August Underground's Penance (2007)

The third film in the series. This time a couple go on a killing spree in their local area.

Director:

Fred Vogel

Writers:

Allen Peters (characters), Fred Vogel (characters)

Stars:

Cristie Whiles, Fred Vogel, Shelby Lyn Vogel

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cristie Whiles	...	Crusty (as Cristie 'Crusty' Whiles)
Fred Vogel	...	Peter Mountain
Shelby Lyn Vogel	...	Pregnant Partier
Jerami Cruise	...	Partier with Baseball Cap
Anthony Matthews	...	Nail-Covered Victim
Rob Steinbruegge	...	Intro Victim
Talia Becker
Lucious Ridgewood
Ed Laughlin	...	Gutted Victim
Fuctup	...	Homeless Man
Bub	...	The Lion
Wally
Brama
Matt Rizzutto	...	Crusty's Lover
Autumn Smith	...	Lydia (as Autumn Anderson)

Storyline

The third film in the series. This time a couple go on a killing spree in their local area.

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Plot Keywords:

child strangling | child murder | murder of family | christmas | home invasion | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Подполье 3: Покаяние

Filming Locations:

Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toe Tag Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (2.0)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)

User Reviews

True Horror at it's Finest...

The wait is finally over. No longer will you have to suffice the agonizing torture of a screenshot or teaser trailer. The long awaited arrival of Toe Tag Pictures third entry into the August Underground series, Penance, is finally here, and was well worth every minute.

The story picks up with Vogel and While's characters documenting their violent, savage acts on home video as they tantalize, humiliate and force their victims into submission. Through the midst of vicious rape and torture are shots of the two hanging out and goofing off just as any home video would show, adding a certain realism to the film.

August Underground's Penance combines the dark realism of August Underground with the extremeness of Mordum to make for the strongest entry in the series. As the film descends, so does the collapse and downward spiral of the two killers. At the start of the film, they appear larger than life, goofing off in front of the camera and acting as kids would. By the end of the film, both characters are in tears, hardly standing the sight of each other through their on going battle of bickering and fighting. Vogel's character becomes more and more enraged with each one of his victims and starts drinking heavily, eventually drinking himself into a state of malady. On the other hand, While's character begins to deteriorate, as she slowly comes to the realization of the atrocities in which they are committing; she starts to break down emotionally and physically.

The term "Penance," which also serves as the central theme in the film, refers to, "punishment or suffering undergone voluntarily to atone for sin or wrong doing," and can be seen in the last few minutes of the film where the characters, primarily While's, undergo a dramatic change in mentality. As with the other August Underground films, what happens in the final scene is left open-ended and requires viewer interpretation.

Penance, hands down, contained the best acting the series has seen yet with a strong focus on Vogel and While's brilliant performances. Aside from playing the parts of psychotic killers, at certain times in the film their inner child comes out, which in ways, brings a sense of normalcy to their characters but also makes for some of the most disturbing aspects. The complexity of these two characters can be overwhelming at times as they often drift in and out of various mood swings.

With a much bigger body count than the two prior films, Penance made for some sick special effects, courtesy of f/x wizard Jerami Cruise. With decapitations, multiple guttings, limb severings and a gruesome c-section, it is sure to have even the most jaded horror fans squirming in their seats. If you thought the other films were sick, just wait until you feast your eyes on this one. Cruise pays extra close attention to detail and delivers his best effects yet.

In the August Underground series, Toe Tag Pictures takes horror, shits on it, and portrays it for what it truly is without glorifying the actions. These films show the harsh reality of what really happens in the world, where murder and torture happens daily, and takes the viewer beyond scary into a world of true, bloody horror, straight to the point and without any bullshit. So much talent lies amongst Toe Tag Pictures that assure only great things to come from them.