- Rev Horror
My Master Satan 3
Dir. Dakota Ray (2015)
A group of serial killer friends get together to drop acid, see the devil, and do his bidding.
CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.
I've been fortunate enough to review many movies that have been sent to me, and I've gotten to see some real treasures. I'm a huge fan of horror comedies, and, when done right, I would say it's right up there with my favorite sub-genres. It's incredibly hard to pull off, because you have to have the right amount of humor, the right amount of violence, and the right amount of horror. You also have to make sure that all three fit the tone of the film. With My Master Satan: 3 Tales Of Drug Fueled Violence, some of this is hit, while other pieces miss by a mile.
I'm a big supporter of indie film, and I think that it's a great forum for people to say things that they have to say in a manner in which other people can partake of their vision. I think the biggest miss of this film is that it doesn't really have much to say. There's not really a plot, but that in and of itself is ok. This movie is very much in the vein of the August Underground movies (which I still need to rewatch and review again), but there are a few pieces missing that keep it from attaining such height and popularity.
Three stories combined into one, My Master Satan expands on first-time director Dakota Bailey's earlier short film, which occupies most of the first part of the film. Three serial killer friends trip acid and see Satan, and they decide to let his philosophy determine their actions. They decide that man is the real devil, and their actions follow suit. There are several animal deaths in the film, none of them particularly real looking, as cuts away from the camera allow for the removal of the animal from danger.
And that's really the best characterization of this film. It's sort of a lower budget, non-gory August Underground. Unfortunately, AU was only worthwhile because of the gore and special effects. The degraded video of My Master Satan certainly lends the film an air of authenticity, and I think that with some more experience and money, these filmmakers could do a lot more. The ideas are there, and there's a good rapport between the actors (who are all friends in real life.)
I think the lack of gore was a mistake to a certain extent, as was the absolutely horrendous film quality (which, to be fair, the filmmakers warned me about). It becomes difficult to even hear throughout most of the film, as some of the volume is plenty loud (including the thrash death metal, which fit the film very well), while some of the dialogue is almost nonexistent, taking the viewer out of the plot and disturbing some of the immersion. The film could greatly benefit from a re-record and dubbing of the audio. I think that, in the future, Bailey should remember that the film quality present in this flick hides a lot of sins, but you still have to attempt them. There's very little gore, largely because almost nothing happens on-screen. And hey, I get it. This is a tiny indie film, it's never going to look like a Hollywood production. But you have to try. I'd rather the gore not look all that great than to be completely nonexistent, because the depravity is a lot of what films like this have going for them.
Overall, it was a good effort, and I do think that there will be some good things coming from this team in the future. This has the air of a first movie, and one that you'll look back on and wonder how it came from the same place. Not a bad film, and definitely worth a look for people that are into trashy flicks and low-to-no-budget indie films. You can check out their website, and see the trailer on YouTube.
Who this movie is for: No-budget indie fans, Anthology film lovers, Acid trippers
Bottom Line: There's some hints of good things here, and I think that first-time director Dakota Bailey has a bright future. This one is definitely worth watching for connoisseurs of trashy cinema and all things indie, but it is severely hampered by difficult-to-parse audio and a lack of gory scenes.
