On Long Island, we have our fair share of great horror filmmakers. Most make just one decent film and then disappear or move to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams. However, Stevan Mena is proof that one can make good films outside the Hollywood system and there is no better proof than with his new, film Bereavement.
For those of you who don’t know, Bereavement is the prequel to Mena’s first horror film, Malevolence. I really liked Malevolence and thought that it was a great horror film when I saw it seven years ago. I know the film had mixed reactions among fans of the genre, however I personally found it to be one of the best horror films of 2004. Bereavement seemed as if it went through hell going into production. After all it took this long to be released, I didn’t hear it from the horse’s mouth, but from what I did hear, there were problems getting the film made. I did see the trailer and honestly, I was very unsure of how it was going to turn out. The saying, “Don’t judge a movie by its trailer,” comes into effect here. Because if you judged Bereavement by its teaser, you’re going to be the kid left out while all the other kids had fun. I didn’t think it was possible, and I’m not just saying this because Mena is a friend of the site. I really thought this film was going to suck. There it is, my cards are out on the table. And you know what? I lost big time. Bereavement is a horror masterpiece.
The film is the prequel to Malevolence and is basically the story of the birth of killer Martin Bristol. When Martin was six, he was kidnapped by a madman, Graham Sutter. Sutter kidnapped women and tortured them in his family’s old meat packing plant that has since been shut down. He claims that his father’s soul is still around making him do all these things, treating the women as if they were livestock waiting to be slaughtered. Having no kids of his own, and knowing that Martin has some kind of mental disability, Sutter makes him witness the murders and then has the boy clean up the mess. Meanwhile, down the road, Allison has just moved in with her Uncle John after her parents die in an accident. She is a girl who is in great shape and likes to run a few miles a day. While on her daily run, she notices Martin in the old run-down plant and goes to try to find the boy, however what she finds is far more than she expected and now her life and the life of her friends and family are at stake, as Sutter rampage has just begun.
I just gave a brief rundown of what the film is about above. The characters are developed really well as is the storyline. After seeing Malevolence, we know how the film is going to end, yet it comes off as being very unexpected. If you didn’t see Malevolence, this is a whole new venture and you probably will be shocked by the film’s conclusion. Mena does a great job in diverting the audience that has seen Malevolence into thinking that the film just might end differently from what we expect, and in a way it does. There are a lot of brutal and intense scenes in this film. The acting is solid and Mena’s directing is top notch. The Cinematography is excellent, I’m talking Oscar awarding caliber excellent.
There are some hints of other classic films that show influence. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween seem to be strong influences. The character of Martin Bristol has the same characteristics as Michael Meyers. However, while you can see the influences, they do not take away from the originally the story has to offer. Bereavement has an element of surprise that kicks you in the stomach and does not let go. The story is so well executed and the characters are so believable that the viewer is sucked right into the film up until the very end.
The Blu-ray disc has some special features, including commentary with Stevan Mena, a making-of and first look on set featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers, TV spots, stills and more.
I have not really been on the in this year with all the horror films that are making the rounds independently. I sure most of what is out there is over9hyped crap. But only a fool would lump Bereavement into that category. This is a classic horror film that I hope fans won’t forget. It is just as good as classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho and Halloween, and deserves to be treated that way. I really thought this was going to be, at best, a mediocre horror film. However, I am simply blown away by how excellent it was. I cannot praise this film enough.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
