La prison hantée

If you like horror movies, here's a good warm-up flick Furnace. It is a mish mash of different ideas and takes on the same things that we have seen in so many other movies. Lets start with the setting, an old prison (wow how imaginative, at least it's not an old hospital, and then continue with the haunting story, a troubled detective and all we need know are some twists in the story that I will leave for you. That being said the movie itself is watchable, that old abandoned section of the prison really looks spooky and the furnace itself is scary as hell. There is that eerie vibe that anything can jump out at any given time, and this is the thing that made the movie good. Actors were mostly C list, with a few exceptions (Tom Sizemore, Michael Paré and Danny Trejo are B's) and they've done their job accordingly.

After a series of strange and mysterious deaths in a maximum security penitentiary Blackgate(what an appropriate name) Detective Michael Turner is called to investigate the case. Although they were attributed to drugs by a Blackgate psychiatrist Dr. Ashley Carter, he senses that something is very wrong. And that feeling increases as he finds out that a recently opened prison block was closed for fifty years because the previous warden was murdered there. It seems that that prison block has a secret that just wants to be discovered and it does not care who is in its path… Check out my review site Rabbit-Reviews for movies that are worth watching, Rabbit out...

I can't understand why this is considered "unrated". There was no significant gore, no graphic nudity, no torture....nothing but the typical "R" rated schlock that continues to be churned out by amateur horror filmmakers. Other than about five seconds of the usual boring fake sex footage with the two main characters, there is nothing even really "R" rated in this film. In fact it is a very slow-moving, poorly acted, poorly scripted, tangled mess. The plot is very thin and predictable, the camera work terrible, and it's not the least bit scary. The prison setting (especially the closed-off section) does provide a bit of eerieness, but is otherwise ruined by the above-mentioned flaws. Just another unforgettable movie to throw on the scrap-heap of bad low-budget horror films. 2 stars

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")

A maximum security prison can be looked at as the ultimate house of evil, as it occupies some of the most sadistic criminals. Its walls are terrifying, its gates ensure that no evil can get out. In the case of FURNACE however, a force within the confines of the eerie Black Gate Prison reveal a darker evil than the most extremely violent offenders incarcerated.

FURNACE, the latest film by William Butler (MADHOUSE), opens with a prison guard who commits suicide after coming home from a shift at the Black Gate Prison. Homicide detective Michael Turner (Michael Pare) is assigned the case and quickly discovers something odd. The guard had two fingers severed and bandaged. When an inmate is found dead (the last one who saw the guard alive), he decides to go to the prison to investigate where he runs into his old partner Frank Miller (Tom Sizemore), now a drug addicted, corrupt prison guard. Miller is leading an excursion into the darkest reaches of the prison, where a few inmates (Danny Trejo and rapper Ja Rule) are taking part in. As Miller learns more about the prison, he teams up with the prison psychiatrist (Jenny McShane) to find that spirit from within the prison has returned to extract vengeance on the guards and inmates inside the prison.

FURNACE is the second film directed by William Butler and he does a very good job at setting the film's atmosphere, slowly building tension to the story. The film makes excellent use of its primary location, a Tennessee State Prison (and it does look great on screen). At a scant 85 minutes, the film runs at a brisk pace. Butler, a veteran of horror, definitely knows the genre well and he provides some solid chills here. The film's final act reveals the mystery of the furnace and while it provides the film's more extreme moments, it does fall into territory we've seen before. I also didn't feel the need for things to be explained because the visuals alone were enough to tell the story (Butler is very good with visuals). The dialogue is a little cringe worthy at times in moments of drama and in back story, but what separates this from others is that Butler did assemble a really fine cast for this film.

The ageless Michael Pare, who I've always liked, is fine as Turner, the dedicated detective with a tragic past. It's fit for him and it's good to see him still able to carry a film. He's always been reliable to give a decent performance. I've said before that I've admired Tom Sizemore as an actor and he delivers another good performance as Miller, the film's antagonist. Mirroring his harrowing off screen life, to see Miller as a man fallen on hard times dealing drugs did make it feel uncomfortable to watch at times, but Sizemore delivers it all with a fiery demeanor. Danny Trejo, an ex-convict, mainly has an extended cameo as Fury, and does his scenes well. Ja Rule is surprisingly good as a convict who warns Turner of the evil within the furnace of the prison. Kelly Stables of THE RING is fun as a coroner who has a friendship with Turner (though the mention of a cup of coffee after every exchange did get a little tedious). Jenny McShane is OK in her role as the prison psychiatrist, but the character does seem a little out of place with the rest of the film.

The special effects are interesting in this film, with lots of digital effects (a surprise considering Butler's career as a special effects artist) which are good and effective in showing the ghosts inside the prison but the practical effects are very good here. I wouldn't say the film is extremely bloody or gory, but there are some nasty effects which combined with some good use of lighting make for some very scary moments.

The DVD contains some alternate scenes which doesn't offer anything new to the story and were wisely cut out, but there are some entertaining interviews with Ja Rule, Danny Trejo, and Tom Sizemore. Sizemore in particular shows his unpredictable behavior with some very funny moments.

In all, FURNACE is an enjoyable movie, a throwback in a sense with some fine performances. With this film and MADHOUSE, William Butler is proving to be a modern day Roger Corman in delivering on a small budget with some familiar yet enjoyable fare. If there's one thing, Butler does respect and love horror, and it shows in his work.

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.