Review of The Depraved

I was astonished by how intrigued I was with the story, and how invested I became in the well-being of the characters. This is a tough film to watch, and is only going to appeal to those who enjoy a good slasher flick. With that said, in spite of the rather derivative material, and a few plot holes, it's wicked good stuff. It's not a film I would watch again. It was hard to take! But it kept me on the edge of my seat, and rooting for the good guys. I was utterly terrified of the bad guy. I have always been willing to suspend disbelief for a chance to escape into an alternate universe for ninety minutes Once you get to the end of the ride, you will be relieved to get out and return to the real world. Unless you live in hell. The villain haunts my nightmares to this day. I'd like to see him on you tube or in an interview, being himself just once. He's that convincing and upsetting. I had to repeat "it's only a movie" at several points in this journey. Sometimes, that's all you really want from a film. To briefly forget that it's not real. I lost my sense of time and place, and felt like I was witnessing a crime.

So while this movie carries no message beyond stranger danger, and may not deviate from the formula, it follows the formula with style, it packs a powerful punch in the gut, it does what we expect from a film like this, and does it better than most. The acting and production values surely set it apart from the others in this genre.

You will be horrified, to be sure. Not for the faint of heart. I gave it six stars for lack of originality (plot). A great effort, a weak plot. Worth at least one trip to the horror section, if you enjoy these "slasher" films.