By looking at the cover of Needle it's easy to believe it's a Hellraiser-inspired horror film, but it's very far from the truth. Instead it's an interesting mix of college slasher and occult thriller, without being totally moronic and generic. I didn't know it was a Australian movie from the beginning, so the accents surprised me - and it took a while to actaully understand that this crisp, very American-styled slasher-esque grand guignol was made in the land of Brian Trenchard-Smith.
But he's not involved in this movie. But still.
It's a fresh take on the slasher-genre with a few nods towards Italian giallos. It begins with a terribly brutal murder of an art dealer, by using this device - an ancient mechanical occult "transmitter" who works as a voodoo doll-connector. Ten years later and the box is found and given to the son, Ben (Michael Dorman) of the owner (who died somehow, I really missed that detail...). Soon the box is stolen and Ben's friends is getting killed one by one with the power of mechanical voodoo! And it gets bloody!
I love this idea. It's fun. The movie itself looks like a million bucks and the gore is quite plenty and graphic and looks great. If they spent the money on something it's on camera cranes and gory prostethics. Not a bad choice, especially with a script packed with good ideas - but a bit to standard to stand out totally. If I directed and wrote it I would make it more mystical, more European in style. More occult stuff. Now the device is more of a cool McGuffin in a normal murder mystery. The actors are good, but still a bit to handsome and easily to confuse with each other to make it perfect. Instead a reliable character actor like John Jarratt bring some star quality to the show with an underwritten but fun role as the coroner.
If you've seen Wolf Creek you will rememeber him for the rest of your life as the nasty killer in that one. One of the best redneck-psychos I've see. Can't wait to see him back in the sequel!
Anyway, back to Needle. Even if I've sounded quite negative up here I really liked it. It's a damn slick and well-made thriller with ingredienses I like. Instead of a knife-wielding maniac it's a nice solution with the voodoo device. Maybe it's one of those movies for us who prefer murder mysteries. You know, the same stuff like The Eyes of Laura Mars, Blackaria or Four Flies on Grey Velvet, detective stories with a supernatural/pseudoscience touch.
The only thing that really confuses me is the tagline: "Ten Suspects. Six Clues. One Killer...". I get the ten suspects and the one killer, but six clues? I must have missed something there, or maybe you need to be the screenwriter to actually understand what the clues are - because I have no friggin' idea. We're not talking Agatha Christie here, it's a slasher disguised as something fancier!
Good one. I think you will like it if you're in the mood for somehing mainstream but still a little bit outside the mainstream.
"I didn't know it was a Australian movie from the beginning, so the accents surprised me - and it took a while to actaully understand that this crisp, very American-styled slasher-esque grand guignol was made in the land of Brian Trenchard-Smith."
A piece of ozploitation......I hoping you will write more about that country´s output in the genre field.
"Instead a reliable character actor like John Jarratt bring some star quality to the show with an underwritten but fun role as the coroner.
If you've seen Wolf Creek you will rememeber him for the rest of your life as the nasty killer in that one. One of the best redneck-psychos I've see. Can't wait to see him back in the sequel!"
He is very good in Wolf Creek (2005), took me a while until I understood that he was the hero in Dark Age(1987).
He was in Territory/Rogue (2007) also but I don´t remember now what he was......and yes, the Wolf Creek sequel will be something worth waiting for, at least I hope so.
"Anyway, back to Needle. Even if I've sounded quite negative up here I really liked it. It's a damn slick and well-made thriller with ingredienses I like. Instead of a knife-wielding maniac it's a nice solution with the voodoo device. Maybe it's one of those movies for us who prefer murder mysteries. You know, the same stuff like The Eyes of Laura Mars, Blackaria or Four Flies on Grey Velvet, detective stories with a supernatural/pseudoscience touch."
Well....I haven´t seen Blackaria(2010), 4 mosche di velluto grigio/4 Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) yet.
Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)....I think saw this many years ago....maybe I´m confusing it with Still of the Night (1982)?
Anyway, I think I know what you mean, like Sette note in nero/The Psychic (1977), Red Lights(2012), Frequency (2000) etc.
"Good one. I think you will like it if you're in the mood for somehing mainstream but still a little bit outside the mainstream."
Always in the mood for some genrestuff from downunder...good review and thanks.
Posted by: Megatron | May 08, 2013 at 22:09