10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Independent Minded Horror, January 3, 2007
The 8th Plague is a buckets-of-blood, no-holds-barred zombie fest. With first-rate acting from Leslie Valenza, a moody atmosphere, excellent editing, and stunning visuals, the movie delivers on the promise of its chilling opening moments. Horror fans will not be disappointed.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
ample gore, but needs a little tighter story..., March 21, 2011
There are some issues with The 8th Plague (2006), but the film does deliver some gruesome and shocking gore scenes that should satisfy horror fans with a taste for blood. As evidenced here, and in his subsequent film Carver (2008), writer/director Franklin Guerrero Jr. has a flair for shooting horror. Budgetary constraints are probably also a factor, but the 8th Plague suffers from not having a better written screenplay that ties events together more smoothly. While the story still works, some rough edges keep it from being a much better film.
After her sister Nikki (Laura Chaves) turns up missing while on a camping trip, Launa Romero (Leslie Anne Valenza) gets her friend Crystal (Hollis McLachlan) and her boyfriend Gavin (Jonathan Rockett) to head up to Halcyon Ridge to search for her. When they inform the local sheriff Jack Stiver (Paul Bugelski) that Nikki may have been exploring an abandoned prison, he assigns Buck (Terry Jernigan) a deputy to take the group up there to take a look around. On the way, they pick up Mason (D.J. Perry) a former guard at the facility, and Curtis (Charles Edwin Powell) a drunk, who has a crazy story to tell about evil writings on the walls of the prison that takes people's souls.
The prison should have a road leading to it, but does not. Instead the group has to walk through some woods to get there. Entering the grounds, the group of five splits up, and in turn the evil present in the prison is unleashed. Separating the group allows for different things to happen, and for thinning the heard. The evil takes effect when a person reads the particular writing on the walls, which turns them into a red-eyed zombie-like killer. The kills get messy when tools like an axe and a drill are employed, and the gore cranks up to a whole new level, when one character cuts out their own eyes.
The gore scenes are mostly well done with some really eerie imagery, and also some unnerving scenes related to the blind survivor. Guerrero has a solid basic story, and he makes pretty good use of the prison location, however the action is spread out a bit, and some of the transitions between scenes don't quite fit. Also the plot flow is disrupted at various times by nonsensical plot quirks and silly actions by the characters. A little better focus, and more attention to detail in the writing, would have improved what is a pretty edgy thriller. If you enjoyed the bloody mayhem of The 8th Plague, take a look at
Carver- UNRATED, Guerrero's return to the Halcyon Ridge area.
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5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Starts slow, May 14, 2007
This movie starts out so slow you think you've definitely made a mistake by wasting your time watching it. Just wait, it gets better. The last half hour makes up for all the tedium you have to sit through to get to that point. There is some really gushy gory parts that anyone who is a fan of blood and guts should enjoy. You just have to wait for it.
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