January 18, 2007

FIRST LOOK: BARRICADE (Jan. 07) by Jsyn

It’s a damn fine time to be a gorehound. Not since the Seventies has there been such a demand for the red and chunky stuff. Some call it a fad, some call it “torture porn”… whatever you call it and for whatever reason, extreme gore in horror is enjoying a second Golden Age.

BARRICADE is the latest film to be unleashed by the multi-talented multi-tasking German film maker, Timo Rose. The story is straightforward enough: A couple and their friend are terrorized by a family of crazy cannibals in the woods that kill people in various, horrible ways. And by golly, it’s all shown in loving, explicit detail.

Visually, the film is beautiful. Rose is undeniably adept behind the camera. His use of different styles in both the cinematography and editing departments really keep the eyes interested. The German countryside and landscapes are gorgeous and perfectly contrast the gruesomeness going on inside those lush woods. The movie has that late Seventies / early Eighties vibe and reminds me of forgotten gems like THE FINAL TERROR and JUST BEFORE DAWN. Just the fact that this does not take place in an ugly, foreign land is a refreshing change of pace. I mean, there has got to be more to European cities than decrepit, crumbling buildings and torture-chamber basements.

Indie genre faves Joe Zaso and Raine Brown deliver solid performances and get to play against type here. It’s good to see Zaso in a “hero” role alongside Raine who, comes to think of it, pretty much does all the ass-kicking.

Now let’s talk about the gore. It’s fucking gory. Really, really gory. Don’t really know how else to put it. There was one shot I absolutely loved that I believe has never been done before in the history of cinema. Imagine the unlucky victim getting chopped and gouged most horribly and then having crazy cannibal guy reach in and pull out some gristle, all the while being shot from INSIDE the victim’s body! That in itself was a small stroke of genius.

Some people may shy away from the extreme gore, and frankly this movie is definitely not for them. But for those who relish the “ultraviolent” subgenre or horror fans who are simply in the mood for something juicy, BARRICADE is a balls-to-the-wall, chunk blowin’ splatterfest that satisfies your meat tooth, just like the old Slim Jim ads used to say. This film is a fun distraction with a high body count, best served with cold beer and a few friends. When a movie sports like ten different people credited as “Victim in Cabin” I say, “Enjoy, all you wonderful sick freaks!” –Jsyn