Venom

Venom

Starring Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson, Laura Ramsey, Meagan Good

Directed by Jim Gillespie

Synopsis:
In the bayous of Louisiana, a Voodoo priestess unearths a mysterious suitcase, and attempts to leave with it, but gets involved in a car crash and dies, along with Ray (Rick Cramer), the local weirdo.

Eden (Agnes Bruckner) and her on-again-off-again boyfriend Eric (Jonathan Jackson) are at the scene when the accident occurs, but they don't see how Ray dies.  They assume he drowned, but the suitcase had been opened and mystical snakes emerged and bit him, turning him into an undead vessel of lost souls that would hunt the land in search of fresh blood.

The woman's granddaughter, CeCe (Meagan Good) knows what's happening and sets out to stop the evil, with Eden and Eric's help, by using good Voodoo to combat the evil.

Review:
The premise of the film is silly at best, and stereotypical at worst.  An old Voodoo curse unleashed on a Louisiana town (with locals who don't have a hint of an accent) that only good Voodoo can combat, in the vessel of a dead man who goes around brutally killing anyone in his way.  That's the basic story, and it doesn't really deviate from it much.

After a small section of explanation, the violence erupts fast and deep.  This is where the film shines, in its almost "Friday the 13th"esque styles of killing (from dismembering arms to hooks through the chest, screwdrivers in the brain and even a sandblaster).  For any true horror fan, you can appreciate this type of over-the-top killing style that harkens back to the 80s and 90s slasher flicks of old.

As far as the acting goes, for a cast of somewhat famous young stars, the acting has a lot to be desired.  Each character fulfills their given role (the typical horror cliches - the final girl, the nice boyfriend, the slut, the best friend, the gay one, the rough one, etc.), but doesn't offer anything more than that.  Then again, this is a horror film, so there's no need to find any Oscar-worthy performances here.

The best part of the film are the deaths themselves.  Not just the manner they die, but how many people die, and who dies.  There were some deaths I was even shocked to see, and I won't say any more so as to not give away important details.

Yes, I actually want you to see this film.  It's not perfect by any means, but it satisfies the horror fan in me, and any true horror fan can appreciate the film, if not like it.

Summary:
"Venom" isn't a compelling story, nor is it brilliantly acted, but the over-the-top gore and surprising deaths make up for its shortcomings.

My Rating: B