Excision (2012)

by Frank Godbey Jr:

Synopsis:

AnnaLynne McCord stars in this odd horror flick as Pauline, a disturbed teenager who aspires to work in medicine and likes to dissect roadkill. The one person who understands Pauline is her little sister, who suffers from cystic fibrosis.

Review:

My wife and I do not shy away from disturbing, twisted, or sickening movies whether in the horror genre or not.  Listed as a horror movie, Excision is really a psychologically disturbing thriller… more emphasis on disturbing than thriller.  The quality of actors in this movie is quite impressive with the likes of Ray Wise, Malcolm McDowell, and John Waters… Traci Lords even did a great job in her role as the “bitchy” mom/wife.  The main character Pauline is physically, and socially immature.  She is disliked by nearly everyone in this movie other than her younger sister Grace.  As explained in the synopsis, Grace has Cystic Fibrosis and has treatments several times throughout the movie.  As her parent’s favorite, Grace does not play it up at all and is the only one who really tries to help her older sister out.  So there is a very real emotional bond with the two of them.  This leads to a VERY disturbing ending of the movie.  Pauline has some of the most “interesting” dreams… not too many ways to say it other than they are steeped in sexual depravity.  Granted, the dreams are normally very quick in nature and not as sexually charged as they could be.  However, they reveal a lot about the twisted mind of the girl.  The acting is very good and the story is an interesting take on Pauline’s MANY issues, but it is a little on the slow side at times.  If you are not put off by some of the “disturbing” content, you will probably like or even understand this movie.  I didn’t love it or hate it… more just curious and was unable to stop watching it.  I have seen more twisted and disturbing movies than this one.  As a matter of fact, some that made you feel you needed a shower afterwards.  If you watch the trailer, you will see some of the quirkiness in Pauline’s brain… but not much more.  I give it 2.5 stars and say that it wasn’t all that bad for what it is.  You be the judge.

Trailer:

[2012 NR 81 minutes]

DarkMedia contributing writer Frank Godbey loves the feeling of being scared to death and has the utmost respect for the old actors of the past who made an impact on the genre: Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., Bela Lugosi, and Vincent Price, to name a few. He also enjoys writing… whether it’s a post about a great horror movie or one of the many actors, directors, or horror genre authors. He has been writing a weekly post for The Horror Show Radio Blog for several months, and had his own horror blog for many years.  He looks forward to bringing you a true love of the horror genre in each and every post!  Check out his novel “Jonathan Hale: The First American Vampire“.