Day 312: The Devil's Carnival

The Devil's Carnival

The Grimmest Show On Earth

“Rock Opera” isn't something you normally hear when talking about a horror movie. It's not something you normally hear in 2012, either. A loose definition of rock opera is a music album with a storyline told through multiple parts. These rock operas proved so popular that full-length movies were created, based on the story and songs. The most famous examples would be The Who's Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Pink Floyd's The Wall. The genre died out by the 80's and was long thought forgotten. A few years ago, a pseudo-horror movie movie written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich came out that made people change they way they saw rock operas. That movie was Repo! The Genetic Opera. The movie didn't have much appeal to me, so I've never seen it, but Zdunich's latest movie intrigued me.

The Devil's Carnival is a 2012 experimental horror/rock opera starring Sean Patrick Flannery (Boondock Saints, Masters Of Horror: The Damned Thing) as John, Briana Evigan (Sorority Row, Step Up 2) as Ms. Merrywood and Jessica Lowndes (90210, Autopsy) as Tamara. Initially unconnected, the three are brought together following their deaths: a grieving John commits suicide over the loss of his son, thieving Ms. Merrywood is gunned down during a police standoff, and naïve Tamara is killed by her enraged boyfriend. They awaken in what looks like a large carnival. Lucifer (Terrance Zdunich) reads three Aesop's Fables to John's missing son which parallel the three stories in the movie. The Ticket-Keeper (Dayton Callie, Deadwood, Undisputed) prepares the carnival workers for their new guests, selecting the Painted Doll (Emilie Autumn), the Twin (Nivek Ogre from the band Skinny Puppy), the Hobo Clown (Ivan Moody from the band Five Finger Death Punch) and the Scorpion (Marc Senter, Cabin Fever 2, I Know Who Killed Me). John and Ms. Merrywood find each other and approach the Ticket-Kepper's booth where he explains the 666 rules of the Devil's carnival and the consequences for breaking them. John goes searching for his missing son while Ms. Merrywood engages in a game of chance with the Twin. At the same time, Tamara meets the Scorpion and instantly trusts him and agrees to take part in his knife-throwing act. Ms. Merrywood loses her game of chance, stripped of her clothes and whipped by the Tamer (Shawn Crahan aka Clown from the band Slipknot). As this is happening, the Hobo Clown sings “A Penny For A Tale” describing Ms. Merrywood's downfall. Tamara finds the Scorpion kissing the Painted-Doll, but she still trusts him. She goes through with the knife-throwing act, only for the final knife to hit her in the chest. The Painted-Doll sings of her demise with the song “Prick! Goes The Scorpion's Tale!” Only John remains, desperately searching for his son. He finds his son in a room with Lucifer, but it is an illusion. What does Lucifer have in store for John and how does Heaven play into it?

That's how Emilie Autumn looks on a weekday

I think it's safe to say that I'm not exactly a big fan of musicals. I've seen Les Miserables and Miss Saigon on Broadway and I've enjoyed occasional musical episode of The Simpsons, but that's about as far as it goes. You won't see me singing the praises of Glee, though that's not just because there's singing in it. The initial idea of a horror movie with singing will initially keep many people away, but it would be a mistake to miss The Devil's Carnival. The songs are all very good and incredibly catchy. You'll have the initial “Devil's Carnival” theme stuck in your head for days. I may not have even watched it if not for well-known metal musicians Shawn Crahan and Ivan Moody were in it. Moody's hauntingly hollow voice sounds fantastic in the movie and gives a certain weight to his song. His performance is also very solid. The same can be said for Emilie Autumn and Nivek Ogre, though their roles are less of a stretch than for some other people.

While the songs do play a central role in the movie, thankfully not everything is in song. All three main characters play their roles well and never look out of their depth. The movie also contains small roles form Bill Mosely, Alexa Vega, and Paul Sorvino as God. The sets and costumes look utterly amazing as they are rich in both detail and color. Director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Repo! The Genetic Opera) does a good job of capturing everything without being too intrusive. The horror in the movie is more subversive and introspective than most horror films. If you're looking for genuine scares and blood, this isn't for you. The Devil's Carnival has a deeper fear to it that can easily be missed through all the whimsy and bright colors. The movie is very short, only about an hour long, and the movie moves quickly, which could make the story hard to follow.

If you're 555, then I'm 666

The Devil's Carnival is not your typical horror movie, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. The movie smartly casts real singers and it pays off as all the songs sound great. The story is engrossing and entertaining, but just a little too short. Everyone puts in a good performance thanks to solid writing and direction. The costumes and sets look great and are truly a feast for the eyes. The horror of the movie will not scare you, but it may make you feel uneasy. If you like horror or hate it, you'll still enjoy The Devil's Carnival.

