My Review Of "Incredible Violence"

"Incredible Violence" is the debut feature of filmmaker G. Patrick Condon. The indie film is a quasi-autobiographical horror exploration into art and madness. It stars With M.J. Kehler, Stephen Oates, Michael Worthman, and Kimberley Drake. 

G. Patrick Condon is a shitty filmmaker who has taken a loan from a group he shouldn't have gotten mixed up in. Now he's drank the money away and he owes them a horror movie. Grace, who has always dreamed of being a famous actress, is desperately trying to make it in the movie business. She gets her first big break in a horror flick, but there a few things unusual about this shoot. She and the rest of the cast will have to live in the house for the duration of the shoot, they aren't allowed to leave and will be recorded everywhere around the clock. Where does the movie begin and reality end? And, how far will Grace go to "make it"?

Condon has created a truly inventive story, taking common tropes from killer thrillers and exploitation cinema and putting a fresh spin on the standards. There is the classic psycho killer persona and a nice collection of young women. The story brings in elements of serial psychology and aspects of POV/CCTV that really grabs onto the whole guerilla filmmaking ideology. All blended in a storied span of comfortable and captivating cinematography.

"Incredible Violence" gets meta with all it's layered psychotica. At first I didn't think I would like the film. I expected it to fall apart and become a hot mess. Don't make that mistake when you set out to watch this movie. Condon does great at keeping the structure and continuity flowing. The acting varies from decent to great from scene to scene depending on the cast. Mostly I just became swept up in the story. That being said, there are a few moments that actions and dialog becomes clunky and muddled, but things rebound quickly. 

The horror and violence is full frontal for most of the film's edgy, thriller scenes. It is brutal, exploitative and celebratory. However the cruelty and coldness has purpose. It isn't just for the sake of showing some blood stained flesh. It is shown in contrast to the antagonist's motivation. We are watching a movie of a movie in the making. One in which budget concerns and ingenuity are always an issue. Even flaws are arguably intentional, artistic elements. And superficially the kill sequences look good and at times intense. 

Overall I enjoyed "Incredible Violence". It is creative and entertaining. The story is complex and complete. I found the characters to be fully developed, relatable characters instead of explotational fluff. The quality of the cinematography is nicely done considering the low-budget nature. The horror elements have purpose and maintain a gritty, affective quality. There are a few flaws but for the most part this is a indie horror worth checking out. (3.5/5)