Verotika (2019) Movie Review
Verotika (2019) Movie Review
Verotika, 2019
Widescreen, Shudder
Is it as cringy as everyone says? Let’s find out. Written, directed, and scored by Glen Danzig. Based on a comic book? This has got to be based.
Music by Danzig? Music isn’t bad by any means, but it perhaps isn’t as good as one could hope for. Some decent instrumentals, some tolerable nu-metalish sounding tracks, and some things that sound “Danzig” which are obviously the highlights of the soundtrack. At first I wasn’t 100% feeling the opening track, but on second watch, it’s pretty much exactly what you’d hope for and expect. Definitely “Danzig”, love it or hate it. Not a bad score or soundtrack overall… it’s just, this guy made “Black Aria”, you know? Not to mention the fact that the rest of his catalog, and influence on punk and metal. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great musical numbers here. The somber piano during the blood-bath scene is a standout, as well as some of the other “dungeon synth” sounding selections.
Lots of stripping and strippers, but it’s done right. No cheesy over production, or amateur wannabe-stripper under production. Real strippers, in a real club, and bam… you’ve got authenticity. Lots of tits and ass. Probably a backlash to the recent couple of decades of feminist anti-sex horror. LOTS OF TITS AND ASS. Are they re-using actresses? They bust be. It’s an anthology, so early on I’m thinking if they’re using a fresh cast for each story… that’s a big cast. Cute cast… I mean, actresses generally are, but you can’t fault the casting here. Don’t except a realistic, or even reality-based film. This is extremely “cartoonish” in the sense that it’s fantastic. Think Tales from the crypt… or even better, think of a horror-themed “Sin City” with a much smaller budget. Lots of green-screening, but again, it’s not a bad thing if you dig the fantasy element. Oh shit, one of the stories is a period piece? Rad.
The props, set pieces, art direction, and costuming in this film also deserve some credit. While not the most extravagant, you can tell they did what they could on a budget, and the end result comes out on top. Again, don’t expect some ILM bullshit, and you’ll be fine. It looks great in keeping with the graphic novel vibe. The lighting is “artistic” and colorful. To be perfectly frank, if you have any issue with the lower production values of this film, you can at least enjoy the sheer visuals of the cast members themselves. I mean, let’s be honest… the entire cast is basically super hot chicks. And were not really talking “movie hot”, or “girl next door hot”- “stripper hot”, “oh my fucking god that chick is hot”, and “exotic hot” would be better descriptors.
A lot of things in this film, to me, were reminiscent of the work of Ed Wood Jr., Things like, the girls, the wrap-around story involving strippers and the general vibe recalled films like “Orgy of the Dead”. This should not be surprising, as it’s probably a fair to say Danzig is a fellow fan of Ed Wood’s films. [Editor’s note: The author formerly lived and worked in the same building where Ed Wood filmed all of his movie’s interior shots].
I can imagine why some people might not like it. There’s gore for the sake of gore. There’s naked girls shaking their asses. Breasts are bare and flaunted. It’s probably not “politically correct”, but all the more reason to love it. Some of the stories are writing could perhaps be a bit more compelling. But let’s be honest… asking for original story telling is maybe a lot to ask for in 2020?
3.5/5