I started digging into my massive physical media pile and wanted to start hitting some lesser known movies that really need to be seen (in my opinion). The Special was directed by B. Harrison Smith, the man that created one of the worst horror movies in recent history, Death House, but you should not hold this against him. The Special is head and shoulders above Death House.
The story is simple but severely messed up. The Special introduces us to Jerry who is bored with his wife and bored with his job, but he confides to his friend Mike that he thinks his wife (Lisa) has cheated on him. Mike suggests that Jerry cheat in retaliation. Mike talks Jerry into going to get a special from this brothel that Mike frequents when he gets frisky. Jerry agrees and they head to the brothel. Once there, they meet Madame Zhora who runs the house. They look over the girls and Jerry starts having second thoughts, so Mike suggests to Madame Zhora that Jerry should get “The Special.” Jerry is taken to a darkened bedroom upstairs and is locked in a room. He sees a box on the table with a hole in the front of it that says “stick it in here.” Spoiler alert, he does stick it in there and has the most mind shattering orgasm he has every had. After recovering while his friend Mike drives him home, Mike tells Jerry that once is enough. For Jerry, it is just the beginning of an addiction that makes him do some extremely gnarly stuff to get his fix. They say addiction begins with the hope that something “out there” can instantly fill up the emptiness inside. And after watching The Special, you will find this quote has two meanings. *wink wink*
The film up until now is a weird, sexy ride, but once we find out what is inside the box (not really explained and that is okay), the movie takes a hard right turn into pure horror for the last half; It’s like a roller coaster without brakes. While not perfect, it is pretty damn close.
The script is unique, the acting is decent, and the lengths that Jerry goes to feed his addiction really make you feels dirty for having watched it all. Jerry is played by Davy Raphaely and the whole movie really pivots on him being believable, and he sells it. Davy hasn’t really been in anything big, but he should be because he did an amazing job in this sick little horror flick.
The Special is really special and deserves more attention than it got when it came out in 2020. It is currently available on Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Vudu.
GRADE: A-
