Gorgeous, but dangerous call girl Pandora (well played with smooth predatory grace by the enticing Melissa Bacelar) kills her johns and eats them. Sad and lonely socially awkward misfit Jeffrey (a solid and likable performance by Jack Dillon) falls in love with Pandora. Meanwhile, a vengeful stalker (essayed with frightening intensity by writer Joshua Nelson) obsessively tracks Pandora down because she murdered and devoured his brother. Director James Tucker relates the quirky and intriguing story at a steady pace, offers a vivid evocation of the gritty New York City setting, delivers a generous amount of yummy female nudity and copious in-your-face nasty gore, grounds the oddball plot in a plausible pedestrian everyday reality, creates and sustains a strangely haunting melancholy tone, and further spruces things up with amusing touches of offbeat dark humor. Moreover, the touching doomed romance between the two central characters and a strong theme about how far one is willing to go for the person that one loves give this picture an unexpectedly poignant element of tragedy. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as another definite asset: Bacelar and Dillon do charming and credible work in their roles, Jeanette Bonner lends fine support as Jeffrey's worried sister Laura, Alan Rowe Kelly breathes fire into his memorable part as profane and ruthless madam Mama, and the luscious Erika Smith has a funny bit as ditsy chatty hooker Passion. The sharp cinematography by Brian Fass boasts several breathtaking aerial shots of the Big Apple. Duane Perry's shivery score does the nerve-rattling trick. The downbeat ending packs a devastating punch. Worth a watch.
Review of Skinned Alive
