Every so often, I
become intrigued (and slightly obsessed) with an upcoming film release. It only happens occasionally; I become
fanatical about reading absolutely everything I can find on this film, I watch
every clip and trailer I can manage to conjure up on the Holy Grail that is the
Internet, and I pore over a plethora of film stills. My latest obsession? ‘Excision’.
Based on an
eighteen-minute short film, this is director Richard Bates Jr.’s first foray
into the world of feature films.
‘Excision’ provoked plenty of discussion on the indie circuit during
2012 as well as sparking a whole lot of interest on dedicated horror
websites. And, like many of my fellow
critics, I feel that this isn’t exactly a typical horror film. It is almost in a whole genre of its’
own.
AnnaLynne McCord, who
you may know as snarky Naomi from ‘90210’ plays tormented teenager Pauline,
obsessed with becoming a surgeon while leading a life of solitude as an
outcast. She maintains a toxic
relationship with her mother (played by ex-porn queen Traci Lords) and hardly
even notices her quietly-suffering father (Roger Bart). The only person she truly holds any feelings
of love for is her younger sister Grace, played by Ariel Winter of ‘Modern
Family’ fame. Grace is plagued with
cystic fibrosis and the whole family is focused on her wellbeing without
noticing Pauline’s descent into deep psychosis.
When Grace’s health takes a turn for the worst, Pauline can only take
matters into her own hands – whether it makes sense or not.
The film is insane
yet sane, intense yet melancholy, disgusting yet beautiful. Pauline’s bizarre exterior actually makes a
lot of sense and her dark fantasies, while extremely disturbing, help us to
understand her strange, lonesome existence.
Yes, there are definitive horror elements to ‘Excision’ (particularly,
some rather bloody fantasy scenes that combine body parts, sex and
abortions). But the film’s underlying
themes of family and the hardships of teenage life are what set it apart from
the likes of the sex-obsessed gore-porn movies of this generation. Pauline is twisted but it seems like she does
truly want acceptance. McCord is
brilliant in this and whatever preconceived notions you have of her (thanks to
‘90210’), don’t let them stop you from viewing ‘Excision’. Some nifty cameos from Malcolm McDowell and
John Waters make this film the complete package.
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