Allegoria: Shock Rock to Film
It’s interesting to see how folks from other creative disciplines fare when they make the jump to film. Maybe it’s no surprise that novelists like Clive Barker and William Peter Blatty made auspicious transitions to directing features (both had screenplay experience), as narrative storytelling was already flowing through their veins.
Then you have guys known for their influential FX work getting cozy in the director’s chair. Tom Savini gave us the solid remake of Night of the Living Dead. Gabe Bartalos graced us with the wonderfully weird worlds of Skinned Deep and Saint Bernard. And while your mileage may vary, Kevin Yagher’s Hellraiser: Bloodline remains a high point in a mostly abysmal series.
Interesting, then, how this transition is often less favorable for folks coming to film from a musical background. Think about Rob Zombie’s long and tortured road to the god-awful House of 1000 Corpses, or Glenn Danzig’s inept stab at anthology horror, Verotika. Gawk at Marilyn Manson’s cringeworthy “acting” in Let Me Make You a Martyr. And the less said about the Insane Clown Posse-starring gangster parody, Big Money Hustla$, the better.
That said, Zombie has evolved into a confident ambassador to the genre since his 2003 feature debut, and I’m honestly curious to witness Danzig’s Verotika follow-up, Death Rider in the House of Vampires.
So maybe my expectations toward inaugural features by well-known shock-rockers were tempered going into Allegoria, Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One’s foray into anthology horror.
Shaking the Stigma
The surprise is that Allegoria starts out “pretty good” but is “really good” by the time the end credits roll.
While Zombie’s debut was a shrill, vulgar exercise in style and ‘70s nostalgia, and Danzig’s film was an ego-stroking parade of tits, blood, and bad acting, One makes a valiant attempt to not only shake off the “musicians can’t make good movies” stigma, but also defies the urge to revel in a parade of numbing excess.
What I’m saying is: Allegoria isn’t good in the mocking, “future-midnight-movie” sense. It’s unironically good.
Tying it All Together
This anthology not only has the good sense to run 70 minutes, but makes an effort to tie its stories together (remember those days, before The ABCs of Death and V/H/S series garnered unwarranted praise?).
First up, a group of aspiring actors are tormented into releasing their inner “monster” by a tyrannical acting coach (the magnificently Toni Erdmann-esque John Ennis). Next, a conceited painter (Bryce Johnson) is confronted by the mirror image of his internal ugliness. A screenwriter (Edward Hong) falls victim to the impact of his words. An awkward date becomes a springboard into a deadly conversation about the nature of art. And, finally, a punk girl (Josephine Chang) is given a configuration of musical notes that may (or may not) conjure an unspeakable evil.
Subtly Impactful
One shows a refreshing eye for composition, set design, and lighting – he makes a virtue of his obviously low budget, crafting scenes that are more interested in generating suspense and atmosphere than being gory blowouts. Allegoria exhibits a patient build-up to its individual crescendos and ties them all together with a subtly impactful finale.
Maybe most impressive is how One sticks the landing in terms of his thesis: with each segment revolving around art, he doesn’t succumb to the pretension of biting off more than he can chew. Instead, he nails certain truths about the nature of creativity and creation itself. While it may not be a Charlie Kaufman level of meta-commentary, I admire the effort all the same.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Allegoria is currently streaming on Shudder.
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Jonny Numb
Jonny Numb (aka Jonathan Weidler) only disrobes before writing a review. He co-hosts The Last Knock horror podcast and occasionally pops up on Movies Films & Flix. His writing on non-horror cinema can be found periodically at The Screening Space.
THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast is a Crash Palace Productions’ featured show. Besides this site, you can find THE LAST KNOCK on iTunes and Spotify and more, with new shows posted every other Sunday at 9 PM ET.
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(Allegoria movie still from OneFox Productions.)