VENOM

Thirteen damned souls, trapped in thirteen snakes, accidentally possess the body of an unlucky gas station manager, who will soon transform into Mr. Jangles, a sort of zombie with great powers linked to Voodoo magic. A group of teenagers will find themselves unwillingly involved in the affair and will be forced first to flee and then to confront the threat that is hunting them down. "Venom" is a 2005 film produced and distributed in Italy exclusively for the home video market by Buena Vista. With a short runtime (only 83 minutes), it is set in a small town in Louisiana between the countryside and evocative swamps, and focuses on Voodoo practices, brought back to the audience's attention by the success of the thriller "The Skeleton Key," blending them with the classic structure of a young American slasher film. What stands out most in "Venom" at first glance are the evocative atmospheres and the captivating locations, used to their full horrific potential. Additionally, the direction by Jim Gillespie ("I Know What You Did Last Summer"; "D-Tox") is truly brilliant in some scenes, and the film does not skimp on pace and some good scenes bordering on splatter. The cast seems well-chosen, featuring young actors with prior experience: the beautiful lead actress Agnes Bruckner has already been noticed in some episodes of the TV series "24" and in the cinema with the thriller "Formula for a Murder" and the horror "The Mystery of the Woods"; Jonathan Jackson, seen in "Insomnia" and "Dirty Dancing 2"; Bijou Phillips, whom we will see in "Hostel 2"; and Laura Ramsey in the upcoming "The Covenant". Standing out for a strong presence on screen is the oldest of them all, Rick Cramer (the villain of the film), who is in the cast of the upcoming "Resident Evil Extinction." Despite this, overall the film lacks tension, fails to sufficiently keep the viewer glued to their seat, and the action scenes are weak and unremarkable; in fact, the panic scenes are so numerous that they become intrusive: too many screams throughout the film that end up being truly annoying. This film brings to mind, in addition to the already mentioned "The Skeleton Key," the legendary "Duel" by Steven Spielberg, for the similarity between the tow truck used by the boogeyman in the film and the truck brought to the screen by Spielberg. Recommended for those who want to spend a couple of hours of relaxed entertainment, especially teenagers! Fun and without pretensions.