by alex davis
Dir. Larry Kent, Canada, 90 mins
Extreme horror cinema is a broad church, and can take in movies that approach things in all sorts of ways. Some are flat out, balls to the wall gory, violent and exploitative. Other are quieter, subtler, depending much more on disturbing context, mood and atmosphere. For me, both can be equally effective, although I think the second may be harder to achieve. Blood, vomit and bodily fluids are more likely to be ‘universally’ disturbing – it’d hard to imagine anyone working their way through the Vomit Gore films without being perturbed by at least something, if not nearly everything. However a softer approach leading to a shocking finale can have every bit as much impact – the close of a movie like Megan is Missing will absolutely never leave me, and for an hour or more there’s nothing visually disturbing, just an uneasy mood. She Who Must Burn takes a similar approach, being monumentally uncomfortable viewing all the way through – anyone watching this movie will have that sense of watching an absolute car crash about about to unfold, and unfold it does.
The story follows two groups in a small American town, Angela and Mac and Jeremiah and his followers. Angela is a counsellor at the local abortion clinic (a minor criticism on that is that we never see a nurse, doctor or anyone more senior than her) and Mac works as deputy sheriff at the local police station. Jeremiah is your local church leader and tensions in the town are starting to grow as Angela has not only protesters outside her clinic but even outside her home. But things are going to take another step up as Jeremiah’s wife, Margaret, decides to leave him after a particularly brutal beating he inflicts when she says she’s on the pill. She goes to see Angela, who dispatches her to somewhere safe and what has been a bubbling conflict is about to explode in pretty spectacular fashion. She Who Must Burn is certainly not flawless, but it has a fair amount going for it. For a while it’s hard to believe this kind of religious fundamentalism exists in modern America, although eventually it starts to sit a bit better and a look at the news would probably show this kind of thing does still exist in some places. The performances are generally pretty good, although the dialogue can be a bit too on-point. There are a few minor detail quibbles that individually don’t affect things that much, but when you roll them all together becoming a bit of an annoyance. Without trying to spoil too much, why you would just let a murder suspect go home is beyond me – surely no law enforcement in America would let that happen? It’s sort of explained but remains slightly infuriating. For all the imperfections here, it remains a movie that really engaged me and I found pretty agitating and distressing – in the right way, if you see what I mean. I was shouting at my screen in absolute fury in a number of places, which is not an easy effect to achieve. It’s compelling viewing although it’s not hard to guess where it’s going – all the same, you simply can’t take your eyes off it. It’s car crash cinema pretty well delivered on a low budget, and I’d generally recommend it as worth a look – although if you’re particularly religious I can’t quite imagine how this would sit with you. It’s not got a great deal positive to say about Christianity, although it’s hard to think of a more extreme version of its proponents. RATING: 7/10. There’s a lot good, and a few things that are not so good. It’s decently directed and imagined – although there are some scenes that look distinctly like stock footage – and the actors all do a pretty decent job. It held my attention strongly all the way through, despite being distinctly uncomfortable viewing at the same time. That’s always been an approach I’ve liked where it comes to films, and it’s decently done here. So this one earns a very respectable 7/10. 
BOOK REVIEW: TALES FROM THE WEEKEND EDITED BY DAVID J HOWE. |
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