DVD Review: GOTHKILL (2009)

Written and directed by J.J. Connelly, GOTHKILL is a fun movie, and while it contains it's share of minor flaws, is still a very entertaining and fun flick! Here is the basic plot synopsis from imdb.com:

When Catholic Priest and Inquisitor Nicholas Dread finds out that innocents are being burned as witches he decides to do something about it. Unfortunately for him, his superiors don't agree and he's burned at the stake alongside two women he forced confessions from. While dying, Nick curses god and makes a pact with Satan to reign over his own kingdom someday at any cost. Now, in 21st century New York City, Dread has returned to finish the deal. His end of the bargain with Satan must be fulfilled, and many will die so Dread can take the throne in his kingdom of over one hundred thousand corrupt souls. He just has to find the right bunch of victims...and it just so happens the best Goth Club in the city is ripe for this bloodthirsty butcher bent on revenge! Can a group of Goths and wanna-be vampires hold their own when the real thing arrives?

First, let me get the minor negatives out of the way. The acting in this movie is just not that great, although I did like the acting from Flambeaux, who played the main character of Nicholas Dread. I am not sure if his acting was really that great, or if it was so bad that it was good, but either way I enjoyed his character. The next thing is the plot, or lack thereof. I would have never come up with the plot synopsis above just by viewing this movie. That being said, sometimes you don't need deep character development and an intricate plot to enjoy a just-plain-fun movie. Lastly, the sound is bad in some scenes. The scene in the jail cell stands out particularly, as it sounds like it was filmed with no mics, but just the built in mic on the video camera. The sound is this scene is a bit muffled and has an echo to it.
hhNow, having said all that, the positive part of this movie is that it is just plain fun! The scenes of the underground goth culture looks to be extremely realistic, or what I would assume it would look like assuming I have never been anywhere near an underground goth club. The film is full of blood, gore, and torture, reminiscent of the old 42nd street exploitation films, of which I am a huge fan of. The scene where Dread possesses the body of Anne was very well done, and used a very creepy voice alteration to signify that Anne was possessed. The ending has a crazy scene, where Dread is in Hell and torturing all his victims...it is a big scene for such a low budget film and was done very well. It was a fun ending to the film. Also, check out that dvd cover art...that has to be the the coolest dvd cover I have seen in a long time!
The unrated dvd contains the following "Most Evil Extras":

*Video Commentary-featuring director J.J. Connelly, Falmbeaux, and Eve Blackwater
*Original Trailers
*Q&A with director from NYC screening
*Gothkill live performance chronicle
*Publicity & Production stills

This was director J.J. Connelly's feature film debut, and some freshman flaws do show, but if this is a sign of what is to come from Mr. Conelly's career, then I will be sure to keep up with his follow ups to this film!

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for GOTHKILL
CLICK HERE to purchase a copy of GOTHKILL on dvd

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