Director – Matt Jaissle (Anti-Hero, 300 Killers)
Starring – Steve Sheppard (Midnight Movie Madness), Gary Browning (Necro Files 2), and Christian Curmudgeon
Release Date – 1997
Rating – 3/5
I have been on a bit of an S.O.V. kick the last few months after reacquainting myself with the works of Chris Seaver and Warlock Home Video. These films are bad and I mean bad but the fun part is that they are bad on purpose. These films are campy, cliched, and plays with the fact that they have no budget. This has made me want to turn to my S.O.V. flicks that I have in my collection and finally watch the ones that I have not seen yet.
One such film was The Necro Files which in some aspects is not an actual S.O.V. flick but a no budget film none the less. I was sent this film to review by director Matt Jaissle when he sent his more recent horror outing Revolution 666. I just checked outRevolution 666 and decided it was the perfect time to have a Jaissle double feature and tossed inThe Necro Files for a little late night viewing.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows two detectives who are hot on the tail of a serial rapist who just happened to force himself on the sister of one of the detectives. They finally track the sick son of a bitch down and shoot him. Some time passes and a Satanic cult finds a book where they use it to sacrifice a baby in order to raise him from the grave. He is now a sex crazed zombie hellbent on a little piece of ass and guts. Not only does the two detectives have to deal with an undead rapist but the sacrificed baby is now alive and flying around causing mayhem.**Spoiler Alert**
Until recently, I had no idea who Matt Jaissle was yet alone that he was a director. Jaissle has been making films in some capacity for over 20 years. That is a travesty that he has been making films for that long and I am just now discovering him and his work. Better late than never I guess. Anyway, The Necro Files is one of his most popular films and I can see why. This is another film that is raw and rough but still has some entertainment value.
The acting in this one is hard to watch. I have seen so many indie horror films over the years. Some with budgets ranging from a mere $10 to several millions. Regardless of the film’s budget, the film is pointless if the cast does not have the dedication or passion. The cast from The Necro Files shows that they have the dedication but lack experience needed to make their performances believable. Some of the cast has a hard time controlling their volume when interacting with other characters. This became a pain in the ass and made some of the scenes hard to follow. Experience and rehearsing would have went a long way and prevented this.
The story for this one is fucking off the wall. The film has several things going on with none of them being that original. To set itself apart from the other films, the film combines these elements to make a very unique story. We have seen so many films following serial rapists. We have seen countless films with Satanic cults before. But we never see the two combined with a zombie and floating baby tossed in for good measure. I loved how bonkers the story was but I did have a problem with the way it was written. The film has several scenes that was established for character development but resulted in a waste of time.
Finally, the film has several kills but they are nothing that original or worthwhile. We get a disembowelment or two but that is about it. Pretty tame on that front which was a bit of a let down. The practical effects are decent as well but that is about it. Overall, The Necro Files is a pretty solid film for those of you looking for a no budget flick that will go well with The Dead Next Door. The film has no budget and it shows but it is still fun.
