Halloween night, 85 years after a terrible tragedy, a party is hosted in the allegedly haunted Broussard Mansion. The party is busted, but a few friends remain, discovering bodies in the basement. Things only get worse from there.
The film really knows how to catch your attention, as it starts with an intense, creepy, sepia flashback with silent movie titles. The ADHD style would be annoying had it continued throughout the film, but made a fine way to suck in the audience.
There is a rocking soundtrack featuring Type O Negative, and sexy women galore (both the lead actresses and a notable strip club scene). There's a demonic sex scene that is brief but memorable. Let's just say demons like it rough.
Writer-director Adam Gierasch made sure not to step on the original, working more in the spirit than doing a direct remake. As he explained to me, the original wasn't as good as people recall, and if they prefer it, they are still able to rent it. (And actually, doing a remake probably brought more attention to the original than it's seen in years.) The film is great by remake standards, probably outdoing the first, in my opinion, while still making references to the original (like the lipstick scene).
The film is packed with genre and cult favorites: Tiffany Shepis, Edward Furlong ("Brainscan"), Linnea Quigley (who appeared in the original) and more. Modern horror fans should eat this right up.
I felt that this movie was filmed very much in the style of Adam Green's "Hatchet", which I mean in the nicest way possible. Coincidentally, both take place in New Orleans. Green is considered by some to be the current big name in horror, but I think Gierasch could be giving hi ma run for his money... I cannot wait to see his next project.
