Review #86: Venom (2005)

Cast/Notable Credits:
Jim Gillespie (Director): I Know What You Did Last Summer

Agnes Bruckner (Eden): Blood & Chocolate

Laura Ramsey (Rachel): The Ruins (pictured right)

Jonathan Jackson (Eric): Insomnia (2002)

Meagan Good (Cece): One Missed Call

Bijou Phillips (Tammy): Hostel 2 (2007)

Method Man (Deputy Turner): Garden State (2004), Rapper

Trailer:


Plot:

When an aged Creole woman is caught in a car wreck on a bridge in a remote section of Louisiana, Ray, the owner of a nearby gas station and tow truck service, is there at the scene of the accident to help. Also at the scene, are Eden (Agnes Bruckner...a.k.a. The Busty Bayou) and Eric arguing over The Busty Bayou's acceptance into an out of state college. Ray attempts to help the elderly woman and crawls into her car that is halfway hanging over the edge of the bridge.

Unfortunately, Ray doesn't realize that the elderly woman is a voodoo practitioner. And in the laying in the backseat of the car is a case full of magic talismans in the form of poisonous snakes. As the car falls over the side of the bridge, the snakes bite Ray and magical spirits take over Ray as he dies once the car falls off the bridge completely and into the water. Once the evil spirits take over his body, they turn him into a bloodthirsty zombie monster. Or Zombie Ray for short.

The police show up and find the dead body of Ray and ship it to the morgue. At the morgue, Ray comes back to life as a reanimated zombie killing machine, Zombie Ray. One by one the teenagers around the little town are killed by Zombie Ray. Some of the surviving teenagers venture to the dead elderly lady's house, in search of answers. Her granddaughter, CeCe is a friend of the teens, and fills them in on some Voodoo folk lore about how the snakes contained the souls of dead evil people, and now they possess Ray's body.

The house is a very large and very run-down plantation home isolated in the swamps of Louisiana. Zombie Ray happens to follow them there, but finds out that he cannot enter the house because it had been blessed by CeCe's grandmother with some Voodoo protection spell. Eventually Zombie Ray breaks the barrier when he hooks his tow truck up to one of the house's massive support piers and drives away, causing a small section to be yanked free and go flying across the yard, breaching the perimeter. Now The Busty Bayou and friends flee for their lives as Zombie Ray tracks them down.

To say the least, Venom is a typical stereotype for a teen slasher movie. Mix in a little bit of southern Louisiana Voodoo and we get the complete package. By the way, how come all the latest horror movies have been taking place in the swampland of Louisiana? House of Wax, The Reaping, Hatchet, etc., etc. What happened to good ole' fashion camping in the woods stories? Did that storyline dry up? Now it seems that we replaced that setting with a swamp background, and BOOM! A new line of horror movies is born.

The characters in the movie are disposable and it seems like the deaths run together. I can't recall when each teen dies...or for the most part...who they even were. It's all just a big blur to me. He dies, and then she dies, and then he dies. And I don't give a rats ass about any of them. The only death I really remember is the chick who gets her face sand blasted off. The rest of deaths is just like cannon fodder. Pure numbers (in deaths and hot chicks) to make the film better and a little eye candy in Bijou Phillips (pictured right).

And speaking of thin characters, what's up with Sean? Supposedly he is Ray's illegitimate son, and the film makes a big deal about this. They build up the storyline of Sean being this "angry, pissed off at my dead beat father" character only to dispose of him like he's just another teen. Huh? Why go through all the trouble of that background if Zombie Dad kills pissed off teen son in no significant way or plot line. Sounds like a lot of build up and no follow through to me.

And...For the love of God Agnes Bruckner, make a decent horror movie! This one sucks, and Blood & Chocolate wasn't much better. To be fair, this one is better. At least in my eyes and on my eyes. Venom has somewhat found a little spot in my heart. Don't ask me how or why, but it has. I realize that the film itself sucks, but I find enjoyment watching it. Maybe I'm just fascinated at looking at The Busty Bayou's chest, hoping for the twins to fall out (pictured left). No matter how many times I watch it, the same result happens. Nothing. Nodda. But yet I'm drawn to thinking it, therefore keep watching the film.

Overall, Venom is a typical teen slasher movie. It's nothing special, but for some reason I'm drawn to it like a moth to a flame. I know it sucks, but I find myself keep going back to watch it. It sucks me back in! I recommend watching it...only it you want to experience the addiction. If you get past the addiction, then you're in okay shape. For me, I'm just helplessly lost in it's vacuum of suckiness. For your viewing enjoyment (and mine) here's one last look at the The Busty Bayou...Agnes Bruckner (Pictured Below).

Misc. Movie Trivia:
-Film was released limited on September 16, 2005 and then straight to DVD on January 17, 2006
-Originally entitled "Backwater"
-Based on a computer game
-Zombie Ray's name in the video game is Mr. Jangles because his belt key ring is always jingling