The Chair | Movie Review

The-Chair-Chad-FerrinIt comes to our attention for a preview review, The Chair (USA-2015), the thriller/horror/drama directed by Chad Ferrin. The film is based on the graphic novel of the same name published by Alterna Comics in 2008. The graphic novel is written by Peter Simeti, who did the drawings along with Kevin Christensen and Erin Kohut.

The story of The Chair takes place exclusively in a maximum-security prison and specifically, on death row. The first shots capture Bill Oberst Jr., known to most as the "King of Independent Cinema," here as a sadistic prison warden who enjoys torturing prisoners in his private room.

chairHis accomplices are the guards (most notably the heartless Murphy played by the late Roddy Piper) who waste no time in inflicting pain on prison victims. Among the convicts, lifer Richard Sullivan (Timothy Muskatell) watches helplessly as his cell mates are tortured daily.

Strong script and direction, The Chair depicts a chilling experience inside death row, where murderers, rapists and pedophiles succumb to become victims.

the-chair
Bill Oberst Jr. and Timothy Muskatell

The horror committed by the guards and warden of the prison facility is so sharp and penetrating that it conceals from the viewer why the inmates are in that place that has now become their personal hell. Watchmen are transformed into ferocious executioners, into angels of death, in the eyes of those who once were guilty of horrendous crimes.

In The Chair the chilling interchange of roles is well constructed, then bolstered by important flashbacks that expose the darker, hidden souls of the inmates and particularly that of protagonist Richard Sullivan (commendable performance by Timothy Muskatell), for a complete psychological picture of his character.
The Chair is a glimpse of horror in which everyone (no matter if criminal or not), in their own way, is a monster. In Chad Ferrin's film work, in fact, everyone is guilty of abominable crimes, so it is difficult to determine, among them, who is the real victim.

the-chairIn the film, it is impossible not to surrender to its heavy atmosphere, made even more suffocating not only by the location but also by the gloomy and icy cinematography (Christian Janss). It is in this terrifying context that the viewer witnesses a violent spectacle stripped of any form of mercy. Between truncheons, amputated and skewered bodies, battered, sexually abused and a good dose of psychological violence, The Chair is a clear depiction of a troubled, violent, and emotionless story to the end.

The performance of the actors is excellent. Bill Oberst Jr's, in his sadistic psychopathic outfit, is memorable. Not least those of Timothy Muskatell and Roddy Piper (They Live), two actors completely cast in their roles. Zach Galligan (the star of Gremlins), here as one of the unscrupulous guards, does not go unnoticed either. In this regard we also mention the relevant performance of Naomi Grossman, who in Chad Ferrin's film is Sullivan's wicked hysterical mother (in flashbacks related to her childhood).

Also in the cast are Kyle Hester, Derrick Damions, Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Ezra Buzzington (The Hills Have Eyes - 2006), Kin Shriner, Noah Hathaway (the Atreyu from The Neverending Story), Susan Eisenberg, Jacob Banser, John Siciliano, Robert Rhine, Jack Delyra, Tomas Boykin, Zebadiah DeVane, Harley Burks, Joe Laurinaitis and Christian Hutcherson, Michael Berthold, Brent Anthony, Andrew Marheineke, and Zebadiah DeVane.
In the film, Joseph Pilato (Day of the Zombies) is also featured in a cameo.

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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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