Southern Gothic (US Dir-Mark Young) William Forsythe has fallen on hard times since his eye catching roles of the 80s & 90s in films such as Once Upon A Time In America, Raising Arizona, Dick Tracey, The Waterdance, The Rock & Things To Do In Denver When Youre Dead. He still makes the odd appearence in great indies like iMurders & most of Rob Zombies films but rarely is he ever cast in an interesting role anymore. Southern Gothic is an independent film in which William takes the lead & proberbly the only film he has landed a lead role in that is not a throwaway piece of trash(yes Direct Hit & The Last American Elvis i am looking at you!!!). Southern Gothic is by no means perfect but it is far more than it initially appears to be. On first impressions the film seems like a cash in on the success of the southern fried fangfest True Blood & perhaps it influenced it a little but Southern Gothic has its own distinct style & some surprisingly complex characterisation that elevates it above the usual low budget Vampire films being made today.First off, the Vampire element is only part of a script of many layers & although all the usual neck biting & burning flesh are present & correct, Southern Gothic throws in enough originality to stop it feeling like another tired entry into a genre thats seen countless entries in the last 10 years. The film has an excellent opening sequence which drips with atmosphere & lets the viewer know from the outset that they are in good hands with director Mark Young. A beautifully dark visual style & a brooding score grab the eyes & ears as it presents a serial killer executing his latest kill only to discover that his victim is infact...yes you guessed it, A VAMPIRE! We are then introduced to a small group of various inhabitanta of a southern town called Redemption(cliched name i know but it actually makes sense in the context of the story it is telling!). This town has the usual dirty motel, strip bar, sherrifs office, diner & of course a Church! This is where William Forsythes preacher comes into play as his deranged & depraved preacher is thrown out of the strip bar & encounters a couple of visiting Vampires. Having been bitten, it is not long before he becomes a Vampire himself & begins attacking the locals but the twist here is that he feels his Rebirth is actually a gift from his lord so that he can redeem his sins, destroy the whores, whore mongers & other sinners & bring gods word to the masses in his now boarded windowed Church. There is a great sequence where he begins baptising his people via a bite to the neck professing that He who believes in me will live forever...even though he dies!, before sinking his holy fangs into them & asking whos next?...gives new meaning to the term REDNECK! :D William Forsythe plays his role briliantly from start to finish & while some may feel he is merely portraying a stereotypical preacher, the fact it that its a stereotype only because it is very true! LOL He also has an obsession with a young stripper whom he wants to save, much in the same twisted manner as Anthony Perkins perverted preacher wanted to save hooker Kathleen Turner in Ken Russells 1984 film Crimes Of Passion. The film does not entirely revolve around Forsythe however, although he is the lead. There are a few other characters here who are well written & well acted enough to care about. Each of them is seeking their own personal redemption & during the course of the film they get their opportunities. Yul Vazquez is particularly good as a bouncer who lives at the bottom of a bottle because he blames himself for his daughters death. Vazquez delivers an understated performance that provides the film with a soul that one would not otherwise expect from a small genre piece as this but again Southern Gothic is a Vampire thriller within an ensemble character drama. The whole cast deliver good performances but the most impressive aspect of the entire picture is director Mark Youngs direction. While Southern Gothic is not an entirely successful translation of his complex script, his direction cannot be faulted. There is some neat poetry in motion to enjoy in this film & one such sequence involves the bouncer telling a little girl a bedtime story. He chooses Little Red Riding Hood & as he is describing the climax where the Big Bad Wolf is awaiting Red Riding Hood, there is a sequence interwoven featuring the girls mother(the stripper) entering a house & coming face to face with the Vampire preacher who is obsessed with her! A tragic moment & beautifully concieved by director Mark Young. There are some very touching moments between the bouncer & the little girl as a result of this moment & this gives Southern Gothic a bigger heart than expected. Sure it could have been a little deeper explored & sure there are a few cliches here & there but on the whole this film is consistently surprising if never anywhere near spectacular. Again i must stress that Southern Gothic does not need to be a spectacle simply because that its Vampire element is not the most important aspect of the film. There is more than enough action & all the expected blood letting to keep casual fans happy but those of us who enjoy characterisation a little more than carnage will appriciate Southern Gothic on a deeper level. The cinematography is amazing & for a film shot mainly at night or within the darkest interiors, there rare moment of when the blinding sunlight enters a room will certainly have the desired affect on viewers! The score is present for just about the entirety of the picture & it fits the on screen visuals perfectly. The few moments where the score is not used are great for giving the film its sense of location via the sound of the surrounding ambience outside the dark rooms. Southern Gothic is not a classic or even a must see Vampire film but compared to alot of genre films of the last decade, this is nice & different yet familiar enough for any Vamp-Addict to feel right at home with. A dark but thoughtful Horror film inside a heavy but hopeful Drama. It does not always work but when it does the flaws are easy to overlook. youtube/watch?v=zmsOnkIQQtE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:40:28 +0000
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