Generally speaking, it is fairly easy to compare one film to another, citing examples of similarities. Other than the mere fact that it is a found footage film, I really can’t say that Jack Thomas Smith’s Infliction is like any other horror film I’ve seen before. Sure, we’ve seen Man Bites Dog and Long Pigs, claiming to be the real footage of a serial killer’s every day life or events leading up to a kill, but that is where the similarities end.
Brothers Kenny and John Stiles go on a murder spree and decide to take handheld cameras along for every last second of it. As the events progress, we learn of the killers’ motives and see just why they feel the need to do what they do.
What looked like another average found footage film on paper, actually turned out to be much more. Infliction’s plot has been done before, but the execution is where it manages to differentiate itself. The pacing seems rather sluggish at times, but in the end, it is clear that everything is necessary for the film to work as good as it does. What seems like filler is all very relevant to the big picture. I did lose interest at certain spots, but Smith’s writing was effective enough to reel me back in and have me trying to figure out exactly what was going to happen. I never did figure it out in advance, by the way, giving this film some bonus points.
Roger and I have always stated that we feel the found footage format offers a helping hand to indie filmmakers. The ‘shaky camera’ filming style does wonders to hide bad special effects work or cut away from a kill to save on costs. I must say, however, that the technique works even better when you have really good-looking effects. When Infliction isn’t filling us in on the Stiles brothers’ childhood nightmares, it is serving us a healthy dose of blood and gore. The effects are all practical, as far as I can tell, and they all look fantastic! Smith and company didn’t skimp out on the amount of blood used either. If you love buckets of blood, there are some scenes here that you will really enjoy.
If you love found footage as much as us here at Repulsive Reviews, then you’ll definitely want to check out Infliction. If you have enough patience to sit through some of the slower scenes, you’ll be happy you did because you won’t want to miss the final act of the film. Be sure to pick up a copy of the film on DVD from Virgil Films on July 1.
I give this film 3 f*cked up siblings out of 5.
