Director – Don Capria (Anecdota, Buckout Road)
Starring – Louis Lombardi (Ed Wood, Natural Born Killers), Lucy Hart (Pleasure, Transfixed), and Danielle Kotch (Sinister, Patient Seven)
Release Date – 2024
Rating – 3/5
I’m getting a bit disappointed as my October horror binge comes down to it’s last week. I love October, not only because it’s my birth month, but because I get to spend the entire month binging as many horror movies as I can in preparation for the greatest holiday there is.
As it rapidly approaches I was contacted by a good friend of Horror Society to review a new horror flick that is getting a release sometime around Halloween. I didn’t have a lot of time left to get to it so I moved it to the top of my watch pile. I want to thank Ted for sending Director’s Cut this way!
**Spoiler alert** The film follows a struggling band that has not been able to move on from the death of a close friend when they receive a message from a “director” asking to shoot a music video for them. They agree and meet him and his assistant at an old mansion that has been abandoned for some time. What starts out as an awkward and confusing film shoot soon turns deadly when the band is picked off one by one and the truth behind gathering them there is revealed. **Spoiler Alert**
I knew very little about this one going into it but the synopsis made me think it was going to be like SRS Cinema’s Lights, Camera, Blood. However, after actually getting into the film I can see that the story is nothing like I was expecting.
The acting in this one is solid for the most part. While the film’s focus is the band, Louis Lombardi absolutely steals the show as the “director.” His assistant, portrayed by adult film star Lucy Hart, could easily have her own horror franchise with her as the killer. Her screen presence is is domineering and I could seriously see her taking the mantle of killer in an LGBTQ+ film. As for the band, the cast does a great job with the characters. They all have unique personalities and fit the band motif perfectly. However, the characters are not likable. In fact, during the entire film I was excited to watch them die. That doesn’t mean the cast did a horrible job, because they didn’t. I can only assume they were written to be unlikable and the cast knocked it out of the park.
The story for this one is a bit of a slow burn at first but finally reaches it’s boiling point around the 40 or 50 minute mark. During the slow build up we are given a lot of character backstory, development, and can see the actual story taking shape. It’s not a waste of time but those that are impatient may be quick to pass judgement before letting the film play out. With that being said, I loved the idea of having the location written into the story, the grim back story of the band and how that comes full circle, and the mystery behind the director comes together to give the viewer something pretty enjoyable. While I do find metal/rock influenced stories to be a bit goofy, this one was done very well and didn’t come across as trying too hard.
Finally, the film has a body count with a lot of blood. We get some great make-up effects and a ton of blood but those looking for great gore and memorable deaths will be very disappointed. While it is very clear that a lot of time went into the story, the effects and deaths were the last thing considered. Overall, Director’s Cut doesn’t really reach the top of any lists for the year but it is still a fun genre film to check out especially if you are looking for something to see during this spooky season. Check it out.