8.5/10

Day 239: The Sentinel

The Sentinel

Originally titled "The Bumblebee"

Religion and horror go together like peanut butter and jelly. They serve as the perfect foil for one another, the holy and the unclean. Why there are some horror movies that touch on other religions, the main one used in most horror is Christianity/Catholicism. In exorcism movies, there is always need for a priest or holy man. In vampire movies, a cross is frequently used to ward off the creatures of the night. There are even holiday-themed horror movies based around Christian holidays such as Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night. A cursory search of Christianity in horror movies brings up a slew of websites asking if it is OK for Christians to watch horror movies. Many of these movies could be interpreted as anti-Christian while some may see the same movie as pro-Christian. Regardless of what you believe in, the imagery used in these movies is very powerful and can help a horror movie gain a sense of importance for people.

The Sentinel is a 1977horror movie starring Cristina Raines (Nightmares, Sunshine) as fashion model Alison Parker. Alison learns that her father has become ill and dies shortly after. As a young child, she witnessed her father having a bizarre sexual encounter with other women and tried to take her life. Despite living with her boyfriend, Michael Lerman (Chris Sarandon, Child's Play, Bordello of Blood), Alison is determined to find her own place to live. Her search leads her to a brownstone house in Brooklyn, New York. The top floor is inhabited by a blind priest named Father Halloran (John Carradine, The Ten Commandments, The Grapes of Wrath) who just sits at the window, staring into space. She meets other neighbors, such as the eccentric Charles Chazen (Burgess Meredith, Rocky, Magic) and a lesbian couple that makes her incredibly uncomfortable. Alison begins to have bouts of passing out and other medical conditions while living at the apartment. She beings to hear footsteps and strange noises in the apartment above her. When she speaks to the realtor, Alison learns that the house is only occupied by the priest and herself. She visits a local church, where she meets a priest who gives her guidance and tells her to reaccept Christ in her life. The priest is in fact part of a secret order of Catholic priests who actually own the building she lives in. Michael begins to investigate and uncovers a conspiracy wherein every religious figure that lived in the house went through most of their life as another person and had attempted suicide. He also finds a file with Alison's information, stating that Father Halloran will die and Alison is to take his place tomorrow. It is revealed that the building is the gateway to Hell and Alison is to be the guardian, keeping the demons from escaping. The people she believed to be neighbors were in fact devils and they are trying to keep her from becoming the next guardian. Will Alison succumb to the will of Hell or become the next sentinel?

Jesus! Where?

The majority of The Sentinel is a mystery movie with only the last 15 minutes being true horror. The mystery is just enough to keep the audience interested because we want to know just what the hell is happening. It would have been nice to have more action as there isn't much to go on. The movie does a good job of teasing out the answer with Alison's condition worsening and including references to the secret society throughout. The movie does slow down though when the focus shifts from Alison to Michael. There is a subplot with Michael and two detectives who are chasing after him due to the mysterious death of his first wife. Nothing ever really comes of it and it just serves to take away the focus from Alison which is far more interesting than anything going on with Michael. The only good part about it is that one of the detectives is a young Christopher Walken. When the movie finally goes into full horror-mode, it goes all the way. The apartment fills with hideous demons and deformed monsters pursuing Alison while Charles Chazen tries to convince her to commit suicide. The use of actual disfigured people and circus performers add authenticity to the movie, though it did create some controversy when the movie was originally released. Regardless, their looks and the general atmosphere are particularly scary and unsettling.

As far as Catholic-based horror movies go, The Sentinel is light on scripture but heavy on imagery. Since I am not a Catholic, this doesn't really mean much to me and it occasionally became annoying to sit through. The cast has an impressive list of movies under it's respective belt. Burgess Meredith is great as the eccentric and almost whimsical Charles Chazen, but he really shines as the evil Chazen. Cristina Raines is a little flat through the film and I would have liked more emotion from her. Same could be said for Chris Sarandon especially when the movie focuses on him. There are a few bit roles for actors that are now better known such as the aforementioned Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and Tom Berenger. The direction is good, though very much entrenched in the aesthetics of 70's film-making with musical flourishes in-between scenes that no longer exists in modern films.

Just another night in Philadelphia

The Sentinel has an intriguing mystery for a rather plain story, but the final act is highly entertaining and legitimately unsettling. While the mystery is solid, I could have used a little more foreshadowing as the revelation that the building holds the gates of Hell seems to come out of nowhere. I also would have liked a little more horror in the movie, especially when the police subplot threatens to derail the entire movie. The movie tries to makeup with the lack of horror by cramming in 15 minutes of it at the end. It's a great 15 minutes as the “devils” look very scary and Burgess Meredith creates a terrifying atmosphere. The Sentinel has some very good moments and while it's not amazing, it is still an interesting watch.

6.5/10