If you were to ask Fred Vogel about his favorite movie, he'll tell you Whale's Frankenstein. So why all are the gritty, nasty pseudo-snuff films like August Underground accredited to his name & will your average horror buff find anything worthy in Vogel's archives? And what horror fan wants to see them, right?
Dear readers, only fans of the most extreme horror would flock to the AU series for certain but he may have reached a wider audience with his more polished effort Redsin Tower. Although Redsin isn't a film you'll likely find on the shelves of your local Best Buy, it's fair to comment that Vogel wants to make a film in the tradition of the original Evil Dead or perhaps Night Of The Demons. Perhaps Vogel loves those cultish films in the eighties & simply wants to re-visit an era that seems to be all but gone.
When it comes to great carnage & awesome gore effects, Toe Tag Pictures really pours it on heavy. There are plenty of red herrings & buckets of blood to be splashed everywhere which makes for a pretty entertaining horror flick. Jerami Cruise also did the special effects for Nick Palumbo's Murder-Set-Pieces if that should help you & his handy work here is just as impressive considering I've yet to watch a single one of the AU films as of this review. In my honest opinion, Cruise is right up there with Tom Savini as far being one of the best make-up or FX creators I've ever come across. I can see this dude should never find himself without work in the horror industry. In fact, we could use a few more like him honestly.
Mitch & Kim have been together for six years which is a tall order by any standard. Today, Kim has made the rash decision to leave Mitch when he begins to talk of marriage & having children together. While Kim seems to be holding up pretty well over the course of her day, Mitch is simply beside himself & cannot get over losing his dear girlfriend. In his mind, life is not worth living without Kim & he refuses to let her go even if it means taking extreme measures in his hands.
On the other hand, Kim's best friend Becky is determined to step in & show Kim the night of her life. As fate would have it, there is going to be a huge party tonite & Becky knows this is prime opportunity for the both of them to get drugged up & engage in some illicit activities with members of the opposite sex. While Kim isn't completely thrilled about the idea of meeting someone new just yet, she needs the support of a good friend & feels like a party just might do them good after all.
While Kim & Becky are hanging out with some buds getting wasted, Mitch follows the motley crew around town on his bicycle in hopes of scaring Kim & somehow proving his love to her. Throughout the course of the evening, Becky entices the group to party at the local Redsin Tower which is known to be an urban legend that would surely spook anyone in their right mind. Naturally, everyone agrees on packing up their best party favors & heading out to this mansion for a night filled with lunacy & outrageousness.
Although Tower does tend to drag a bit in the beginning, I'm satisfied overall with the way Vogel throws in a few surprises along the way which will shock the uninitiated and leave the rest of us hungry for more. For a low-budget indie film, Redsin comes across as looking more professional than much of the bullshit that companies like Brain Damage & Lions Gate release by the truckload each day. I would gladly re-visit The Redsin Tower any day of the week over the usual pretentious crap that seems to loiter in my local video store.
As anyone can easily guess, things do get messy. Mitch eventually finds the motley crew but he's ready to take matters into his own hands. (I must confide the hatchet murder scene is perhaps one of the most impressive death montages I've witnessed in some time. Cruise's FX here remind one of early Fulci films or Lustig's Maniac.) However, Mitch may not be the only thing our young friends should fear. There are unspeakable horrors waiting behind the catacombs & the walls of Redsin Tower which will unfold in the last thirty minutes of this film. Does anyone manage to stay alive with a psychotic ex-boyfriend & the demonic spirits which still preside?
When it comes to modern horror, Vogel knows what makes us uncomfortable & he isn't afraid to play that card. Whereas some directors are afraid of the "gore" factor, Vogel could never be described as stingy. Perhaps Vogel could make an excellent film-maker if he focuses a bit more on pacing & perhaps dialog. Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed Redsin Tower & would highly recommend it to friends who have a stomach made of steel.
A few fun scenes: Mitch kills Becky in a raging fit of anger with a hatchet. One of the kids spews chunks of puke littered with maggots. Kim is sexually assaulted by an invisible demonic force is one very creepy montage.
