Black Mass (2005) (V)

Directors:

Jon McBride
John Polonia

Writer:

John Oak Dalton (writer)

Release Date:

13 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

During World War II, four American GIs get caught up behind enemy lines. They seek shelter in an old church where they meet a bizarre priest...

Cast

Brian Berry	...	Sgt. Pete "Griff" Griffey
Todd Carpenter	...	Cathcart
Bob Dennis	...	Pvt. Larry Hearn
Dave Fife	...	Schroeder
Brice Kennedy	...	Pvt. Buster Danby
Ken Van Sant	...	Lt. Nick Bonham

Also Known As:

Dead Knight (USA) (DVD title)
Hellshock (USA) (working title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Intercoast Productions

Trivia:

Director of Photography Matthew S. Smith, composer Parker Breckenridge, and screenwriter John Oak Dalton all have cameos as Nazi soldiers.

A well-made no budget WW2 shocker that tries very hard

It takes some major suspension of disbelief to become truly immersed in Black Mass, the latest in a long line of horror features from the minds behind Camp Motion Pictures, but once you've broken past the obvious budget constraints, you'll find a very satisfying little film.

The film is set in the midst of World War II, when battle was at its height. A group of GIs find themselves trapped in the midst of a violent gunfight and eventually take refuse in a lone church, deep in the woods. There, strange, supernatural things begin occurring and the men begin to believe that they are not alone.

The acting is all well above average for a film of this budget, but the movie could have benefited from some younger talent. The men featured in the film are all uniformly good, but seem much too old to be playing military grunts.

The effects are impressive, given the budget, but occasionally try to reach further than they should. In particular, a tank battle comes off as extremely fake, reminding me more of a toy commercial than an intense military battle. On the other hand, a bombed-out shelter and sky full of planes both look amazing, and special care is taken with the occasional CGI supernatural ghoul.

All-in-all, this is an impressive outing, and would have gotten an even higher rating if the effects hadn't tried too hard. While I commend the filmmakers for trying to make the film contain everything a WW2 feature should, pushing it too hard makes the occasional sub-par effect all the worse.

Still, even with the occasional fault, I give Black Mass a strong "7". Its a very impressive film from a clever bunch of filmmakers, and I look forward to see more of their work in the future. This one is well-worth a viewing.