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Witchouse
3: Demon Fire |
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Poor Annie has a fight with her physically abusive
boyfriend and decides to high-tail it to a remote
beach house owned by her closest gal-pals, Stevie
(a reference to Stevie Nicks, maybe?) and Rose.
When she arrives, she finds them filming a documentary
on the Wiccan religion, the focus of which attempting
to answer why people still practice magic in a day and
age when no one believes in it. Before long, the
three women are hashing it out over drinks and a hot
tub and, in their alcohol-fueled judgment, decide to
hold a séance to film for the documentary.
Unexpectedly, they conjure the spirit of Lilith, a
malevolent witch that likes to do what most
centuries-dead witches do, do…make life a living hell
for those that have brought them back. Ghostly
apparitions show up on the video playback of the séance,
a bloody message materializes on the kitchen wall,
and one by one, the girls are encountered by Lilith
herself. Unable to decide what is real and what is not,
the three friends are stricken by a group paranoia…
accusations fly and they begin to discover that the
cause of their nightmare may run deeper than the
supernatural… that the real danger may
exist within themselves.
Let me start off by saying that I have not yet viewed
the previous installments in the “Witchouse” series.
I’ve heard conflicting arguments; some saying that
they preferred the first two movies, while others have
called this sequel the best of the lot. From what I
gather, “Witchouse” and its first sequel are loosely
connected, while part 3 is even more of a departure
(what remains consistent through all three movies is
the character of Lilith). Whatever the distinctions,
I think that “Witchouse 3: Demon Fire” holds up just
fine on its own. Given the lack of anything
interesting going on in mainstream horror (horror
being a genre that is pretty much on the fringe in
and of itself) added to an over-saturation of smart-ass,
self-referential thrillers crafted to a veritable mold,
I’ve been delving into a lot of the smaller DTV/SOV
fright flicks lately. While I’m a die-hard fan of the
old-fashioned eighties approach, I must say that I’m
enjoying the hell out of the experience of wading
through the next generation. It can be a tiring task
at times, but I’ve found quite a few gems here and there
(“Hardcore Poisoned Eyes” and “Townies”, to name just a
couple), but more often than not, these little
offerings are average (at best) or just plain stink.
What’s cool about “Witchouse 3” is that it doesn’t fuck
itself over in an effort to please everyone, and neither
does it disregard the need to entertain an audience.
It’s a pretty straightforward story that strives to be
character-driven rather than repeatedly play the gore
and T&A cards that are so often used for the sake of
churning out product. What really impressed me is that
the telling of the story is owned by an (almost)
entirely female cast, something that is slowly becoming
phased out in horror-land if you ask me. As Stevie,
Debbie Rochon heads up the cast in the kind of
tough-girl protagonist role that she was practically
born to do…the girl gives a fabulous performance.
Tina Krause and Tanya Dempsey play Rose and Annie
(respectively). While they fair well enough in their
roles, it often feels like they are underwritten and/or
are overshadowed by the presence of Rochon, who has
become to micro-budgeted horror what Parker Posey was
to indie-art house in the mid-nineties. Cult icon
Brinke Stevens takes over for Ariana Albright in the
role of Lilith, and she seems like she’s having a
ball doing the demonic she-beast thing that she’s so
damn good at.
Another reason why “Witchouse 3” works is that it
reflects a semblance of a will to be professional on
apart of its creators and crew. Director, co-writer,
editor, and producer J.R. Bookwalter (who spearheaded
a new generation of D.I.Y. aesthetic in the eighties
with his “The Dead Next Door”) delivers a tight and
sleek looking film that was shot in nine days on digital
camera. While the script is pretty heavy on the
dialogue (some might say TOO heavy), it doesn’t bog us
down with a lot of unnecessary exposition and moves at
such a brisk pace that you don’t really have time to
pick it over in your mind until the credits roll.
The lines of dialogue themselves are sharp and to the
point (and yes, sometimes smart-ass and quippy), yet
the real meat of the story couldn’t have worked as
well had the actresses had not given them some texture.
DP Danny Draven (who already has directed several of
his own features) does an excellent job with the
camera (apparently he was also working with a broken
tri-pod), showing talent with his angles and set-ups.
There are times that the digital/film-looked quality
of the picture show through, but I think that only
the staunchest detractors of the format will even care.
About the only problem I had here (and it’s kind of a
big one) is the climax. Up until this point, I really
liked the fact that it moved at the pace it did, yet
peeled it’s layers sporadically enough to keep things
interesting...the turning point happens during the last
ten minutes and rips away it’s mask almost too quickly…
sure, the majority of questions are answered, but we’re
given so much information at once that things feel like
they are coming out of left field. I almost wanted the
movie to last a bit longer, but at the same time, I
feel a prolonged ending would have gone against the
tone of the previous hour. What also didn’t escape my
mind (if you want to read into it this way) is that “W3”
functions as sort of a feminist parable, throwing us
into the world of their bonding while underlying it
with the sort of cattiness that can exist…in the end,
no one is innocent. Wonderful subtext for a horror
movie, in my opinion, yet it never quite takes full
advantage in this instance. Still though, “W3” has
its message and the bottom line is that it’s up to the
viewer to be receptive to that, no matter
what the shortcomings.
Nothing heavy, and for all intents and purposes, this
makes sense. More physically violent than anything…
Debbie beats a couple of people bloody…one female is
clawed to death by Lilith, and a man dies by
asphyxiation. For the most part, “W3” goes for subtly
creepy moments, many of which involve Lilith…some great
scenes where she appears behind a frosted shower door,
in a computer screen, and in a parking garage.
Good apocalyptic goth score by Jon Greathouse (who
has also scored several other Tempe/Full Moon features)
…piano, synth, strings…good goth ballad during the
closing credits as well.
“Witchouse 3” ain’t nothing fantastic…but when you go
through so many average and terrible movies, it’s kind
of refreshing to find a flick among the floundering
that has just a bit more to offer, and this one fits
into that category for me. Fans of Bookwalter or any
of the actresses in this film will want to check it out,
and horror fans with a non-discriminatory outlook may approve.
Review By: The ScareMaker
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