‘Hell awaits the foolish’
Necromentia is a 2009 American horror film that explores the use of a tattooed Ouija Board through the lives and perspectives of four people.
Directed by Singaporean Pearry Reginald Teo (The Assent; Ghosthunters, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty; Dracula: The Dark Prince; Witchville) and co-written with Stephanie Joyce.
Plot:
Travis cares for his mentally disabled younger brother and works as a torturer for hire. He is also addicted to heroin; it is ketamine, however, that catapults him into the realm of a black-eyed demon called Morbius.
Morbius informs Travis that his brother has been taken by another demonic troublemaker called Mister Skinny. Mister Skinny appears as a diaper-wearing fat caucasian butcher in a pig mask who first entices the boy to eviscerate his slumbering babysitter. If Travis helps Morbius exact vengeance then Morbius will allegedly help Travis find his dead brother.
Morbius instructs Travis to find Hagen and extract an agreement to use him as a gateway to Hell. Travis does this by assuring the desperate Hagen that the process will allow Hagen to enter the next realm and possibly retrieve the soul of his decomposing lover.
Travis proceeds to carve demonic symbols into Hagen’s back and sends him straight into Hell, where he is gruesomely mutilated by a monstrous eyeless beast before ever setting out in search of his lover. Travis follows in search of his own brother and is disabled and dragged into the darkness by the hideous beast…
Reviews:
“Why does the quality of acting differ so drastically from scene to scene? Why was the monumental continuity error in the shaving scene not spotted and fixed in post-production (watch out for that one, it’s like the editor was wasted)? And why does Morbius look like an ashen Michael Douglas?
However, these questions become largely irrelevant because while Necromentia is certainly not a good film, it is definitely worth watching…” Love Horror
“I particularly liked the very Clive Barker-esque scenes where Santiago Craig is given an occult tattoo that opens up a doorway to Hell, only to later find this is an elaborate trap. Alas, Necromentia comes with so many other tangential ideas and things going on that the interesting parts get lost. The Barker-esque venture into Hell disappointingly comes down to being a low-budget vision of the afterworld that appears to consist of no more than a single section of industrial basement.” Moria
“I’ll start with the bad. Some thunder effects in the background, corny. A small portion of the music, cliche. A tired overuse of the gas mask and some shaky camera music video moments. The good? The monster design, done by Pearry himself. The story and dialogue? Much better than his last output. And then there’s fantastic production design with props from a funhouse of madness procured in someone’s sick dreams, all seen through the sheen of German expressionism.” Quiet Earth
“Gorehounds and fans of the Hellraiser films will get a nice kick out of Necromentia, especially with some blatant nods to the Cenobites, as there are plenty of organs being spilled, blades sliding into flesh, fingers getting chopped off and loads of people traveling to a demented afterlife filled with nothing but pain. Just don’t expect the acting or story to be stellar and you’ll enjoy it.” Shock Till You Drop
“Not since the first Hellraiser has there been a film that captures the likes of Barker on screen this well. And let’s be honest, Hellraiser is starting to show its age. With a bigger budget (or with a little more genius) Necromentia could’ve been a true horror masterpiece, now it lacks that tiny bit of fine-tuning to make it rise as one of the best horror flicks ever.” Twitch
“The structure is all back-story, not allowing any momentum since the movie is always going backwards, the torture and various other elements seem thrown together without a point, and it’s not gory or strong enough like Hellraiser, especially since it feels uninspired as well as incohesive. The one inspired bizarre moment is the pig-demon-creature that sings a kiddie sing-along suicide sound, and it does have some unrealized potential.” The Worldwide Celluloid Massacre
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Free to watch online on YouTube
