Lucas (Harley Wallen, who also directed the flick) and his wife Sarah (Kaiti Wallen… who just so happens to be the aforementioned Harley’s real-life spouse in a page seemingly torn from the ol’ Robert Zombie playbook) have their hands full with their gothy gal Cassie (Angelina Danielle Cama); a wild-child that needs a lil’ course correction.
To that end, the caring couple shove Cassie right the fuck out the door and off to a secluded retreat deep in the middle of the heart of ‘Nowhere U.S. of mutha-fuckin’ A.’… but she doesn’t stay put for long, and soon finds her ass at the local watering hole where she befriends Anna (Jamie Bernadette) and Tucker (Mason Heidger).
So what does that gang of goofs get up to, you may or may not ask?
Why, exploring the ye olde (un)friendly neighborhood haunted house, of course! Only problem is, the house is lacking in arcane apparitions…but it more than makes up for that by being the site of May (Erika Hoveland) and her beastly brother Clete’s (Jimmy Doom) snuff film studio… and they are none-too-pleased at being discovered!
Wallen, working from a screenplay by Bret Miller, delivers a solid fright flick with Ash and Bone; it deals with plenty of dark, psychological terror, it’s suspense ramps nicely, and the cast is rather good indeed.
Adding to the positives are the stylish cinematography and slick editing (both courtesy of Alex Gasparetto) on display, a suitably moody score from composer Simone Cilio, and a great cameo from Mel Novak (Game Of Death, A Force Of One) as the proprietor of the bar mentioned up yonder.
On the downside, for a putrid picture that deals with such unsavory elements as torture, murder, and of course my personal least fav thematic element; rape, Ash and Bone plays things ultra-safe with most of the on screen carnage. This undercuts the impact of the grizzly goings-on a hair (or two),and will most-likely not tickle the poison pickle of fans of such material that usually takes a warm sponge-bath in the tepid waters of explosive gore and exploitation.
That being said, Wallen and company deliver a fun and suitably nasty (in themes if not in shown content) fright flick with Ash and Bone, and the film manages to keep the tension and surprises coming in equal measure!
