REVIEW: Pernicious

- By @TheBlueTook

Have you ever been in a foreign country and things have taken a bit of a sinister turn? No, I don’t mean your bowel movements, I’m talking about a misunderstanding with a local (and 10 of his magically materialising mates) who becomes slightly more aggressive than you bargained for perhaps, or getting lost and stranded somewhere and you don’t speak the lingo, or you’ve not had enough money to pay the ‘girl’ for that happy massage? Scary isn’t it. That deep-rooted self-importance suddenly vanishing as you realise you’re only the centre of YOUR shite little universe. Not ideal scenarios for a holiday, but a whopping great one for a horror flick!

With PERNICIOUS, director James Cullen Bressack uses these fears superbly, plonking 3 stunning American girls in Thailand, then slowly taking all the home comforts of Los Angeles away for our vulgar delectation.

Our trio have travelled here as part of a teaching program, but apart from being able to attend a visually magnificent Parent’s Evening a few times a year, I’m not sure I’d want any of these in sole custody of my kid’s education, as they clamber out of a boat dressed more for a night out than a venture into the culturally unknown, then proceed to nick an amulet from a sacred shrine! – even I’M pretty sure that’s not the correct social etiquette for ANY small village. As the girls settle in, exploring their new digs and uncovering the furniture in their house, they pull a bloodied sheet from a mysterious, golden statue of a girl - a Kumari; something not to be trifled with, and the film’s springboard once it comes to life.

Obviously a huge fan of Asian horror, Bressack moves our shiny little friend around in a similar fashion to many a current filmmaker, but thankfully he manages not to overdo it, creating some of the film’s best moments in the process.

For those worried gorelover James has gone all soft on us though, fear not! While there isn’t scenes upon scenes of graphic brutality, actresses Jackie Moore, Emily O’Brien and Ciara Hanna DO get to take part in a Hostel-style torture scene that is up there with the best of them, and so purposely contrasting to the feel of the movie proceeding it that it becomes all the more shocking and morbidly satisfying. Couple this with decent performances from the whole cast – a few blunders towards the finale aside - and we have a decent horror on our hands.

Using its beautiful setting respectfully, like an intriguing, layered character instead of merely a backdrop, PERNICIOUS is imaginative, atmospheric and easy-on-the-eye. Bressack’s finest to date.

@TheBlueTook