Over the past decade Fangoria, America’s number one horror magazine, has been releasing films under their label of the same name. In the past, some of them have been very corny, and easily can be classified as B movies. Now, they are stepping it up a notch, and are trying to rival the After Dark Films “Eight films to Die For” series by releasing eight films of their own, far better than the films they have released in the past on their Fangoria Frightfest label.
The first film on my agenda is Grimm Love. The film is inspired by a true story about a man who wants to eat another man. The bizarre thing is that the man who is being consumed is allowing it to happen. The story focuses on criminal psychology student Katie Armstrong (Keri Russell) who find herself studying the bizarre case of German cannibal Oliver Hartwin and Simon, the man he killed, as her college thesis. Simon allowed Oliver to kill him and eat him as an act of love and self-sacrifice. Simon has been looking for years for someone to kill him, and Oliver has been looking for the perfect victim. Both have experienced failed attempts when their previous contacts chickened out. However, now together through the use of the internet, they are able to meet and make it happen. Yet, as Katie gets deeper into her research, she uncovers a horrifying truth behind the case.
At first, the film moves very slowly as it tries to build character and story within the first forty minutes However, once everything is established, the story picks up and the drama begins to set in as the men carry out their twisted plan. I found myself to be more interested in the story of how the men’s lives were before and during their meeting and what would become of them both in the end. The scenes involving Katie doing her research and uncovering the truth behind the case took a back seat. It was almost as if she were an audience member uncovering the mystery for the first time.
The film has good production values, acting and some great special effects, although they are minimal. The film relies on the less-is-more method to shock the audience rather than throwing the gore in our faces. Although the film does move slow, towards the end, the film gets brutal, and the story even more shocking. It is a film where you walk a way from the ending with a bad taste in your mouth (if you’ll pardon the pun).
The DVD has a few special features such as director/producer commentary, deleted scenes and all eight trailers for the films of Fangoria Frightfest. Grimm Love is a film that starts off slowly and hits you with that one-two punch at the end. It’s a story that is brutal and gruesome without being too visually repulsive and relying more on its story less than on gore for shock value. Grimm Love is a very well-made film and worth checking out.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
