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maniak177
Reviews
Lung II (2016)
LUNG leaves you Breathless
It takes a special mind to achieve actual art through film. It is even more difficult to do that very thing through horror. It is very rare that a person can combine the two and leave you breathless, horrified and wanting more. Phil Stevens has mastered that very skill.
The second entry to his FLOWERS trilogy, LUNG II is yet another example of how "Silence is Golden".
Confusion and fear takes hold of a man who wakes up in a park without a clue of who he is or where he is. As he struggles to piece together the puzzle of his own strange and obscene reality, he wanders aimlessly through the city streets hoping to find even the slightest of answers.
Suffering from horrific visions and dreams, he finds strange signs that they may just be memories of a nightmarish reality. Each clue leading him further down to hell. Was he just a poor lost soul with amnesia? Or something far, far worse...
Phil Stevens once again proves that dialogue, a star studded cast and a ridiculously high budget isnt always needed to make something truly special.
LUNG II is a confusing film, but only because it's supposed to be. You're meant to be just as lost as the main character. But in the end, you are left astounded and breathless in all the greatest of ways.
Most art films come off as pretentious and have the feel that sometimes the director may have tried too hard. This NOT the case with this film.
I can not recommend this movie enough to those that have an appreciation for both art and horror. Is it for the average horror fan? Absolutely not, but is another factor that makes Phil's work all the more special.
Red Krokodil (2012)
Reality bites....hard
After reading numerous reviews and praise for RED KROKODIL, I decided to pick it up for myself. The first and most important thing I can say is that this film is NOT for the average horror fan. But lucky for me, I happen to be an extreme horror fan and was not caught too off guard. The subject matter that RED KROKODIL touches on is very real and even more tragic.
RED KROKODIL tells the story of a man alone in an incredibly small apartment, fighting a losing battle to Russia's street drug known as Krokodil.
For those who don't know, Krokodil is a a powerful drug that makes heroine look like cough medicine. Known as Krokodil possibly for the ingredients used to make it, that make the skin around the injection site turn a green scaly color. Usually cut with gasoline or paint thinner, causing in horrible decay to flesh and sometimes resulting in amputation. It also greatly decreases the lifespan of the user from the first time injecting it.
After nuclear war wipes out the rest of humanity the man, who is never named, lives day to day dealing with agonizing pain, hallucinations and shortening life due to his addiction. Periodically escaping to his own little world of beauty while under the influence and visited by another man in a bunny mask that's actually a conjuring of his own mind. Soon his body starts to decay and he knows his end is nigh.
RED KROKODIL is a film that is the very darkness of a real life situation. The story is well told with there only the main three characters: the man, the apartment and the drug itself.
Wonderfully scored and equally beautifully shot, this film is a wake up call to the world. With out a doubt, an artful commentary piece depicting humanities self destructive behavior.
If you have a strong mind and stomach, then I highly recommend this film to fans of extreme horror that have more to them than just pure guts and gore. A movie that is sure to make your insides bleed, and you will thank yourself for enduring it.