The Devil's Carnival

From Terrance Zdunich, creator of "Repo: The Genetic Opera", and Darren Lynn Bousman, director of the film adaptation of "Repo", as well as "Saw" II-IV comes the short film anthology "The Devil's Carnival", an insane, musical horror/comedy centering on three people who have died and ended up in Hell, where the must contend with various obstacles.

This is an entertaining, yet highly flawed film.

We follow John (Sean Patrick Flannery), a grieving father who committed suicide, Tamara (Jessica Lowndes) who trusts people too easily and was killed by her boyfriend, and petty thief Ms. Merrywood (Briana Evigan) whom was gunned-down presumably by police. All three awaken near the "Devil's Carnival", a twisted sideshow in Hell run by and populated by various demons, harpies and oddball characters, and of course headed by Lucifer himself. (Zdunich)

Meanwhile, Lucifer reads to a young child from Aesope's Fables, narrating stories that mirror the struggles of the three main characters as they are forced into dark, deadly tests.

The film is fairly simplistic and has a decent structure, and is populated by a handful of well-done musical numbers. (It is a bit of a Rock Opera, to be honest, similar to Repo) The musical numbers may not be too memorable, but they're an absolute blast, and are very well- written and performed.

Characters are developed just enough for it's short 50-or-so-minute run- time. Although the only character you will really care about is John, as he's far more sympathetic than Merrywood or Tamara.

The supporting cast (including Bill Mosely, Alexa Vega, Emilie Autumn and others as the cast members of the Carnival) are a lot of fun, but aren't really developed.

And the camera-work, though decent for a short film, is a bit too chaotic at times. During the titular musical number "The Devil's Carnival", the camera seems to randomly glide around rather than follow any sort of direction, which kind of distracted from it.

I also take issue with the pacing of the story. Well it is well- structured, the film bogs itself down too much in the first 10-or-so minutes, making the rest of the film feel needlessly rushed.

But for what it is, it's worth seeing. The music is good, the characters are memorable despite uneven development, and it's a fine little short film.

I give "The Devil's Carnival" a slightly-above-average 6 out of 10. Fans of Zdunich, Bousman or horror in general should check it out.

A trio of lost souls wake to find themselves as guests at a hellish carnival where the performers proceed to involve them in the telling of three fables (as recounted by the devil).

They say that the devil has all the best tunes, but that's certainly not the case with this bizarre musical horror from director Darren Lynn Bousman: the songs in The Devil's Carnival, some of which are belted out by Old Nick himself, are absolutely atrocious—whimsical, tuneless tracks that seriously grate on the nerves.

The rest of the film isn't much cop either: the whole 'scary carnival' routine is extremely old hat, and when the show's grotesque characters aren't bursting into song, they're indulging in all manner of kooky behaviour that proves almost as irritating as their wretched warbling.

I was a big fan of Bousman's previous horror musical Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), which I could happily watch again, but this attempt at mixing tunes with terror is a travesty that doesn't bear repeating.

3/10 for the colourful lighting, creative costumes and Briana Evigan.

I have been a fan of Mr. Zdunich's comic series "The Molting" and 2008's "Repo The Genetic Opera" for years. When I heard about "The Devil's Carnival" being made, it's creators were cryptic as ever about what it actually WAS, but just knowing what I did about the people involved, I knew it was going to be artwork of epic proportions. I bought VIP tickets for the first stop of the Road Tour the instant they became available, and put the soundtrack on repeat in iTunes. It did NOT disappoint by any stretch. This show is AMAZING. As usual, the acting and singing talents displayed give the audience a trip into their own souls. Costuming, makeup, and set design were superbly rendered to truly make you FEEL what was happening. The electricity in the theatre could be seen, heard, touched, and tasted as brilliant and beautiful people, music, and colors assaulted us. Check out the cities/dates for the remainder of the road tour and go see it if you have the chance. You'll be blown away!

Many a films have explored people's transgressions during their lives and their ultimate fates that await them. But never quite like this. The very creative film maker Daryn Lynn Bousman of the fantastic Repo! a Genetic Opera brings this whimsical inspired morality anthology tale to life as a horror tinged macabre musical. Centering on the souls of three innocent parties as they enter a carnival unlike no other possessing the choice of where they spend eternity through their actions. Although it's been done before in one way or another the films maniacal execution feels like something new altogether. Although far from perfect it's imagination limited by it's very low production values, bad sound mixing and generic cinematography the film always remains engaging throughout. Featuring of a cast of somewhat knowns like sexy Briana Evigan of Step Up 2, Burning Bright, Mother's Day and Sorority Row and the gorgeous Sean Patrick Flannery of Boondock Saints and Powder amongst a few cameos from the Repo! crew such as the always inspired Skinny Puppy and Paul Sorvino Devil's Carnival is not anywhere near being as great as Repo! due in big part to it's very short running time and not fully developed concept but at least there is someone still in the business that keeps trying to do new things flawed or not. Maybe next time around he'd do better to slow down a bit so we can relish in his twisted imagination instead of being stunted through it.

I loved Repo! The Genetic Opera so I thought I would at least like this. Did I?

Well, the concept was interesting and there were, like, two catchy songs (one that played in the middle of the end credits). However, I didn't feel anything for the characters and I found myself checking the time throughout most of it. As for the music, I guess I was expecting more rocky tunes like the ones in Repo. I quickly learned that this is nothing like the movie I saw 20 times (and counting).

The Devil's Carnival isn't the worst film ever, but it's not a film I would willingly watch again.