From the "what-in-God's-name" school of filmmaking comes one of the most baffling, yet literary and hilarious no-budget horror films I've ever seen! A curio to be sure, "Original Sins" is just that - original. Part satirical criticism of religious fanaticism, part exploitation film, part full blown horror film, part Altmanesque character study, part Monty Python. It's stately and, deceptively, serious first half spins refreshingly out of orbit in the second half - juicily laying subplot upon subplot until all these dovetailing tales spiral into perfect focus - no mean feet for a major motion picture, let alone one that was independently shot direct to video. The performances, the script and direction are all well above average and even stylish (on it's own terms). Even the editing and compositions are smart enough to contrive many unexpected, yet intentional, chuckles. Highly recommended for strong-stomached viewers who appreciate daring, intelligent entertainment that bravely pokes around the sensitive edges of controversy. A superficial reading might judge this one blasphemous, but to read closer.blasphemous to who
3 Reviews
The most brazen, original horror film in recent memory.
ericrichard9 December 1999
Without question this stands as one of the most original, outrageously inventive horror films in recent memory. It is at once a comment on horror/sci fi, low budget films from the past twenty years and a hilarious send up of the genres tired ideas and brainless audience. Nothing is sacred to the makers of this film and they seem smart enough to carry that stance off beautifully. The best scene is definitely the animated sequence which is so surreal and glitteringly brilliant it beggars description. I would like to contact the makers of the film to see what is next. Will this be distributed?
Original Sins is enlightening, empowering, humorous, and intellectually stimulating!
jon-60427 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Original Sins is the most blasphemous movie i've ever seen. I have never been a fan of blasphemy for the sake of shock-value. Instead, i prefer art in which the blasphemy exists to make a point. Original Sins definitely delivers.
It's not just wonderfully entertaining. It has a profound purpose. Anti-Christian films are nothing new. The 90s were especially full of them. Unfortunately, the removal of Christian rhetoric/philosophy often leaves a void. Filmmakers rarely bother to fill that void with something else...some greater sense of life. I usually come away feeling like crap after watching most of what was produced in the 90s.
Original Sins is the exception! It doesn't rely on cynicism and doesn't have a nihilistic aftertaste. Instead, it's enlightening, empowering, humorous, and intellectually stimulating! Oh yeah, and it was shot on video with no money!
Original Sins blatantly shows the danger of a whimsical mind, especially when the mind wanders into the territory of religion. Insanity arises when the girls find reality in things they don't understand or can't prove, and then allow those whimsical ideas taint any rational decisions they were capable of making.
Original Sins truly shows the not-so-hidden irrationality of organized religion and the accepted interpretations of the Bible.
The girls believe that they have a very strong understanding of good, but often cite how they are unsure what evil is. They are capable of loving their neighbor, but not hating their enemy. Can one truly understand love, if they can't grasp the concept of hatred? These are the types of philosophical questions that Original Sins brings forth.
When the mysterious God force asks the girls to do something that contradicts their current moral code, they obey. They decree "How can it be sinful if it is done in your service." In other words, any action is acceptable if done selflessly to glorify God. Even when the action causes them pain, they continue. Their god responds "If it is i that you seek, then the pain you feel will be blissful, if it is not then it will be torture." When one of the girls sees the error of her ways, and wants to part from the group, she is chastised and later tortured. To them, she is the blasphemer and sinner, and by this point, they are already convinced that they are God's chosen ones. Of course anyone who opposes the chosen ones must die. It is here when they are capable of expressing their deepest hatred. The hatred is not guided by reason, but by subconscious animal reaction. The ugliest kind of hatred.
Lila is the exact opposite of the other three girls. She drinks to the point of puking, sleeps around, and is a groupie to a hysterical death metal band: Satan's Senturions. She has no self control, reverence, or ambition. She lives life day by day, and is happy to die at any moment.
Original Sins succeeds at illustrating the difference between what is absolute and what is relative, and it shows that the healthiest and most rational being is one who is intelligent enough to evaluate reality by these terms and live by their evaluations to win.
By the end of the movie, Lila becomes a hero by understanding the balance of what is absolute (good and evil) and what is relative (the indeterminate). She is the only character who is truly capable of loving herself and others.
Evil's definition of love is subjugation: giving the mind, body, and spirit to something deemed supreme. This is the only type of love that the other three girls can understand. Even for their neighbor, they'll constantly turn the other cheek, thus subjugating themselves to everyone and making themselves worthless.
Lila refuses to be subjugated by God, Satan, or Man. She decides to live by her own free will.
Diedra reaches a similar epiphany in the movie, but a little too late to save her soul.
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Original Sins is that it destroys the validity of popular Christianity, but maintains a high level of respect for the afterlife.
Mary Catherine is the most innocent of the three girls. She dies unjustly and her body becomes possessed with the spirit of her deceased mother. She becomes an angel of sorts in the movie, only to show herself to those who are evil. All who see her are paralyzed in the awe of the true Heaven.
