Starring: Isaac Williams, Natalie Jean, Victoria DePaul, Kacie Marie, Tim Cronin, Julia Campbell, and J.D. Brown
Directed by: Adam Ahlbrandt
Written by: Adam Ahlbrandt
Rated: Unrated (for language, drug use, extreme sexual situations/nudity, extreme graphic violence)
A lot of horror director’s these days describe their films as a throwback to the 80’s style slasher/monster/alien whatever type of film, and very few are successful at recreating that vibe. With director Adam Ahlbrandt’s film Cross Bearer, he has managed to infuse that 80’s style with utterly brutal gore and ultra-sleaze. This is the second film I’ve seen from the
up and coming Ahlbrandt, the first was The Cemetery (review here), which I loved and I have to say this guy has a future so bright that I’ll go out on a limb and say is one of the top ten independent filmmakers working today.
In Cross Bearer we are introduced to Heather (Natalie Jean-The Cemetery), a stripper down on her luck and looking to get herself out of the hole she’s in. Her roommate and girlfriend Victoria (Victoria DePaul-Death Rattle) is a coke hound with a kid who’s dragging her down into the depths of despair. Heather’s scumbag boss Harry, played by J.D. Brown (The Cemetery) not only runs a seedy strip club, but is a drug dealer on the side. Harry has a job for Heather running drugs for him to a client in an abandoned warehouse. Heather sees this as an opportunity to make a big score and along with her lover, Bunny (Kacie Marie-Alpha Girls), plan to rip Harry off and steal away to the Greek islands and turn her life around.
When Heather and some of her friends from the club arrive at the abandoned warehouse to deliver the drugs, they soon discover this night is not what any of them bargained for and become trapped by a religious zealot who calls himself the Cross Bearer, played by Isaac Williams (The Mind), on an unwavering quest to sanitize the world of sinners. Armed with a carpenter’s hammer, and wearing a cloth sack tied around his head reminiscent of Jason in Friday the 13th part 2, the Cross Bearer sets out to purify the sinners one-by-one with extremely gruesome results using his hammer of God.
Cross Bearer is in no way a “nice” film. Everything about it is dark, gritty, and unrelenting. This film will not appeal to the mainstream horror market; I feel it will make its mark with the more extreme horror audiences. The kills are extremely graphic in nature and the in-your-face gruesomeness will surely turn off those with weak stomachs. The characters in the film are morally detestable and aside from Heather, who isn’t a saint either, there is no one to root for, which is fine, especially when we see them getting their heads bashed in with the claw of the Cross Bearer’s hammer. Even the film’s environments are sleazy; they make you want to wear rubber gloves just by watching. One would think these would all detract from the value of the film, but actually, these qualities make the film as good as it is. It’s because of the stark realism of the locations and settings that make Cross Bearer as dark and grisly as it needs to be.
For example, the strip club where Heather works at is not a glitzy, clean gentleman’s club full of Playboy Playmate strippers; they’re regular sized women, tattooed all over, that you would find in a real Philadelphia strip club. The warehouse the Cross Bearer inhabits is effectively dark, scary, raw, and really adds to the production value.
The acting is relatively average, aside from Natalie Jean who does a good job. Some of the actors seem wooden in their line delivery, like they’re trying too hard, but no one detracts from the film. I particularly liked a scene inside a car where Heather and her friends are bantering about why tits make a scene in a film more interesting.
Ahlbrandt’s direction is way above average for a film of this budget. Pacing is great, with the cinematography showcasing some great shots. The music is effectively appropriate for most of the scenes.
As I said before, the makeup effects in this film are extremely violent and very well done. Special effects artist Doug Sakmann does a bang up job (pardon the pun) with the bloody effects.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cross Bearer for what it is, an extremely dark slasher film, full of grit and grime, boobs, blood, and doesn’t claim to have a nice Hollywood ending. The killer isn’t original, but doesn’t need to be here, his presence is enough to make it work. This isn’t a feel good film for the Disney crowd, it’s a retro/modern horror film designed to make you want to wash your hands after you see it, and that’s what makes Adam Ahlbrandt’s Cross Bearer work so well, highly recommended.
Watch the NSFW trailer here,
Check out the Grind House teaser trailer for Cross Bearer,
Be sure to “Like” Cross Bearer’s Facebook page
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