“In The House Of Flies” DVD (director: Gabriel Carrer)

Unfulfilling torture indie

This micro-indie abduction horror/thriller is notable mostly for the voice acting of one Henry Rollins, who performs as “The Voice” — an unseen abductor who traps a young couple and confines them to a dark basement while he performs cruel tricks and mind-games on them. The pacing here is very slow, and there’s a lot of forgettable scenes and dialogue that really don’t do much to help.

To their own credit, main stars Lindsay Smith and Ryan Koteck (the teen lovers faced with starvation and torture) are quite believable in their roles as victims. The claustrophobic setting is effective enough, but the film’s lack of action nor depth makes for a  pretty tedious movie overall. And although this comes close to an outright horror film, the lack of much real gore or viscera is a definite detractor, too. It’s like “In The House Of Flies” holds itself back from the level of a “Saw” or other torture horror films by going a cleaner, milder route. And it just doesn’t quite work.

Ultimately, “In The House Of Flies” is unfulfilling and forgettable, and with that, I can’t justifiably recommend it.

Parade Deck Films

"Butterfly" DVD (director: Edward E. Romero)

This American micro-indie horror flick isn't nearly as bad as it seems, though it does leave plenty to be desired.The premise? Young film student Lacey (played admirably well by Mandi Kreisher) drugs, abducts, and tortures various people (on camera) for atrocities committed years before. Her "film" is basically thinly-disguised snuff, but her intentions are, well, revenge.

You'd expect plenty of blood and torture, but it never quite happens. Fair enough -- gore isn't needed to get the point across. My issue lies with empathy. Lacey isn't particularly likable (though she is attractive and well-spoken), and nor are the people she maims and murders. Despite a nice twisty ending, "Butterfly" is, unfortunately, very forgettable. (R Squared)

"Frontier(s)" DVD (director: Xavier Gens)

Under a shaky facade of political awareness and portending France's return to right-wing politics, sadistic French splatter-torture film "Frontier(s)" succeeds only in melding "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with "Saw" or "Hostel". Sure, it's gritty, dirty, and absolutely packed with buckets of blood and hacked limbs, but the story feels awfully familiar. And the mid-film melodrama of a love confession is silly and totally unnecessary.

Set in modern-day France, a team of young Parisian thieves, while on the run to Amsterdam, aim to relax for a night in a roadside "hotel" and meet some lovely lasses who aren't shy about "tending their needs", and for free. Forward a bit (not a problem, as the sex scenes aren't very impressive) and our protagonists end up in an abandoned mine system in the middle of nowhere. They are pursued, tortured, and imprisoned by a former Nazi war criminal and his hackneyed "family", with an aim to create a "pure race". Blood, guts, torture, grime, chains, pigs, circular saws, a nasty Achilles-tendon snapping...you get all this. Too bad there's not much else here to recommend. (Lions Gate)

"House Of Flesh Mannequins" DVD (director: Domiziano Cristopharo)

This Italian/American horror/thriller shows a definite nod to the classics of directors like Dario Argento, as it's less about brutish blood and gore and more about what's going on in the heads of the characters. Veteran actor Domiziano Arcangeli stars as Sebastian, a lonely and reclusive artist who reluctantly meets his stunning and alluring neighbor, Sarah Roeg (played by the amazing Irena Hoffman). She soon takes an unusual interest in him and his odd lifestyle and photography.

We're gradually led into Sebastian's nightmare world, which involves dream-like sequences of depraved sexuality and vicious murder/torture. It's never fully clear what is real or imagined, but we witness the beautiful Sarah falling for Sebastian, while his tortured demons lead them both deeper into the nightmare. It's a sort of love story, but one that's far from ideal. Packed with plenty of well-done gore, sexual situations and tons of nudity (mostly male, unfortunately), this one's a challenge in spots, but the solid acting, script, and visuals make it a well-done film for fans of giallo or hallucinogenic psychological thrillers. (MVD Visual)

"Penance" (director: Jake Kennedy)

This indie torture/horror flick "inspired by true events" manages to out-fox some similar higher-profile films, with a rather tried-and-true premise, but with solid acting and some fun genre cameos & casting. Starring the likable Marieh Delfino, this is a tale of a modest single mom (Amelia) who, down on her luck, resorts to stripping to make some quick cash to stay afloat. Well, in one of her first jobs, she ends up abducted by a religious-oriented madman and a skeleton crew of sadistic, proto-fascist lackeys. The enigmatic and stately Gavin McTavish stars as the fallen doctor who subjects the amoral strippers (including the innocent Amelia) to all sorts of "moral tests" to rehabilitate them and cleanse their souls in penance. Things get ugly, naturally. This one's bloody and sometimes shocking, but the gore is more implied and never truly on-camera. My favorite scenes are the cat and mouse games in the hallways of the "hospital", where the hand-held cameras succeed in creating an air of tension and distress. Fine work. Look for Michael Rooker ("Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer") and Tony Todd ("Candyman") among the worthy guest appearances. Delfino is cool, appealing, and convincing as Amelia, and McTavish is a perfect villain. Good stuff, and worthy of attention from horror fans. (IMD - Independent Media Distribution)