Title: Needle
Directed by: John V. Soto
Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Tahyna Tozzi and Travis Fimmel
Running time: 89 minutes, Rated R
After the death of his father, Ben receives an intricately decorated 18th century mechanical box which is labeled “Le Vaudo Mort.” The box itself is actually a supernatural tool for revenge, as the victim’s photo is placed into the box, and a wax voodoo doll is formed after turning the hand crank. Ben shows the box off to his college friends, and after a party it’s discovered that the box was stolen. Soon Ben’s friends start dying in very gruesome and horrible ways. Ben’s estranged brother Marcus, a forensic photographer, reunites with Ben and they both try to uncover who or what is the source behind the murders.
I thought this was a very clever horror film. The villain I didn’t expect, which was a welcome twist. The box was very cool unlike anything I’ve really ever seen, however I felt they held back a lot with the murders and the gory bits. There’s one scene where a guy is literally torn asunder, which was cool, but the rest of the deaths were pretty tame in comparison. Gouging eyes and poking holes into body parts don’t quite cut it after you see a guy’s arm just snap off and blood spurts in his face.
The special features include a making-of featurette and theatrical trailer.
Needle is one of those “can’t give too much away or it’ll spoil the movie” type of deals. I thought the characters were likeable and well acted, the make-up effects were great and the concept was ingenious.
Total rating: A
Reviewed by: JM Willis
