I would even recommend checking out my Absolute Horror list-come-chart to see where this film places as well as checking out some other films to try.

There is nothing like an old prison to add to the creepiness of a horror film, especially if there is some old murders that are at the root of the horror.

Looking at this from just a detective thriller, it is very interesting as Michael Paré looks into a couple of suicides related to the prison. He hooks up with the prison psychiatrist (Jenny McShane) to investigate.

Lots of creepiness and excitement for those that like Ring-type horror.

Always love a chance to see Danny Trejo.

They had to add that irritating rap during the credits! Biggest disappointment: Just who in the world runs out of a shower screaming at the sight of the ghost and takes the time to put on a bathrobe? You have to be kidding me!

My boyfriend and I rented this yesterday. I loved it! Him not as much as me but overall the film was very scary and dark. The little girl in the film who had been burned badly was really hard to look at though the make up was so painfully created and realistic! I don't know many of the actors but over was scared to death! I highly recommend.

The story stakes place in a dilapidated old prison where the ghost of a murdered young girl wanders the hall in search of her killer. Its not until the ending that you realize that her killer is the last person you expected. It's a pretty twisted premise so I don't recommend it for the kiddies!

Inmates at the local prison are dying horribly. The local police detective is drawn in to the case after one of the security guards dies (shoots himself) upon going home. Can he, with the help of the prison psychologist, find out what is causing these nasty deaths? And what is in the furnace? I was a bit excited to receive this film. Tom Sizemore? Disposable but fun. Danny Trejo? I'll take him (even though his role here is small and forgettable). I was even more interested because of the involvement of director William Butler, whom I had previously interviewed. To put it lightly, we didn't get along as well as I would have liked. And I really wanted to like his film... but it's not good. I can sum it up in one word: bland. It's the visual equivalent of munching on cardboard. It's slow, the characters are uninteresting and Michael Pare is such a boring lead that I couldn't care about him (and cared even less when he gave his clichéd speech about his lost family).

The film also suffers from a serious woman problem. Let's be frank: when you set a film up with some gorgeous women, throw in a sex scene and label the movie "unrated", people expect to see some skin. Don't get your hopes up. The sex scene has a strategically-placed candle, so you get nothing. And then, one is left to wonder if the main character is blind: he keeps blowing off the smoking hot redhead CSI woman who is interested in him and instead pursues the mediocre psychologist. I speak for every red-blooded male: more screen time for hot women, less screen time for average women. Thank you.

There's a "bad twist" later on. Actually, I don't know if it's a twist or not, but we're given information we should already have known. So, it's either a bad twist or they are insulting our memories and intelligence. As well as our patience, since I suspect many people didn't make it to the end.

The best part of this movie was the special effect used to show the "ghosts". Now, I don't really understand what the deal is with the ghosts... they seem to be unlimited in their travel ability rather than attached to the prison. But nevermind that. The visuals were really cool. They could have been the same old CGI that every other movie uses and frustrates me, but it was something new: a black and white "television static" effect. It was legitimately creepy. So, effects department, my hat's off to you.

This film is avoidable. It's slow, not well-acted (aside from Ja Rule, surprisingly) and adds nothing new to the history of horror. Perhaps with a second viewing I could appreciate it better, but it seems that they took a weak story and stretched it out into a weaker film. You're better off renting just about anything else.

While opening the abandoned south wing of the Blackgate Prison to receive three hundred new inmates, one security guard and one prisoner enters in the furnace room. In the evening, the guard commits suicide and later the inmate is found dead in his cell in weird circumstances. Detective Michael Turner (Michael Paré) investigates the suicide case and he notes that the guard had just lost two fingers. He drives to the prison, where he discloses an uncanny event in the furnace room.

"Furnace" is a lame movie with an awful screenplay that does not develop well the characters or the situations, which are absolutely disconnected, senseless and without explanation. The conclusion is terrible, with many people dying (security guards, coroner, prisoners etc.) and the only action is sealing again the wing of the prison without any further consequence. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "A Fornalha" ("The Furnace")