Director: Wes Craven
Starring: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson
Running Time: 98 minutes
Synopsis: After drinking a hallucinatory potion during a misadventure in the Amazon, Dr. Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) is commissioned by a Boston-based pharmaceutical company to investigate a drug being used in Haiti to create zombies. Once in Haiti, Dennis teams up with Dr. Marielle Duchamp (Cathy Tyson). After a spooky graveyard episode and a meeting with potion-maker Louis Mozart (Brent Jennings), Dennis becomes the target of brutal militia leader Peytraud (Zakes Mokae), who uses zombifaction to terrorize regime opponents.
What Works Well: Director Wes Craven finds an outlet for his horror passion in a unique drama (only loosely inspired by actual events) that combines gory dream and fantasy scenes within an occult milieu. The political backdrop features the unraveling of the Duvalier regime, the savagery of ruling thugs extending to torture and worse-than-death drugs. The on-location cinematography (filmed in Haiti and the Dominican Republic) captures the on-the-ground organic chaos of disintegration fueled by mystical practices and beliefs.
What Does Not Work As Well: The attempts to deliver gory shocks within nightmarish sequences unsurprisingly wear thin with repetition. In comparison, the overarching political landscape is shortchanged, particularly given the climactic narrative choices. Bill Pullman struggles to get a grip on Dr. Dennis Alan, who is less of an instigator and more a victim of wild experiences, while the romance with his counterpart Dr. Marielle fails to convince.
Key Quote:
Peytraud: Scream all you want. There is no escape from the grave.
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All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
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