Throughout the 1990’s, independent horror films were a dime a dozen. Most of these efforts fall into two categories: (1) Life-long horror fans who want to be the next George Romero, produce and direct shoe-string budget movies (usually out of their own pocket) with tons of fake blood and absolutely no talent. (2) Unimaginative, sanitized movies shot directly for video like the LEPRACHAUN series, or KING COBRA (These cliched productions usually show up on the Trimark, A-Pix, or Sterling labels). Very rarely does a modern independent horror film show respect for the audience while at same time paying tribute to the masters. Enter young director Dante Tomaselli who wrote, produced, and directed his first film, which is patterned after the European horror films of yesteryear. Everything about DESCRATION oozes with Euro-horror trappings, including the script, the visuals, the cast, and even the cover artwork. If you were to see this on a shelf at your local DVD store, you might think this is an Italian import from the mid-seventies. It is a rare treat, indeed, that in today’s world of the direct-to-video quickies, you discover a refreshing exception to the rules of independent horror.

Like a typical independent horror film, Tomaselli recruits a combination of family members, genre veterans, and unknowns. Probably the best performance in the film goes to Irma St. Paul (of THINNER fame) as Grandma Mathilda. Danny Lopes plays her teenage grandson Bobby Rullo, a kid with a secret. Salvatore (JOE’S APARTMENT) Piro is Bobby’s father, Mr. Rullo. Vincent Lamberti is Brother Nicholas, who keeps a sharp eye of Danny’s behavior. Christine Sanford plays the dual role of Mrs. Rullo and the possessed Sister Madeline.

The story revolves around teenager Bobby Rullo, whose mother died mysteriously when he was a youngster. His hyperventilating grandmother (St. Paul) and father (Piro) raised Bobby, and placed him in Catholic School when he was old enough. It seems his mother was involved with something strangely evil that condemned her to the netherword, so the safest place for her son would be in a Catholic surrounding.

One afternoon, Bobby flies his remote-control model plane over the Church grounds. Mysteriously, he loses control of the mini-plane, and it goes careening straight into the face of Sister Madeline (Sanford). The toy plane’s propeller acts as a buzzsaw, which cuts her face to ribbons. Sadly, Sister Madeline does not survive the ordeal. Her death releases the spirit of Danny’s mother from beyond, and her malevolent presence possesses the dead body of Sister Madeline. When Bobby’s religious grandmother hears about the incident, she knows that her grandson in danger, and she vows to help him. The possessed Sister Madeline embarks on a murder spree that horrifies and confounds Danny, as he is the only person who can see her.

From here on in, the film looses all sense of conventional plot. Instead, Dante Tomaselli’s uses his stylish visuals, special effects, and theatrical flair to mesmerize the viewer. In this he succeeds; Tomaselli paints a surreal canvas of hallucinatory imagery. His visuals instill a sense of fear and dread into an independent effort not seen since A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Tomaselli admits to purposely not providing a cohesive narrative, thus allowing the viewers to draw their own conclusions. Therein lies DESECRATION’s one major flaw.

While I perfectly understand the use of hallucinatory and nightmare sequences in horror films, they should be used to further the story line or plot. They should not become the storyline. Stylish as these scenes may be, they go on way too long, and without any explanation. You could easily cut out the last hour of DESCRATION and re-edit the scenes in any combination you like, and it would not impact the presentation one bit. Story first, continuity second, visual style and special effects last. The film’s final moments are rather ambiguous, and we have seen this fadeout countless times in horror films (it’s lost its shock value a long time ago).

Tomaselli cites Dario Argento as one of his main influences, and certainly Tomaselli uses atmospheric and disturbing visuals much like his mentor. Argento patterned his own career after that of Alfred Hitchcock. Both Argento and Hitchcock first start with a solid script, and wrap their cinematic styles around the storyline and concepts they establish in the plot. Hopefully, Tomaselli will follow in the footsteps of his role models in the area of script development, and provide some characters we can care about. It’s hard to care about a character when you are not sure if they are illusion or reality within the film itself.

Other enjoyable things about DESECRATION are the performance of Irma St. Paul as Grandma. She should be credited not only for her acting performance, but for also having to endure a very physical role and heavy special effects makeup. I wouldn’t want my grandmother to endure the things Irma St. Paul went through! The production designer and art director should also be mentioned as ‘stars’ of the film, for the stellar work they turn in. Tomaselli filmed DESECRATION on the grounds of a Catholic School that looks like a gothic European mansion. All things considered, DESECRATION is a strong debut from a first-time filmmaker, Dante Tomaselli.

SIGHT

Image presents the film in the original theatrical ratio of 1.85.1. Overall, they produced a satisfying transfer with a few problems. The biggest problem is that DESCRATION was filmed in Super 16mm, which results in an unusually large amount of grain that is highly noticeable on this DVD. There are also some speckles and imperfections (most likely from the source print) and occasional softness. But these problems do not distract from Tomaselli’s strengths: Style and moody visuals. Tomaselli’s production designer and art director should get a medal. Right from the sepia-toned opening sequence, the image is filled with meticulous lighting and detail which goes far in establishing a mood. All the dream and hallucinatory sequences are oozing with flair and style. The special effects sequences are expertly executed, and some will leave you crinching (such as the possessed scissors scene). All of this is wonderfully rendered in the cinematography. The exterior daylight visuals are bright and clear, which contrasts the dark and claustrophobic scenes that make up the bulk of DESCRATION. A very good widescreen transfer from the folks at Image.

SOUND

Audio is a superior Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix. Though the soundtrack does not have the rich sound textures that a 5.1 field provides, this DD 2.0 mix comes very close. The sound field consists mostly of weird ambiance, horror-themed sound effects, sinister scoring, and minimal dialog. The mix has CD-like fidelity, which belies the film’s budget. Though continual surround activity is limited, that is not the goal. To provide the proper scary sound effects and ambiance to match Tomaselli’s surreal visuals is the goal (which is achieved). The sound field is crystal clear with no pops, hiss, dropouts, or distortion. The dialog comes from the center channel speaker and is well balanced in the mix, though I had a problem with some of the dialog from the unknown actors. The bass provides some solid (though never overpowering) low end audio. The score by Mike Tomaselli is heavily synth driven and provides a grim tone for the film. Also heard are tinges of Church organ music. The gothic music is well balanced with the other sound elements, and is a highlight of the film. A solid acoustic effort by Image.

FEATURES

CONCLUSION

Despite the flaws, DESECRATION is still heads above contemporary independent horror releases. Dante Tomaselli proves he’s got what it takes to be a successful filmmaker, and I’m looking forward to his future projects. Hopefully, he’ll be working from a more linear script. Tomaselli perfectly captures the vibe of those obscure European "possessed nun" films like Bruno Mattei’s THE OTHER HELL. You’d never guess that DESCRATION was filmed in New Jersey! Image’s DVD is up to snuff, and could only be improved with the addition of supplements (where is the trailer or a commentary track with the director?). I guess we’ll have to wait until Tomaselli’s next film comes out.

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