The Firelight Shocks DVD Review Section

Desecration Distributor: Image Entertainment Region: 1 Ratio: 1.85.1 (No enhancement) Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo Our interview with director Dante Tomaselli can be found here

There is something refreshing about being handed a new director's foray into our beloved genre, although I must admit that there is also the inevitable dread that the 'foray' in question might turn out to be truly and utterly appalling. No such worries with Dante Tomaselli's Desecration, which has taken many of horror's most established critics by surprise. Few new directors, I would imagine, can boast glowing reviews from the likes of Chas Balun and Fangoria's Michael Gingold. Now released on DVD, Tomaselli's debut is nothing short of a visual tour de force, with calculated sequences of suspense, a superbly surreal atmosphere and at least one horribly painful set piece - which involves air born scissors in case you are curious. Beginning with a scene involving a dead mother, a screaming child and an understandably upset grandmother (not to mention lots of balloons and a garish red glow swamping the picture), Desecration proceeds to transport its viewers '11 years later' (makes a change from '10 years later' I suppose...). Here we find a Catholic school, and a 16 year old boy called Bobby - the infant from the credits sequence who had seen his mother die in front of him. Bobby is playing with a radio-controlled aeroplane, the tight close ups of his hands on the control pad and the intrusive humming of the glider bring to mind a similar scene in Bava's Shock. In a wonderfully built up sequence the aeroplane proceeds to fly, on its own will, into the head of a luckless nun who dies instantly. We know this is coming, of course, but it is the waiting for something to transpire which really builds up the suspense - in true Hitchcock fashion. However, truth be told, I have a sneaking suspicion that the director has, in actual fact, learned his tricks, not from the old master, but from Dario Argento (who Tomaselli even see fits to name drop in the end credits). Indeed, as Desecration's narrative moves on it quickly drops logic in favour of surreal visuals, moments of pure cinema - which would not go amiss in a silent film from the German expressionist era - and several colourful, not to mention lyrical, moments which are almost guaranteed to leave you feeling unnerved. Indeed, the bright primary colours, which engulf several interior sequences, evoke memories of Suspiria and Inferno, and the director uses enough mist in this film to make even the great Mario Bava jealous! In case you have not guessed Desecration is really an Italian horror film made in America and, as such, the movie basically amounts to a succession of powerful images hung together by a confusing plot. However, this is true of most Italian classics (including even Suspiria - which is one of my favourite films of all time) and should certainly not be treated as a complaint. For, although Desecration left me slightly befuddled it also left me with the feeling that I had sat through an incredible journey, and discovered an exciting new filmmaking talent. You may have noticed that I have not discussed the plot to this movie in too much detail. This is because Tomaselli's film is very easy to ruin and I recommend that you see it for yourself. Like The Blair Witch Project before it, this is a movie that will have its greatest effect on you if you know as little about what is going to transpire as possible. However, what I will say is that the director has a wonderful sense of symbolism (spot the religious imagery in the scene which takes place in a biology classroom) and relies on tried and tested tricks to bring a shiver up your spine. From door handles slowly turning, to creaky hinges and sharp implements taking on a life of their own, Tomaselli clearly knows what frightens a viewer - and why. Desecration, as the title suggests, is concerned with religion - although this never degenerates into an attack on organised faith. Instead, Tomaselli depicts the creepy side of Christianity - hell, suffering and torment. The notion that hell is something that defaces innocence is inventively shown through macabre images of adolescent icons, such as clowns and balloons, turned into twisted, threatening objects. It is quite horrible and definitely unforgettable. I am certainly going to recommend Desecration. It really is a film worth buying, and the ending is sure to take you by surprise. Dante Tomaselli is a director to watch and someone who is poised to become a major force in the independent genre scene - long may he produce films of this quality.

EXTRAS: Shot on Super 16mm, Desecration suffers a little grain but generally looks very good indeed. Daylight scenes appear especially colourful and the dark sequences look fine. So no qualms there - and the soundtrack is fantastic, capturing the sinister rumblings and eerie music perfectly. The only extra on this disc is a three-minute extract from Tomaselli's original short film of Desecration. This is very grainy, but even on this evidence you can see that an inventive and aesthetically gifted mind is at work behind the camera. Forget the lack of any other extras, however, and for once just buy a disc for the film. I doubt you'll feel cheated.