Cadaverella
Directed by Timothy Friend
Brain Damage Films

Cadaverella is a gem of a low budget horror film. It isn't a film without its problems, but in this case the good definitely outweighs the bad. In all honesty, plot wise the movie is damn near perfect; the shortcomings mainly come from a few poor editing choices and a dream sequence that really misses the mark. But like I previously mentioned, there is a lot of good qualities to be found within Cadaverella.

The story as you probably could have imagined is an updated and horrific take on Cinderella. The plot revolves around Cinder, whose mother died when she was young resulting in her dad returning home from a business trip with a new stepmother and two very odd step sisters. Soon after the father drops dead and only leaves the stepmother with a small allowance, instead putting all of his money into a trust fund for Cinder when she turns 21. The stepmother loses everything and the story moves to a few days before Cinder's 21st birthday. What follows is betrayal, lust, and some awesome humorous horror gags.

The acting really took my by surprise. Not only is the lead actress exceptional, the rest of the cast is right up there with her. I was surprised to see that actors were playing multiple characters and I didnt even notice. Its amazing what a wig and glasses can do.

I also like the fact that the woman in the movie look like every day woman. They aren't stick thin with fake breast and bleached blonde hair. The nudity isn't frequent, but the body types on display are much more realistic. Not every woman out there looks like a porn star so it's nice to see a movie not use the stereotypical type in the film.

Acting is usually where movies like this fall short, but this film has a few other problems albeit minor ones. For one, the dream sequence and hallucination sequences just dont work. It's a shame too because this is an awesome looking film with a pristine widescreen transfer and very professional lighting. There's also one really hokey dissolve in between scenes that gives the film an amateur feel during that sequence. It may be low budget, but it does look good and even with a few blemishes it still has far fewer problems than most films of this nature.

The gore isn't plentiful but it is of surprising viciousness. There are literally limbs being ripped from bodies and faces crushed to bloody goo during the climax. It all looks well done as well. There is one big letdown gore-wise though. The final betrayer to meet their grisly end is not nearly as gory as it should be; especially considering the carnage that precedes it.

Cadaverella is exactly what a micro budget horror film should be. The acting is above average and a campy atmosphere makes the film fun for all horror fans. The ending doesn't seem very cut and dry so heres hoping that one day we might see Cadaverella 2.

Order Cadaverella here!