Movie Review: The Furies (2019)

November 2, 2019

Written by DanXIII

Daniel XIII; the result of an arcane ritual involving a King Diamond album, a box of Count Chocula, and a copy of Swank magazine, is a screenwriter, director, producer, actor, artist, and reviewer of fright flicks…Who hates ya baby?

“High school student” Kayla (Airlie Dodds, who is an excellent actress, but she ain’t passing for a teenager no matter what the script says) and her gal-pal Maddie (Ebony Vagulans) find themselves in some diabolically dire straits after they are kidnapped and dumped in a forest where they are to be sport for a gaggle of guys in monster masks. Kayla must team up with the other captives on the island to try and overthrow the masked maniacs and free her friend… preferably with her hide intact.

Look, The Most Dangerous Game adaptations and pastiches are a dime a demonic dozen in the ol’ horror biz, and to that end, The Furies is definitely one of those, but does it do anything to stand (severed) head and shoulder above the pack?

The most obvious thing on display is a feminist take on the material. Writer/director Tony D’Aquino offers up female characters that have to become the strongest of the species to survive the violent onslaughts of their grunting, near-neolithic male adversaries. There’s definitely a lot to be said there, and perhaps D’Aquino could have taken it further, but a balance must be struck between soapboxin’ and entertainin’ and this film finds a sweet, if safe, spot.

Another aspect I dug was that once the action heats up the yakkety-yak is kept to a minimum; this really ramps up the suspense as our heroines are in such a frenzy that only survival becomes essential; in other words the brutality on display speaks louder than words.

Speaking of brutality, The Furies has it in spades, with plenty of the crimson goodness splashed around which always is a delicious delight to us howlin’ horror hounds, as well as some excellent, well placed practical gore effects (the eyeball extraction is a real showstopper).

I could go on and praise the cinematography (which is slick), or the score (which is suitably bombastic when needed), or the twists, but I’d recommend this on the tight tension, shocking violence, and sweet effects goodness.

Bottom line; The Furies isn’t the most original fright flick on the block, but it has plenty of ghoulish goings-on to make a fright fan happy… and that’s all I ask cats n’ creeps!

The Furies recently played the 9th edition of Chattanooga Film Festival‘s Frightening Ass Film Fest and is a Shudder exclusive. 

 

 

 

 

 

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