PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Flesh of the Unforgiven is a film about love, betrayal, pain, suffering and demons. If that sounds like something that is up your alley, read on for my thoughts on Flesh of the Unforgiven.
Synopsis
A novelist with writer’s block, Jack Russo (Hollow), travels to a secluded cabin in the mountains of Quebec with his estranged wife Sienna (Rochon). His aggressive and impatient agent gives him a 72-hour deadline to complete a treatment for his next best seller.
As he lacks inspiration, his agent seemingly sends him a VHS tape to view, thinking this will catapult his imagination. Jack becomes obsessed with this sick and disturbing tape, so much so that he soon gets pulled deeper and deeper into a state of phobia and hallucination until he can no longer identify reality.
Sienna tries desperately to pull him back to the real world and focus on his book and their fragile marriage. But her secrets are even more life-altering than the VHS tape as she traverses the boundaries between the mortal realm and the supernatural fray amidst the twisted games played by the Death Dealer and his manipulating legion of demons.
Flesh of the Unforgiven was written and directed by Joe Hollow. The film stars Joe Hollow, Debbie Rochon, August Kyss, Ariana Uchishiba, and Rachel Victoria Stone.
Flesh of the Unforgiven is a film that is rooted in love, betrayal and pain. We follow Jack and Sienna, a couple who has had a recent betrayal in their own marriage. Sienna has cheated on Jack with his best friend and it has left their marriage in shambles. Sienna pushes for forgiveness. Jack wants to forgive, but needs time. In addition to dealing with issues in his marriage, Jack has 3 days turn in a 2 page treatment for his next novel or he loses his publishing deal. Needless to say, Jack has a lot on his plate and that’s before he receives a mysterious and disturbing tape.
I really enjoyed the cast of characters here and the actors who play them. Debbie Rochon is great as always as Sienna. You can tell that Sienna yearns deeply for forgiveness but she doesn’t know how to give him time. Joe Hollow does solid work as Jack. We don’t really get a sense of who he is other than a betrayed husband. All his actions are motivated by the betrayal and strife in his marriage. I wish we were given more of a feel for who Jack is.
There were two actresses I was really excited to see in Flesh of the Unforgiven: August Kyss and Ariana Uchishiba. I had seen them in Paul Ragsdale and Angie De Alba’s Murdercise and really enjoyed them so I was happy to see them in another project. August Kyss’s Vivienne is a woman who has been cheated on as well who encounters Jack at the bar. Ariana Uchishiba’s Livinia is a servant of The Death Dealer. She’s sexy, seductive and has a Harley Quinn-esque laugh. I really enjoyed her character and wish we got to see more of her, maybe in a sequel?
I really liked the way the story played out and left you with a lot of questions. It in some ways reminded me of an independent horror version of Hellraiser, with the various demons and all. I would love to see a project where we get to know more about who the villains were in there life. I like how the film had a strong sense of mystery to it. It really kept you guessing on what was going on and what everyone’s motivations were.
Final Thoughts
Flesh of the Unforgiven plays out like a low budget take on the Hellraiser series and I’m not saying that in a bad way, just that it has that influence to it. There’s a lot of mystery to the story and I had a lot of fun with it. Recommended.
