Sadly, though, the execution in this final act is
wanting: the scenes of violence are sometimes un- convincing, and generally not up to industry stan- dards. But are they really a good reason to pass on Midnight Son? I don’t think so. In fact, an alternate tagline might read, “Come for the blood. Stay for the heart.”
PETER GUTIÉRREZ TRIANGULATED TERROR
SCALENE Starring Margo Martindale, Hanna Hall and Adam Scarimbolo
Overlooked, Forgotten and Dismissed Vermin Expressionism
THIS ISSUE: LANCE SMELLS A RAT
RATLINE Wicked Pixel Cinema From his ultra-violent serial killer romp Scrapbook to his child-murdering epic Deadwood Park, writer/director Eric Stanze is one talented motherfucker. His latest venture, Ratline, is a compelling and complex indie film that seamlessly blends divergent storylines (i.e., a group of satanists, two girls on the run after killing a drug dealer, a former SS officer who’s trying to track a powerful Nazi artifact) with extreme violence, historical flashbacks, intense gore and graphic sexuality. With its intricate, multi-layered narrative and rich attention to detail
in both dialogue and set design, Ratline has all the trappings of a big-budget Hollywood film. The only difference is that it doesn’t suck! BODY COUNT: 25 RAT COUNT: 0
Pest Face Forward
BLACK RAT Media Blasters A group of Japanese schoolkids are mystified when a friend commits suicide after they refuse to help her stage a play about a bunch of dancing rats. More perplexing is that – 49 days after her death – they all receive texts from her cellphone instructing them to meet at the school at midnight. Undaunted, they show up, only to become fodder for what might be her vengeful spirit wearing a creepy rat mask and swinging a baseball bat. Directed by Kenta Fukasaku (2003’s lacklustre Battle Royale 2), Black Rat is a tired retread of what’s been
passing for J-horror lately – lame kills and boring twists that you’ll see coming a mile away. Want something Japanese that’s truly scary? Try ordering sushi at a truck stop. BODY COUNT: 7 RAT COUNT: 0
Snack the Block
RAT SCRATCH FEVER Media Blasters I’ve been following Jeff Leroy since I saw his thriller Eyes of the Werewolf (RM#49) back in 1999. Since then, he’s released more than a dozen gory, imag- inative and very rewatchable genre titles. Add to that list Rat Scratch Fever, a horror/sci-fi mash-up about a doomed space mission that sees a cargo of mu- tant rodents accidentally brought back to Earth, and the critters attacking LA like a busload of fat kids at a Burger King. Leroy is also an amazing FX artist, so there are loads of miniature feats of movie magic that’ll remind you of the orig-
inal Godzillamovies. Featuring cameos from Jed Rowen (Creepies), Phoebe Dollar (Goth) and Randal Malone (Blood Legend), Rat Scratch Fever brings new meaning to “joining the rat race.” BODY COUNT: 32 RAT COUNT: 565
LAST CHANCE LANCE RM 44 C I N E M A C A B R E
Directed by Zack Parker Written by Brandon Owens and Zack Parker Breaking Glass Pictures
Like a bastard child of Alfred Hitchcock and Alexan-
der Payne, this stylish thriller overflows with creepy suspense and devastation that will fester in the pit of your stomach long after the credits have rolled. Wasting no time, Scalene immediately thrusts
viewers into the would-be climax of its story, where frumpy and disgrun- tled Janice Trimble (Margo Martindale: Orphan) invades the home of college stu- dent Paige Alexander (Hanna Hall: Rob Zombie’s Halloween), bent on vengeance for what this young jezebel did to “him.” After a killer first
five minutes, the nar- rative then moves back in time, liberally jumping around as it begins to fill in the background of the opening scene. Split into three distinct acts, Scalene shifts perspective be- tween Janice, her disabled son Jakob (Adam Scarim- bolo: Stake Land) and Paige, Jakob’s part-time caregiver, whom he allegedly raped – a crime for which he has since been arrested. Each section ef- fectively tells a different side of the story, ramping up the tension to the finale. Director and co-writer Zack Parker does an impec-
cable job of balancing the same brand of dark quirk- iness that typifies the work of Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness) with a seriously gripping take on everyday horror. There are no monsters to be found in this awkward and creepy nailbiter, save for human nature, which is shown in full force, while tearing out your heart. The dissonant, orchestral score by the Newton Brothers will do little to calm your nerves, as it adds a fair amount of tension to the proceedings. Overbearing at first, the music settles quickly and could easily be mistaken as a Bernard Hermann or Miklós Rózsa score for an unnerving noir thriller. Scalene – a term that refers to a triangle with un-
even sides – will throw you off-balance in such a cal- culated manner, you’ll be left bug-eyed by this horrific story that’s a little too realistic to go down easy. PATRICK DOLAN
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