Donkey Punch(Oliver Blackburn, 2008)
2.5 Stars
British horror. It’s an interesting sub-genre. Somehow, it’s one that either delivers a masterpiece, or churns out forgettable and daft trite. This weekend, inspired by a trip out on a friend’s boat into the delightful waters of the Japanese Inland Sea, I decided to revisit a film that, for some reason or another, I never got round to finishing the first time round.
Donkey Punch, named after a somewhat violent sexual act, is one of those movies that tried hard to thrive off a single concept and a daft name. Alas, for the most part, it manages to just be yet another “cabin in the woods” style slasher, albeit this time in the somewhat more original setting of a pleasure boat in the middle of the Med.
A cast of annoying and somewhat forgettable characters drive the simplistic story, as a weekend of fun turns sour after the death (through the titled sexy fun) of one of the group. Cue the inevitable claustrophobia and much needed screaming. And a couple of wonderfully fun deaths, including, perhaps more notably than the namesake, a chap getting killed by a flare gun. Good stuff.
Donkey Punch manages to capture the claustrophobia of the boat wonderfully, and also has some genuinely well shot sequences. Unfortunately, with little oomph to the storytelling, this mule falls at the first hurdle, and soon turns into yet another formulaic murder-fest.
One also feels a “don’t try this at home” warning should be issued. Although maybe that’s simply what the movie is…
2.5 Stars
British horror. It’s an interesting sub-genre. Somehow, it’s one that either delivers a masterpiece, or churns out forgettable and daft trite. This weekend, inspired by a trip out on a friend’s boat into the delightful waters of the Japanese Inland Sea, I decided to revisit a film that, for some reason or another, I never got round to finishing the first time round.
Donkey Punch, named after a somewhat violent sexual act, is one of those movies that tried hard to thrive off a single concept and a daft name. Alas, for the most part, it manages to just be yet another “cabin in the woods” style slasher, albeit this time in the somewhat more original setting of a pleasure boat in the middle of the Med.
A cast of annoying and somewhat forgettable characters drive the simplistic story, as a weekend of fun turns sour after the death (through the titled sexy fun) of one of the group. Cue the inevitable claustrophobia and much needed screaming. And a couple of wonderfully fun deaths, including, perhaps more notably than the namesake, a chap getting killed by a flare gun. Good stuff.
Donkey Punch manages to capture the claustrophobia of the boat wonderfully, and also has some genuinely well shot sequences. Unfortunately, with little oomph to the storytelling, this mule falls at the first hurdle, and soon turns into yet another formulaic murder-fest.
One also feels a “don’t try this at home” warning should be issued. Although maybe that’s simply what the movie is…
No comments:
Post a Comment