12/12/12 (2012)
This is a satanic cult-sacrifice-satan spawn type movie that has nothing to distinguish it from similar B-movie fare. However, it does have some GIMP bits that are worth mentioning.
Immediately after the titles run, at a little over 1 minute in, we see a woman naked (except for thong panties) on top of an altar. She is cloth gagged. She has a rope across her throat, across her thighs, and across her ankles, with her hands at her sides. It is very sloppy bondage, and she could easily escape but she does not. She just whimpers and cries and feebly struggles as a robed man pours oil on her body. It could be old motor oil; it is black and viscous. He smears it over her breasts and stomach.
He raises a knife above his head and plunges it into her belly, then twists and jerks it around a little as she twitches, writhes and cries. Sadly, she does not scream like you would imagine she might, nor does blood gush out as you might expect with an abdominal wound. *sigh* Then he pulls it out and holds it above her as blood drips down onto her mangled stomach. The scene last for about a minute and a half. All in all, not a bad sacrifice scene mainly because it lingers as he twists the knife inside her.
There is a credit for "Sacrifice Girl" played by Bonnie Grinberg. The Mr Skin website seems to think this sacrifice girl is Sara Malakul Lane. However, Sara Malakul Lane plays Veronica, the main character, so I think Mr Skin was confused.
There's a birthing scene at the 3:30 minute mark. No nudity, but lots of screaming. Well, I say no nudity but we do get quick close-ups of what I'm sure is supposed to be Veronica's vagina being stretched open from inside as the baby tries unsuccessfully to crown. Honestly, the childbirth scene is filmed like a torture scene, complete with struggling, screaming, writhing, sweating, arching, wild-eyed looks of excruciating agony... you get the idea. It goes on for two and a half minutes before they decide to perform a caesarian.
So then we see Veronica looking frightened and her grotesquely distended belly. She watches trepidatiously as the doctor uses a scalpel to cut her open. She screams because she is fully conscious and maybe they forgot to give her a local anesthesia. The incision is made, then the baby reaches out a blue hand, climbs out, and rips the throat out of the doctor and nurse. It's enough to put you off of childbirth.
At the 35:20 minute mark, in a dream sequence, Veronica's dead husband shows up next to her on the couch, pushes her down, pulls off her pants, rips open her shirt, and although unfortunately she is wearing a bra there is a quick nipple view as he hikes up her leg and rapes her. It is a fast but brutal scene lasting 30 seconds.
At 1 hour, 10:25 minutes, Veronica is tied to a chair and cloth gagged, fully clothed. Her shirt is ripped open to expose her breasts, for no apparent reason, unless the guy just wants to demonstrate his dominance over her and make her feel even more powerless by virtue of being exposed and vulnerable. Which is enough of a reason for me. She is threatened with a knife. The head guy hand gags her, but she bites the hand that gags her. Another guy grabs her from behind and threatens to cut her throat. The head guy threatens to stab her. She slips out of her rope bonds and escapes.
That's it for GIMP. The movie sputters to an inconclusive conclusion. Overall, the movie is predictable and features incredible overacting on nearly everyone's part. The monster effects and other special effects range from ho-hum to pathetic.
SUMMARY: The initial sacrifice scene is decent. It loses points for sloppy bondage and no blood-curdling screaming and/or thrashing at the point of stabbing, but it gains points for a jumpy, erratic edit of the stabbing and aftermath as the guy twists the knife inside the victim's belly. Plus, it is a nice long scene. The rape scene is quick but brutal. Not enough nudity, but plenty of struggling and screaming. The final tied-in-the-chair scene is long but unsatisfactory. The shirt ripping to expose the breasts is a nice touch, but there is no pay-off.
I'll give the GIMP bits a C+. Worth watching, but only for the sacrifice scene and the rape scene. You might want to employ the fast-forward button to move rapidly between those two parts.
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