While the movie isn't long enough to explore the depths of true Heaven, it does affirm the importance of the spirit world or afterlife. Most movies that oppose Christianity either have another religious agenda to impose or are completely heathenistic.
This rare balance of soul self-sufficiency and spiritual intervention is what makes Original Sins one of the most motivational movies i've ever seen.
It seems impossible that a shot-on-video (camcorder quality) movie would have this level of importance. But Original Sins does. The directing is creative and stylistic. The writing is excellent. And any one actor from this movie is better than every award-winner in Hollywood combined! It's movies like Original Sins that liberate young filmmakers from their dependence on Hollywood. After watching it, you'd have to wonder why we even need a Hollywood in the first place.
Original Sins is one of the best movies ever made. I mean that sincerely. On top of the serious aspects, there are some well-written comedy and horror scenes too. It is very well-rounded without compromising it's own ideology.
It's not just wonderfully entertaining. It has a profound purpose. Anti-Christian films are nothing new. The 90s were especially full of them. Unfortunately, the removal of Christian rhetoric/philosophy often leaves a void. Filmmakers rarely bother to fill that void with something else...some greater sense of life. I usually come away feeling like crap after watching most of what was produced in the 90s.
Original Sins is the exception! It doesn't rely on cynicism and doesn't have a nihilistic aftertaste. Instead, it's enlightening, empowering, humorous, and intellectually stimulating! Oh yeah, and it was shot on video with no money!
Original Sins blatantly shows the danger of a whimsical mind, especially when the mind wanders into the territory of religion. Insanity arises when the girls find reality in things they don't understand or can't prove, and then allow those whimsical ideas taint any rational decisions they were capable of making.
Original Sins truly shows the not-so-hidden irrationality of organized religion and the accepted interpretations of the Bible.
The girls believe that they have a very strong understanding of good, but often cite how they are unsure what evil is. They are capable of loving their neighbor, but not hating their enemy. Can one truly understand love, if they can't grasp the concept of hatred? These are the types of philosophical questions that Original Sins brings forth.
When the mysterious God force asks the girls to do something that contradicts their current moral code, they obey. They decree "How can it be sinful if it is done in your service." In other words, any action is acceptable if done selflessly to glorify God. Even when the action causes them pain, they continue. Their god responds "If it is i that you seek, then the pain you feel will be blissful, if it is not then it will be torture." When one of the girls sees the error of her ways, and wants to part from the group, she is chastised and later tortured. To them, she is the blasphemer and sinner, and by this point, they are already convinced that they are God's chosen ones. Of course anyone who opposes the chosen ones must die. It is here when they are capable of expressing their deepest hatred. The hatred is not guided by reason, but by subconscious animal reaction. The ugliest kind of hatred.
Lila is the exact opposite of the other three girls. She drinks to the point of puking, sleeps around, and is a groupie to a hysterical death metal band: Satan's Senturions. She has no self control, reverence, or ambition. She lives life day by day, and is happy to die at any moment.
Original Sins succeeds at illustrating the difference between what is absolute and what is relative, and it shows that the healthiest and most rational being is one who is intelligent enough to evaluate reality by these terms and live by their evaluations to win.
By the end of the movie, Lila becomes a hero by understanding the balance of what is absolute (good and evil) and what is relative (the indeterminate). She is the only character who is truly capable of loving herself and others.
Evil's definition of love is subjugation: giving the mind, body, and spirit to something deemed supreme. This is the only type of love that the other three girls can understand. Even for their neighbor, they'll constantly turn the other cheek, thus subjugating themselves to everyone and making themselves worthless.
Lila refuses to be subjugated by God, Satan, or Man. She decides to live by her own free will.
Diedra reaches a similar epiphany in the movie, but a little too late to save her soul.
Perhaps the greatest accomplishment of Original Sins is that it destroys the validity of popular Christianity, but maintains a high level of respect for the afterlife.
Mary Catherine is the most innocent of the three girls. She dies unjustly and her body becomes possessed with the spirit of her deceased mother. She becomes an angel of sorts in the movie, only to show herself to those who are evil. All who see her are paralyzed in the awe of the true Heaven.
While the movie isn't long enough to explore the depths of true Heaven, it does affirm the importance of the spirit world or afterlife. Most movies that oppose Christianity either have another religious agenda to impose or are completely heathenistic.
This rare balance of soul self-sufficiency and spiritual intervention is what makes Original Sins one of the most motivational movies i've ever seen.
It seems impossible that a shot-on-video (camcorder quality) movie would have this level of importance. But Original Sins does. The directing is creative and stylistic. The writing is excellent. And any one actor from this movie is better than every award-winner in Hollywood combined! It's movies like Original Sins that liberate young filmmakers from their dependence on Hollywood. After watching it, you'd have to wonder why we even need a Hollywood in the first place.
Original Sins is one of the best movies ever made. I mean that sincerely. On top of the serious aspects, there are some well-written comedy and horror scenes too. It is very well-rounded without compromising it's own ideology.
See also
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