Mark Frost stars as John Jaspers, a young man whose girlfriend "Blue" (Jennifer Rope) is murdered by thugs. Now he's depressed and despondent enough to contemplate suicide - only for an enigmatic stranger, "M" (Andrew Divoff, whose performance outclasses this movie), to turn up and offer him a deal. John WILL get his revenge, but he will have to promise his soul to "M". He agrees with too much haste, and DOES get his revenge, but finds that his work is not done. "M" attempts to dispose of John, only for John to be reborn as a cartoony version of a demon (think a wrestler with a gimmick) and now possessed with incredible powers (including retractable, Wolverine-style blades).
"Faust: Love of the Damned" is based on a graphic novel by David Quinn & Tim Vigil, and retains that sort of aesthetic for the film version. As a result, it's highly stylized by director Brian Yuzna ("Society", "Bride of Re-Animator"). Made in Spain around the same time that Yuznas' friend Stuart Gordon made his H.P. Lovecraft adaptation "Dagon", this movie has little to no dramatic impact. What hurts it a lot is the fact that leading actor Frost is so insipid as a hero; he's a bad actor, at least here. To be fair, though, he does seem to be enjoying himself when he's done up in demon garb. Overall, it's an amusing, disposable comic-book style horror-fantasy with a mostly European cast that ranges from passable (Isabel Brook, as the leading lady) to solid (Jeffrey Combs has one of his most normal roles as a dedicated detective) to very hammy (Fermi Reixach, as the police commissioner) to delightfully vampish (Monica Van Campen as M's sexy female cohort). Divoff towers over all with another of his captivating, soft-spoken villainous portrayals. He's quite a sight with his hair done like that, though.
Yuzna once again utilizes the services of makeup effects expert "Screaming Mad George", whose work is typically outrageous, goopy, and completely outre. Appropriately Hellish visuals and a persistent heavy metal soundtrack (including Sepultura, one of this viewers' favourite bands) are also part of the mix.
A fairly fun movie that kills approximately 101 minutes in well-paced fashion.
Six out of 10.
"Faust: Love of the Damned" is based on a graphic novel by David Quinn & Tim Vigil, and retains that sort of aesthetic for the film version. As a result, it's highly stylized by director Brian Yuzna ("Society", "Bride of Re-Animator"). Made in Spain around the same time that Yuznas' friend Stuart Gordon made his H.P. Lovecraft adaptation "Dagon", this movie has little to no dramatic impact. What hurts it a lot is the fact that leading actor Frost is so insipid as a hero; he's a bad actor, at least here. To be fair, though, he does seem to be enjoying himself when he's done up in demon garb. Overall, it's an amusing, disposable comic-book style horror-fantasy with a mostly European cast that ranges from passable (Isabel Brook, as the leading lady) to solid (Jeffrey Combs has one of his most normal roles as a dedicated detective) to very hammy (Fermi Reixach, as the police commissioner) to delightfully vampish (Monica Van Campen as M's sexy female cohort). Divoff towers over all with another of his captivating, soft-spoken villainous portrayals. He's quite a sight with his hair done like that, though.
Yuzna once again utilizes the services of makeup effects expert "Screaming Mad George", whose work is typically outrageous, goopy, and completely outre. Appropriately Hellish visuals and a persistent heavy metal soundtrack (including Sepultura, one of this viewers' favourite bands) are also part of the mix.
A fairly fun movie that kills approximately 101 minutes in well-paced fashion.
Six out of 10.