“THE CURSE OF LIZZIE BORDEN” (2006)

Starring: Danielle DeLuca, Randal Malone, Jed Rowen & Monte Hunter
Written by Jeremiah Campbell (screenplay) & David Sterling (story)
Directed by Ford Austin

Polly Staffle Rating ***

Lizzie Borden was framed. Or at least that’s what her ghost is claiming. Though she was acquitted of murdering her father and stepmother, her guilt has always been questioned since that fateful day of August 4, 1892. The murders she was accused of were never solved and Borden, constantly seen as guilty and harassed by society, went to her grave with a tarnished image. People even wrote a goofy jump-rope rhyme about Lizzie giving her mother 40 whacks and her father 41, which turns out is a lie as Pops only got eleven gashes and Step-Mom took two less.

Have no fear Lizzie Borden supporters. She’s back to set the record straight about everything and is extremely pissed off in “The Curse of Lizzie Borden.” Lizzie isn’t scoping out golf courses in search of the real killers though. She’s simply possessing able bodies to chop up any and everyone she can. Evidently the best way to prove you aren’t a cold blooded killer is by committing mass murder. Don’t get any ideas just yet O.J. because I’m not so sure it turns out the way Lizzie hoped it would.

Produced by low budget horror guru David Sterling, the director’s cut of “The Curse of Lizzie Borden” is extremely reminiscent of gore films from the 60’s. Director Ford Austin, a descendent of the father of Texas Stephen F. Austin, somehow taps into the vibe of these older films. That’s something Herschell Gordon Lewis himself hasn’t been able to do. It’s really hard to try and place a finger on where Austin succeeded and “Blood Feast 2: All You Can Eat” failed. Sure, there’s blood. Lots of it. Many times it’s splashing all over the place, soaking everything like water at a wet t-shirt contest. But that’s simply not enough. There’s also a subtle warped sense of humor thoughout the film. That isn’t enough either. There are other things that seem straight of the older works of Lewis such as a weird little museum dedicated to Borden with an even weirder owner. In fact, the only thing missing from the equation are elaborate and drawn out gore scenes. Like I said, you get blood, you just don’t the overload of guts. But you do get a few quick doses like a decapitated head or two and intestines hanging out of a belly.

Intentionally or not, somehow the overall spirit of yesteryear’s blood feasts are here. That’s why I can’t help but love this release by Razor Digital. A quick watch at 82 minutes, “The Curse of Lizzie Borden” isn’t the most original or best made horror film you’ll see, but on the entertainment scale it rates rather high.

The story follows Cassy (Danielle DeLuca) and her new found obsession with Lizzie Borden. After initially learning about the legend in a summer class on folklore, something seems to click inside Cassy. She actually even starts to see visions and dreams of the murders. The class then visits the mysterious museum Maplecroft, which was named after the estate Borden purchased with her inheritance. While on their field trip, Cassy admits to admiring Borden because “she got away with murder.”

Museum owner and operator Josiah Moody (Randal Malone) doesn’t help Cassy’s newfound interest. Turns out the museum is actually his home and he invites Cassy to move in so she can work as a tour guide decked out with clothes from the late 1800’s, jewelry that belonged to Borden and an axe. The plan is to turn the place into a haunted house for Halloween to attract tourist. Now on paper you might question Josiah’s intentions and think he is just trying to seduce the young blonde. But don’t worry, his objective is pure. Well, as pure as any creepy entrepreneur that is infatuated with death can be. The distant relative of Borden, Josiah is actually a little on the flamboyant side. Think Dr. Frank-N-Furter (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) meets Fuad Ramses (“Blood Feast”) with the style of Bobby Trendy (“The Anna Nicole Show”) and you’ll get a better picture of this guy.

Cassy, of course, starts to take her job at the museum a bit too seriously. She either consciously transforms herself into the infamous alleged axe murderess or is actually possessed by her ghost. Cassy’s speech begins to change and she starts to believe she truly is Borden. The body count stacks up and the blood spills every where.

Like the classics gore films of days gone by, “The Curse of Lizzie Borden” isn’t really suspenseful. You know who the killer is from the get go even though the DVD’s synopsis would have you believe otherwise as it raises the question, “Is some madman killing off all (Cassy’s) friends?” Don’t worry, this review spoils nothing. Who needs any sort of tension or surprises when the film is crammed with fake death scenes full of cheesy special effects and has a plot that comes secondary to the exploitation of violence and women in skimpy outfits anyway?

Probably the most surprising thing about this movie is the acting is better than most films of this budget. When you take into an account “The Curse of Lizzie Borden” director and cinematographer is an actor himself that’s been around since the early 90’s, it shouldn’t really be a surprise that he knows how to pull decent performances out of his players. But after watching so many horribly acted films, it is.

Leading the cast is newcomer Danielle DeLuca. She’s definitely an actress that should be taken notice of. Her upcoming projects include “Psychon Invaders” and “Zombie Farm,” which supposedly used 50 gallons of blood during its filming. So expect more good things to come in her future. Reminiscent of a cross between Long Island lolita Amy Fisher and Jennie Garth of “Beverly Hills 90210,” DeLuca plays the role of Cassy as though she’s auditioning for a Paul Haggis film. There’s no goofing about or hamming it up. She’s all business and sometimes a movie like this needs that backbone to see it through. Perhaps that is the key ingredient to making this production work. The actors took their roles seriously and none of the quirkiness of the film seems forced. Like most of the gems released by Something Weird Video, I don’t think this film was created with the intention of being campy. It just is.

- CCF, November 2006