Penance (2009)

A young mother decides to become a stripper to earn some fast cash, only to find her worst nightmares are about to begin.

Director:

Jake Kennedy

Writer:

Jake Kennedy

Stars:

Marieh Delfino, Jason Connery, Michael Rooker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marieh Delfino	...	Amelia
Jason Connery	...	John
Michael Rooker	...	Mann
Graham McTavish	...	Geeves
Alice Amter	...	Eve
Valorie Hubbard	...	Kathy
Lochlyn Munro	...	Jack
Allison Lange	...	Tara
Tony Todd	...	Chauffeur
James Duval	...	Sleazy party guy
Eve Mauro	...	Suzie - Sassy
Sita Young	...	Molly
Katherine Randolph	...	Polly
Garrett Jones	...	Will
Morann Peri	...	Corridor prisoner

Storyline

A story of single mother Amelia, who turns to stripping as a means of making ends meet and winds up the unwilling subject of a grim purification ritual. When her friend, stripper Suzy takes a beating that leaves her unable to perform, she asks her to cover her latest gig. Reluctantly accepting so she can convalesce, she begins to grow uneasy when her driver takes her to a dark and remote location. Once inside, she finds herself imprisoned with a number of other unchaste women by a sadistic captor, Geeves who uses various torture methods to rid them of their impurities.

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | female nudity | misogyny | female exploitation | violence against woman | 

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Taglines:

He Made Them Pay For Their Sins

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Devil's Dungeon

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clever Worm Entertainment

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eve Mauro originally auditioned for the role of Amelia.

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Goofs

In the closing title card, the word "anonymous" is misspelled "anonomous".

User Reviews

Horror with Story Depth

Probably best compared to a combination of Saw and the Killing Room. Only simpletons with an attention span disability will call this torture porn. I'm starting to wonder if there's a group of people out there who simply go around labeling stuff torture porn to turn people off from otherwise great films (such as Martyrs).

It does have some nasty scenes, but more is left to the imagination than is shown, so that kills the porn element. There is torture, and largely the film involves a very psychologically disturbed person seeking revenge through torture.

So, psychological torture horror with some gore, yes. A Saw copycat, yes, in some ways. But that's far too simple to capture what's going on here. A very well thought out story.