Movie Review (2017): ‘The Song of Solomon’

So the other day I go out to my mailbox and find, amidst the rubbish (namely, bills), a package containing a Blu-ray. Oh, wonder what this could be? Opening it, I was greeted by the pleasant sight of a screener copy of the third entry in the American Guinea Pig series, The Song of Solomon, an entry I’ve been looking forward to seeing, and which has been getting a lot of great press. So, does it live up to the hype?

Watch the trailer here.

Following the death of her father (Writer/Director/Executive Producer Stephen Biro), Mary (Jessica Cameron) begins exhibiting strange behavior. When it looks to be caused by demonic possession, the Catholic Church sends several priests in to perform an exorcism. But when each one fails, it becomes apparent the church has ulterior motives…

Much of the praise heaped upon The Song of Solomon concerns the special effects. Provided by effects wizards Marcus Koch and Jerami Cruise, the effects are certainly top notch and worth their weight in gold. From regurgitated guts to melting flesh, from Cuban Neckties to violent births, The Song of Solomon is certain to sprout wood in the shorts of any and all gorehounds.

But gore effects alone do not make a good film. So how does the rest of The Song of Solomon hold up? A bit of a mixed bag, really. Most of the acting is serviceable and does what is needed; however, Jessica Cameron and Jim Vanbebber, who plays Father Blake, deserve special mention since they are the two stand-outs here. Cameron’s Mary eschews over-the-top antics in favor of a subdued performance—no spewing of green soup or levitating here—which brings a greater creep factor to the proceedings. Jim Vanbebber’s Father Blake brings a “been there, done that” weariness to the role, showing a great contrast to his fellow priests who all seem still full of love and light. While the rest of the actors/actresses aren’t terrible by any means, their performances lack any sort of edge or personality.

While the story and the way it develops is certainly interesting—I won’t go into it here, as I don’t want to give anything away—the execution is lacking. Simply put, I wanted more… more about the articles used in the exorcisms, more about certain characters (especially Father Blake and Father Corbin, played by Gene Palubicki), more about the Church’s reasonings and more about Mary’s past and her relationship with her father. However, this can’t be faulted to Biro and Co. but to the realities of budgetary constraints. Maybe someday we’ll get a movie or a book going into those aspects.

Despite these shortcomings, however, The Song of Solomon is a worthy addition to the American Guinea Pig series, to the catalogue of Unearthed Films, and to the video libraries of gorehounds everywhere.