Jug Face (2013)
Starring: Sean Bridgers, Lauren Ashley Carter, Larry Fessenden
Writer and Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle
Synopsis:
A backwoods community worships a
mysterious pit that contains an entity inside, which requires a
sacrifice to keep the them safe. The face of whomever is being
sacrificed is crafted onto a ceramic jug. When a teenage girl
discovers she is the next to be taken, she hides the jug out of fear
and unspeakable horrors are unleashed upon the community.
Review:
No, I did not make that up. I gotta
give props to writer/director Chad Crawford Kinkle and the rest of the crew, because Jug Face
is one of the most refreshing horror films I've seen this year. I've
always appreciated the backwoods sub-genre, even if a lot the films
within said sub-genre are relatively the same. This one felt a little
different, though. The community we meet in Jug Face kind of reminded
me of the woods-folk from Pumpkinhead, but stepped up a bit, since
they live in trailers rather than shacks. They have more conventional
items. This doesn't make them any more civilized, however. They're
dirty and set in older ways.
Have you ever been on a long drive out
of state and on the highway find yourself surrounded by nothing but
mountains or massive hills? I have. The drive from Florida to
Kentucky provides plenty of that. Every once in a while, you'll see a
mountain with one lone dirt road that starts from the bottom and
zigzags all the way up and over. I've always imagined what kind of
folk live on the other side of those mountains. I've wondered what
they do, how they live and whatnot. I always end up concluding that
it's probably people like the ones in Jug Face (who are creepy enough before the horror aspect even takes place) and if I ever went to investigate, I'd never be heard from again. That may be a horrible misconception, but I cannot help myself.
The film has a great look to it, and
the cinematography really puts you into the locale. But the best
visual aspects of Jug Face are from when Ada, the teen girl, starts
seeing visions of impending horror. It's a big mash-up of overlapped
sequences being thrown at you with a swiftness. Flashes of her in
different situations, flashes of grue, etc... It takes a little time
to understand what's going on, but the payoff is quite rewarding.
Lauren Ashley Carter straight up kills
in her role as Ada, a frightened teen not wanting to commit to the
community's insane tradition of sacrifice. There's some other more
personal demons the character keeps hidden, as well. Sean Bridgers
plays Dawai, the community local who creates the jugs that determine a person's fate. Dawai is timid and somewhat looked down upon, and
Bridgers pulls the character off really well. Larry Fessenden and
Sean Young play Sustin and Loriss, Ada's parents. Both are off the
deep end, but it's Loriss who is scariest out of the two. Fessenden and
Young chew their roles up big time, though. It's hard to say who's
doing the better job, because as a collective they're just really on
point.
FX man Robert Kurtzman handles the
bloodletting of Jug Face. Honestly, the actual kills aren't really
showing you a whole lot; it's the aftermath of them that's intense. Lots of gore strewn about and whatnot, but I'll leave it at
that.
The score is perfect for what's at
hand. The opening theme is eerie and somber with a southern vibe.
There's also a bluegrass-like jam session in the movie. It all fits
with the setting of the film.
Final Word:
I didn't know what to really expect
from Jug Face but at the end I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely
not your “Hi, we're backwoods cannibals and we're gonna eat you”
type flick, and nobody is forced to squeal like a pig. But there is
plenty of other unspeakable madness going on. Recommended.
Blu-ray:
Jug Face is presented in 1080p with a Widescreen Aspect Ratio of 2.35, audio presented in 5.1 surround.
Special Features
The Story of Jug Face - a documentary on the production of the film and how the idea came to be.
Organ Grinder Short Film
Trailer
Available Tuesday October 15th, 2013, from Modern Distributors.
Blu-ray available HERE
DVD available HERE
Instant Video available HERE
- Eric (Brobocop)
