American Mary

Dir: Soska sisters, Sylvia Soska, Jen Soska

2012

***

In American Mary the Soska sisters have opened up a relatively new sub-genre in horror. In many respects it's not even a horror but more of a crime thriller, with a little bit of revenge thrown in for good measure. It's roots are certainly from the exploitation era but it's far more stylish and glossy to be classed as a modern b-movie. It's somewhat of a breath of fresh air really, although horror fans will still certainly enjoy it. It's not as gory as I'd expected it to be, it quite sensibly leaves plenty for the imagination and concentrates on the story, rather than scares or blood. Sylvia and Jen Soska clearly have a unique style to their work which is both eerie and quirky but extremely watchable. Katharine Isabelle brings a lot to the film, it really is a success thanks to her convincing performance. Tristan Risk is also quite brilliant as Beatress Johnson, a dancer who has undergone vast amounts of plastic surgery to resemble the 1930's cartoon character Betty Boop. Unfortunately almost every other performance is a let down, apart from a very creepy cameo from the Soska sisters themselves. I really liked the story but it does meander somewhat in the second half, tarnishing the great momentum the film had established. I liked it very much but it's only two-thirds of a film and I'm still not sure I loved the conclusion as it is somewhat of an anti-climax. Certainly worth a watch though and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Johnson, Risk and the sisters Soska.