Director – Soren Juul Ptersen
Starring – Anne Bergfeld (The Artwork, The Last Warrior), Karin Michelsen (Jeg er David, Gennembrud), and Damon Younger (The Valhalla Murders, Outlanders)
Release Date – 2018
Rating – 2.5/5
MVD has supported Horror Society for sometime now. Hell, they were the first company to really give me a shot when I first started writing reviews. I’ll never forget how nice they have been with me for almost a decade now. Over the years they have sent me some seriously amazing releases along with a few that wasn’t really for me.
Sometime back MVD hooked me up with a package with a dozen or films to review. Most were movies I had requested but MVD had tossed a few additional films to review. Among those were The Ringmaster. This 2018 Danish horror flick was originally titled Finale but the title was changed with Jinga and MVD released in the the U.S. I want to thank MVD for sending this one over to check out!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows two gas station clerks working the night shift when two strange men come in recording them. They creep the pair out and they ask them to leave. Later, they feel as if someone is pranking them before they discover one of their boyfriends injured and left to die of his wounds. Soon they finds themselves abducted and tortured for the sake of entertainment. **Spoiler Alert**
I was looking forward to this one especially seeing the quote on the cover comparing it to Hostel and The Purge. However, that was not the film I have here before me. I really wish that was the movie but the movie here is nothing like either of those films. The movie had an interesting idea but the finished product wasn’t entertaining.
The acting in this one is very well done. The cast is absolutely fantastic with the two female leads doing a fantastic job carrying the film. They were likable and grounded but nothing forgettable. With that being said, Damon Younger does a fantastic job but I couldn’t stop noticing how much his character and performance reminded a lot of the character Malcolm McDowell brings to life in Rob Zombie’s 31. He does an amazing job but the mannerisms and tone is almost spot on.
The story for this one is editing in a way that is unique but it does put the story out of order which interrupts the flow of the film. The premise is basically two girls from a gas station get kidnapped and tortured on camera for views. This is pretty much a darkweb spin on Zombie’s 31 which, when mixed with Younger’s character, makes it feel like a Wish mockbuster. The flow of this watered down story is all over the place due to the editing sync.
Finally, the film has some impressive practical and make-up effects that made the film tolerable. There is some very bloody scenes that look great due to the effects. Overall, The Ringmaster felt like a Danish 31 with a patchwork story and no pacing. The bloody scenes were fun enough but the rest of the film was a struggle to finish. This is one I would skip unless you are in the mood for blood with no substance.
