Night of Something Strange | Film Review

night-of-something-strange-posterNight of Something Strange, the horror film written and directed by Jonathan Straiton, is an impressive cinematic work that stands out in the long list of horror genre films made in 2016. Clearly retro in style, this title relies on practical special effects (Colby Flinchum), tons of splatter but also humor, hilarious gimmicks, and above all, disgust, with the aim of putting the viewer in an uproar.

In the film, a strange, sexually transmitted virus is the cause of the transformation of some boys into monstrous, violent beings. Cornelius (Wayne W. Johnson) works as a cleaner in a hospital. His need to satisfy his sexual cravings with the cold, lifeless body of a girl will cause him to go through a slow transformation into a very sexually inclined zombie. Paying the price will be a group of friends organized for a beach vacation. A stop at a motel to spend the night will prove fatal for them.

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Wayne W. Johnson

The plot might bring to mind movies like Contracted o It Follows (because of the way contagion occurs) but this is not the case. In Straiton's film, physical pleasure, in addition to being a common factor in both the world of the living and the dead, in some ways harks back to some of Frank Henenlotter's films such as Brain Damage o Bad Biology, flanked by small, short tributes to The House by Sam Raimi and to The Thing by John Carpenter. The turn the story takes, however, is very personal, peppered with horrors, perverse pleasure, dismemberment, and plenty of raunchy humor.

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Nicholas Fiore

In Night of Something Strange relies on all those situations that might annoy the most varied audiences and which have been depicted here in a very comprehensive manner: from the initial necrophilia scene to rapes, swallowed tampax, vomits, ripped private parts, kicking or head into the vagina, the accidental "encounter" in the dark, and the various copious bodily fluids leaking from any part of the body. This list might seem like a spoiler, yet the immense and deviant horror spectacle this film offers is unimaginable and above all astounding.

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Trey Harrison

Naughty, heinous, funny and disturbing, Night of Something Strange captures the viewer from the very first minute and pulls him or her into a whirlwind of mad, sick visual pleasure. A magnificent directorial effort for Jonathan Straiton, who has employed a very capable crew and cast for this spectacular film.
Recall that the screenplay was co-written by Straiton and Ron Bonk, the director of She Kills, another film that focuses heavily on sexuality.
The acting performance of the cast is also impeccable. All the actors, well cast in their characters, remain imprinted: Wayne W. Johnson (Cornelius), Nicola Fiore (Pam), Toni Ann Gambale (Carrie), Kera O'Bryon (Sue), Trey Harrison (Dirk), Michael Merchant (Freddy)...
Remarkable soundtrack (by Paul Amos) that maintains serious tones even in sequences steeped in humor.

Also in the cast are Rebecca C. Kasek, John Walsh, Tarrence Taylor, Janet Mayson, Kirk LaSalle, Billy Garberina, Al Lawler, Wes Reid, and Brinke Stevens. The film is produced by John M Clark, Brie Straiton, Kirk LaSalle and Ron Bonk.

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Janet Mayson

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Barbara Torretti
Barbara Torretti
Editor and moderator of the DarkVeins community. Passionate about horror cinema, I also do reviews and interviews pertaining to the film, music and art circuit.

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