Wowowow this is the most thrilling movie event, for me(so far), of 2019 as I am an avid Larry Fessenden fan. Fessenden is the single and only master of indie horror and though he produces a lot of films, when his directing voice is heard it's a powerful one. With some of the most technically sound films in the genre, Depraved does not stray away from this. Depraved is immensely well edited. It is also directed in a masterful manner. One can say this is a masterpiece within IFC midnight releases and is their biggest release since the Babadook or Maniac, tho I'm actually kinda surprised Larry went this route. The film follows the story of Henry who creates and brings to life an artificial being in a Brooklyn loft. The casting is great and the acting is superb. You can tell all these actors knew they were in the presence of a master filmmaker. Besides, many actors involved have worked with Larry in the past including some of his good friends like James Le Gros and John Speradakos. Even Larry himself is in the movie(as expected) as well as his son, Jack. Joshua Leonard is one of my favorite actors in the genre and he kills it as always as Polidori. Like all of Fessenden's films, this movie is much more of a character piece than a straight out horror movie. The character development is rich, deep, fluffy, and personal. So much of the tension is provided thru confrontational situations, mixed signal decision making, and strikingly tense dialog and they are all mastered here. Back to the editing, this movie has ZERO editing flaws and for someone like me who aspires to make their first horror film, am looking for any and all flaws while I examine every frame like a Scorpio horror fanatic would. This film is truly perfect for what it is and top shelf in its genre. The ONLY thing I wish is that there was a little more blood and gore. I totally understand this is a major art piece. More so than many indie films that have come along in some time, however, I still think there was a little more room for some more bloody horror elements. BUT, regardless it is still amazing and I'm very pleased with Fessenden's latest work since 2013. Maybe not his very best work but definitely on the same level as his others but this time with a bit more care and effort maybe. You can see the maturity of Fessenden as he grows uncontrollably older with the rest of us and it feels good to have finally heard what he had to say this year. A benchmark in indie cinema and one for the ages
Review of Depraved
