In 1997, writer Kevin Williamson, fresh off of the success of Scream, and director Jim Gillespie came together and brought us I Know What You Did Last Summer. Hailed by many as “Oh my gawd! The scariest movie I have ever seen!†IKWYDLS was given a warm reception by trendy teenagers and casual moviegoers, who don’t look too deeply into the horror genre, While the mainstream audience celebrated the film, us diehard horror fans knew exactly what the film really was, a rehashing of your standard 1980s slasher flick, complete with stupid, horny teenagers, a gimmicky killer and telegraphed jump scares. Anyways, whether we panned it or not, it made a lot of money and, along with the much more original Scream, helped resuscitate this corny subdivision of the horror genre. Using these credentials as a marketing method, Williamson (this time as the producer) and Gillespie have returned with Venom, a film that has the same narrative formula and character templates as IKWYDLS only it has a twist of Louisiana voodoo.
The film begins with the introduction of our group of horny and soon to be slaughtered teenagers. Keep in mind that only about three or four of them are key to the plot, the rest are just gratuitous filler who are only there to demonstrate how vicious and bloodthirsty our killer is. Two of these dumb kids, Eden and Eric (Agnes Bruckner and Jonathon Jackson) are having a lovers quarrel and decide to mend their issues in the middle of the road, causing a fatal accident between an oncoming car driven by the local voodoo witch and Ray (Rick Cramer), the resident tow-truck driving hardcore redneck. The woman’s car contains a suitcase of evil snakes that Ray succumbs to. The evil venom races through his veins and we have ourselves a walking undead killer, spooky looking tow-truck included. Hence, the teenagers are fu#$ed!
Filled with bad acting and a barrelful of clichés, Venom is a paint-by-numbers slasher film that has about as much originality and creativity as a spoon. The film also has numerous unfilled plot holes. We don’t know exactly why Ray goes on a killing spree. There is a small explanation behind it but we are still left rather clueless. Apparently, one of the teenagers is Ray’s illegitimate son and even though it is heavily mentioned throughout the film, it ends up having little to no importance to the key premise. One of the few positive things about Venom is that Gillespie wastes no time when it comes to the killing. After all the characters are introduced and the plot turner is executed, its go time! The death scenes are gruesome and bloody but if it weren’t, it wouldn’t be a hack-and-slash film! The score, composed by veteran John Debney, reminds me very much of Friday the 13th, and albeit unoriginal,that isn\'t a bad thing. A good example of \"if it ain\'t broke, don\'t fix it!\" Also, while he reminds me very much of an unmasked Jason Voorhees (only difference is that he can run and leap), Ray is a quite the badass. I definitely find him much more menacing than Gillespie and Williamson’s previous villain, that dopey slicker-sporting fishhook killer from IKWYDLS.
The DVD extras are pretty basic. “Voodoo Nightmare: The Making of Venom†is a brief featurette where the cast and crew desperately try to convince us that, because of the silly angle, the film is unique and one of a kind (apparently these twits have never seen or want us to forget The Serpent and The Rainbow and Angel Heart). There is also a Storyboard to Film Comparison featurette and audition footage of the cast, giving the disc about an extra half hour of viewing value before you decide to return it to the video store or trade it in to a used DVD retailer for lunch money.
In closing, Venom is not exactly a terrible film; in fact there were a few moments that were entertaining. Its just that this has all been done before. Its worth a rental at most, teenagers and fans of Gillespie and Williamson’s work may appreciate it. On the other hand, those who take their horror seriously might want to pass on this.
"Venom" opens September 16, 2005 and is rated R. Horror. Directed by Jim Gillespie. Written by Flint Dille and John Zuur Platten. Starring Meagan Good, Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson, Laura Ramsay, DJ Cotrona, Rick Cramer, Method Man.
