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Death Count
Numbers
USA 2022
produced by Michael Mahal, Sonny Mahal, Jamal Alsaqer (executive), BJ Mezek (executive) for Mahal Empire, Mezek Films, Blaen-Y-Maes Bootleg Films
directed by Michael Su
starring Costas Mandylor, Michael Madsen, Robert LaSardo, Sarah French, BJ Mezek, Devanny Pinn, Wesley Cannon, Denny Nolan, Dave Shecter, Kimberly Lynn Cole, Dee Cutrone, Charles Solomon jr, Mark Justice, Mia ScozzaFave, Robert B. Oliver, Jeffrey Bele, William 'Bill' Connor, Kevin Hager, Lance Caver, Mindy Gilkerson, Jeremy Spencer, Michael Su, Zach Muhs, Jean Heathen, Stephen Satterfield, Michael Beran, Ben Stobber, Scott Cassin, Andre Carbonell, Natasha Janina Valdez, Julie Grace, Kyrillos Saber, Rudy Ledbetter, Michelle Hill, Nick Ford, Edward Stachyra, Lisa Hinds, Elizabeth Noelle Japhet, Dennyann Giambrone, James Dormuth, King Jeff, Chase Christensen, Gorio, Hans Hernke
written by Michael Merino, revisions by Rolfe Kanefsky, music by Scott Glasgow, makeup effects by Nightmare Nevada
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Eight strangers (Robert Lasardo, Sarah French, BJ Mezek, Devanny Pinn,
Wesley Cannon, Denny Nolan, Dave Shecter, Kimberly Lynn Cole) find
themselves locked away into individual cells, and they're told by their
jailer, the Warden (Costas Mandylor) that they've forcibly become part of
an internet show where they have to self-mutilate in order to gain likes,
and whoever has the least likes will be eliminated - meaning killed in a
very gruesome way. And to keep the contestants in line, bombs are attached
to their necks that can be remote controlled, they are chained to the
wall, and some death traps are installed into their cells - in other
words, they're pretty much fucked. Now what's still in favour of the eight
is the police have long picked up the trail of the Warden, who hasn't been
too careful when it came to obscure his tracks, and two detectives
(Michael Madsen, Charles Solomon jr) are rather quickly closing in on his
location. But that said, the Warden sees to it that the game, including
eliminations, moves along very swiftly. And the longer the game goes the
more the contestants find out they're actually all connected - by a dark
spot in their past they'd all much rather forget ... Now this
is not a movie for those faint of heart (or stomach), as its story in
itself is shocking - also because it perfectly mirrors the darker areas of
the web - , and because it doesn't hold back in terms of gruesomeness,
showing the acts of self mutilations of its protagonists in quite some
detail. But the film's really more than just another piece of torture porn
- even if it shows quite some unmistakable parallels to Saw
-, as it puts some weight into its backstory as well as doing some decent
character work, and besides it also works as a twisted social commentary.
Plus, a very solid cast and a direction that finds the right balance
between explicit violence and utter tension help make this one rather
strong piece of genre cinema.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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