Not Rated/ Comedic Horror Film/ Not for Kids
88 Minutes
Released March 24
Prevenge is definitely a unique horror film. The movie has been nominated for several festival awards and has won two. To really appreciate this film you should know the circumstances of the creation of this comedic, totally “outside-the-box” take on a woman going through pregnancy.
Director Alice Lowe, an accomplished British comedienne and film and TV actress, obtained the financing to get started on an unwritten low budget horror movie concept she had visualized. Only one thing stood in her way…she was pregnant and getting more so each day. So, as do many of the world’s best artists, she built the story around her own experience – the movie is about a pregnant woman who has absolutely no filter. Every pulse of anger that goes through the character’s mind is acted upon and carried out in the most horrific manner possible, to the point where we as the audience lose our grip on reality. And this is what makes it such a gruesome and hilarious romp. Anyone who has been pregnant will probably recognize some of the urges that drive Lowe’s lead character “Ruth.” In real life we resist the urge to act on those impulses … not in this movie!
Originally Lowe had not intended to star in the movie herself. However it was not possible to find another very pregnant comedic actress who was willing to take on the role. In a Q&A following the screening, Lowe walked on stage to introduce the film carrying her toddler daughter, who was actually featured as a newborn at the end of the movie.
The shoot took place when Lowe was in her third trimester, so the cast and crew were under constant pressure to work with as much speed as possible lest their director and star really go into labor. The first half of the film is a bit rough around the edges. However it gains in production value towards the end, probably once everyone could draw a sigh of relief that their director and lead actress was not going to give birth before the shoot wrapped. The movie was shot in eleven days in Cardiff, Wales, on a shoestring budget.
Lowe took on this project with a “Why not? Of course it can be done!” attitude. The movie has a hint of a Greek tragedy – even a chorus made up of black and white film scenes of wailing women. Prevenge recalls the dark and twisted atmosphere from Luis Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou and Robert Wiene’s Das Kabinet of Dr. Kaligari from the1920’s expressionist film movement. If you get a chance to see this movie and you’re into horror films, it’s worth the time.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which is the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com. For previously published reviews see https://kwboole.wordpress.com.
