by Karl Madsen, ComicsOnline.com
Some scars never heal.
“This is how the game works”
“It’s not a game”
“If you don’t want me to cut you, just say, kill her”
Cries, screams, blood, and scalpels.
“Let me kill Joan”
“No”
Pours alcohol on cuts.
“Can I kill her?”
No”
“This can keep going for a very long time”
Enter staple gun.
“Look at your thighs. You can make this end; just tell me to kill Joan””
No”
Enter scalpel, exit tongue.
“Say the words and let me put her out of her misery”
“No”
“OK then, an eye for an eye, and a tongue for a tongue”
“Screams.
“OK”
“OK what?”
“Do it”
“Do what?”
“Kill her”
“You’re getting the hang of the game. You tell me to keep on killing, and you get to keep on living”
Thus is the basic premise of the torture porn flick, Scar 3-D. Survivor of a sadistic attack by a demented mortician, Joan Burrows (Angela Bettis – May), is returning home to visit her police officer brother Jeff (Christopher Titus – Titus), and niece Olympia (Kirby Bliss Blanton – Hannah Montana) for Olympia’s high school graduation. Almost as soon as Joan is back, two of the graduating class disappears mysteriously. As the mutilated body of one appears, another student disappears. Much like when Joan was being held by Bishop (Ben Cotton – Slither). What follows is a series of found bodies and disappearing students. Among the new characters around town is the new mortuary director Melvin Gray (Bill Baksa – Tucker & Dale vs. Evil), Olympia’s friend Paul (Devon Grave – Dexter), and Paul’s father (James D. Hopkin – Fear Itself).
Part of the film is told through flashbacks of Joan’s capture with her friend Susie while partying in the cemetery, ensuing torture at the hand of Bishop, and her eventual escape and killing of her tormentor. The flashbacks are spaced nicely to coincide with events in the current storyline. But it’s not enough to save this film from mediocrity. While the movie has good, disturbing scenes and story, it never lives up to its full potential.
Special Features:
Scar 3-D come in both a 2-D and 3-D version with two pairs of 3-D classes
Theatrical Trailer
16:9 Widescreen
5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound – English 2.0 Stereo
Karl Grade:
Acting – B
Setting – A-
Special Effects – B+
Creep Factor – A
Tension – C-
What The Heck Moments – Disturbing themes, mediocre otherwise.
Overall – C-
Scar 3-Dis one of those films that has a tremendous amount of potential, but comes up lacking at the end of the day. The concept of your torture, and even death, being in the hands of your tortured friend, whose own well being is controlled by your ability to withstand punishment is disturbing and terrifying. To have your life at the hands of someone whose life is in your tortured hands is scarier than being in the hands of a psychopath. But they took this concept and buried it in mediocrity, and the obvious of plot gimmicks.
Surrounded by a young up-and-coming cast, Angela Bettis turns in a believable performance as the soul, tortured by the death of her friend, and Christopher Titus, known for his comedic roles, is excellent as the father and brother who must hold the remaining family together. The acting, coupled with the flashback scenes, make this movie worth watching, just not getting excited for.
ComicsOnline gives Scar 3-D 2 ½ emotional scars out of 5.
Pick up your copy of Scar 3-D on DVDand Blu-rayat Amazon.com
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