Poor Samantha (Samantha Acampora); her parents are recently deadsville, and she’s been whisked away (by means of one creepy chauffeur) to her aunt’s opulent bordello… a deviant domicile where every dark sexual desire is satisfied among the all-male clientele… for a price.
As fate would have it, folks start pulling the ol’ vanishing act left and right, and Sam gets on the case with the quickness… and before long the deep, dark secrets that are harbored within the wicked walls of that house of ill repute come tumblin’ into the light!
Independent horror maestro Richard Griffin (aided and abetted by frequent co-writer Lenny Schwartz) really cranks up the Euro-horror vibe in his newest release, and man-oh-fuckin’-man is Before the Night is Over a fright flick that lovers of Franco (Jess that is) will doubtless eat up with revoltin’ relish!
We get a freaky flurry of rich crimsons, jade greens, and chiaroscuro shadows (not to mention plenty of shots you’d swear were from a ’70s supernatural shocker) that color a yarn that puts a nice gender-swapped twist on the whole Gothic thriller genre… I mean haunted bordellos are a thing unto themselves, but here the sex workers are male rather than the normal overly-sexualized females we usually get, and that sets a unique tone all it’s own… but the tropes are adhered to in regards to our heroine; a waif-ish woman stuck in an ancient, resplendent, home full of dark secrets… which ads up to a fine time in the ol’ horror biz indeed!
Up to the visuals, is the acting on display… everyone here gives their all to make this terror tale come to vivid life, and the cast adds a ton of heart to the affair… heart that matches Griffin’s own sincerity with his love of the Gothic and Euro-cinema (there’s those words again) in equal measure.
Always one to draw inspiration from Euro-horror, Griffin has perfected the art with Before the Night is Over; it’s a tawdry tale of ghoulish gothicness and it’s sure to satisfy lovers of the aforementioned Franco and Rollin!
