| Malevolence 3: Killer opens with the final scenes of the first film...remember, Bereavement was a prequel...with serial killer Martin Bristol Jay Cohen escaping into the woods. Martin, in true Michael Myers fashion, returns to his childhood home town and begins a killing spree. He leaves a trail of bodies as he returns to the house he was born in, which is now home to pretty student and musician Elle Katie Gibson and her roommates Tara Kelsey Deanne and the vivacious Lynn Alli Caudle . Drawn to the three girls, Martin begins stalking them, killing anyone who crosses his path. All the <more> while Agent Perkins Kevin McKelvey is hot on his trail in hopes to stop Martin before he kills again.Malevolence was a solid slasher homage giving us elements that evoked both Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Bereavement was something all it's own with a portrait of a deranged killer Brett Rickaby teaching his grim trade to kidnapped little boy, Martin Spencer List . With the third installment, Stevan Mena returns to a more traditional slasher film with the adult Martin paying his home town a bloody visit and a trio of young girls picking the wrong house to preside in. As such, Mena crafts another solid slasher flick much on par with his original. The film doesn't quite have the emotional resonance of his creation of a serial killer prequel, though there are some scenes with Martin's grieving mother Ashley Wolfe and grandmother the legendary Adrienne Barbeau , which work nicely on that level. In most slashers if the killer's mother is still alive, she's usually portrayed as equally deranged, so this was a nice change and added some depth. Most importantly, the film does do what it's supposed to do and does it well. It's paced much like the slashers of the early 80s with a moderate burn till the last act. There is some traditional skin shown by it's lovely cast and the kills are bloody and brutal, yet grounded, so they keep their impact and avoid the outlandishness of many other slasher franchises. Mena's killer is effective and needs no mask to elicit chills and his prey are a likable group of girls and neighbors, so we feel for them. When that last act comes and Martin and Elle throw down, it's intense and bloody as Agent Perkins closes in...but will it be in time? On a technical level Mena's shots are excellently framed, that and his cinematography evokes Carpenter and Dean Cundey in the very best way. The film looks very good for a low budget flick and except for a few shots of Katie Gibson's hair changing length a bit, there is really no evidence the film had such a troubled production. Again, a filmmaker's passion and perseverance found a way to complete his vision.Cast-wise Mena hits a home run with the casting of Katie Gibson as Elle. Her Elle is sweet, strong and a very likable young lady. She is also tough and resilient when Martin finally moves in for the kill. She's a great final girl in every sense of the word and even gets to play a variation of the traditional babysitter, when, thanks to Martin, her young neighbor Victoria Victoria Mena finds herself all alone. If Stevan Mena continues this franchise or makes another horror film, I hope he brings Gibson along. As Martin, Jay Cohen is an imposing figure. He doesn't speak, but isn't hidden behind a mask, so the actor has to display his cold blooded-ness with only his eyes and facial expression and he does so very well...and rememeber, Martin also has congenital analgesia, so he can't feel pain. Kevin McKelvey returns for his third go as Perkins and fits the mold of the "Dr. Loomis" of the film. He's tough and strong, yet there is also compassion, as he recognizes that in some ways Martin is just as much a victim as he is a killer. This touch helps Perkins avoid being a stereotype. Barbeau is effective in her few scenes as Martin's grandmother, as is Ashley Wolfe returning as Martin long-suffering mom. In support, Alli Caudle and Kelsey Deanne are likable as the saucy Lynn and studious Tara, respectively and it is sad Scott Decker was not able to complete his role, as Agent Roland is a likable character with, unavoidably, too little screen time. RIP.Overall, this was a solid slasher and another example of Stevan Mena's love of the genre. IMO Bereavement is one of the best horror films in the last ten years and Mena wisely doesn't try to replicate it. Sequel instead returns to basics to display the results of Graham Sutter's Rickaby work in Martin. It has a moderate pace echoing it's influences and delivers the goods from some bloody kills to a resilient and very endearing final girl. Mena overcame some heavy obstacles to complete his trilogy and one hopes the trilogy becomes a series and Malevolence 4 will be a smoother production and come sooner than the eight years between these films. Mena is yet another filmmaker people need to be talking more about and another example that you can get your film made! <less> |
