PopHorror Let's Get Scared
As a fan of extreme horror, I am always chomping at the bit for the next release from Unearthed Films. The announcement of their acquirement of Adrian Corona’s 2017 film, Dis, was no different, leaving me counting the days until it would be available for its 2019 release date. So imagine my excitement when I was given an early screener of the film!
Starring Circus of the Dead’s Bill Oberst, Jr. (read our interview with him here) as Ariel, a veteran living in the woods in complete solitude, Dis is about demons… not just the demons that live in us due to traumatic experiences or demons in general, but an actual demon. In Ariel’s own descent into hell, this demon must collect the seed (just a fancy word for cum) and blood of killers and the damned to feed his mandrake garden. What is a mandrake? Thanks to Wikipedia: “A mandrake is the root of a plant, historically derived either from plants of the genus Mandragora found in the Mediterranean region… The plants from which the root is obtained are also called ‘mandrakes.’” The only other time I have heard of a mandrake is in Harry Potter. And this is definitely NOT Harry Potter. Intertwined with the present day that shows Ariel’s life are flashbacks that show us that he really isn’t a good guy. In fact, he’s a dick. The film barely runs 60 minutes, so I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that the satisfying climax gives Ariel what he probably deserves based on those flashbacks, and it’s not pretty or nice.
Dis, written and directed by Adrian Corona (Nariz Ioca), is dark, dismal, and depressing, and that’s totally okay because that is what I knew it was going to be when I decided to watch this film. It’s got great torture scenes and plenty of blood spill with fantastic practical effects. It’s also got more jizz than most porn films and a gratifying penis biting scene. There is absolutely no dialogue for the first 20 minutes, which adds to the feeling of loneliness that radiates off the screen.
I once again applaud Unearthed Films for a solid addition to their ever-growing library. I look forward to what else Corona has in store for us.
You can read another PopHorror writer’s thoughts on Dis here.
