Writer-director-actor Joe Hollow dives deep into the horror realm in Flesh Of The Unforgiven. Jack (Hollow) is an author experiencing a severe bout of writer’s block. With a deadline fast approaching, he and his wife, Sienna (Debbie Rochon), go to a cottage to try and reset. However, Jack’s problem is his wife, as she cheated on him a little while back, and now she’s nagging him every second about his lack of affection. Jack keeps asking for time to get over it, but she doesn’t know how to take a hint. To be fair to Sienna, Jack is controlling, telling her point-blank that she won’t be working, despite how much they need the extra money. The only solace Jack finds is talking to the bartender at the local watering hole, his friend Michael (John E. McLenachan).
Things take a disturbing turn for the author and his estranged wife when a video cassette is received from Jack’s publisher for inspiration. The tape shows grisly images and scenes full of death and morbid occurrences. Livinia (Adriana Uchishiba) laughs and squeals around a blood-splattered wall. Vivienne (August Kyss) seems to be a BDSM temptress. Then, after the Death Dealer whispers about overcoming fear, Sienna wakes up. Was that a nightmare or part of the terrifying tape? If it were real, what does the Death Dealer want, and how does it tie into Jack’s book?
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“…after the Death Dealer whispers about overcoming fear, Sienna wakes up.”
With Flesh Of The Unforgiven, Hollow picks up the visual aptitude of the dearly departed Pearry Teo (the first Singaporean director to make a film in Hollywood; he focused on horror and was sadly only 44 when he passed). Like Teo, Hollow fills the frame with bizarre, off-putting, or macabre details that flesh out the world (no pun intended). Women flaying their own flesh off or a man in a metal mask straight out of a slasher film are highly detailed and creepy to witness. The lighting is also moody and atmospheric, even during the domestic squabble sequences. This way, everything feels slightly off-kilter, visually prepping all watching for the horror that lies in wait.
The problem with the film is, well, Sienna. Bear in mind, this has nothing to do with Rochon’s performance and everything to do with how the character acts and is written. For roughly 70% to 75% of the 88-minute film, the wife is a nagging shrew whom viewers hope dies sooner rather than later. She cheated, yet her husband didn’t instantly leave her. Now, she barges in on him while he’s writing, demanding sex. She constantly berates Jack over his writer’s block and has no respect for the boundaries he so clearly set. To be fair, repetition is part of the point, so her constant disrespect is sometimes a repeat of an earlier scene (it is complicated). But until certain things happen/are revealed, she is simply the worst and is very unlikable. This kills the drama between the husband and wife because audiences don’t care if they stay together.
Flesh Of The Unforgiven is rough around the edges, with some abrupt editing and an overall made-for-television look. But the horror-centric effects and make-up are a thing of beauty. The director fills the frame with freakish nightmare visions that are shocking and creepy. While the screenplay makes one of the leads so unlikable that the central relationship falls flat, there’s still a lot to enjoy about the plot. This is especially true of the last 10 minutes, as things get wild in the best way possible.
For more information, visit the Flesh Of The Unforgiven Facebook page.
"…picks up the visual aptitude of the dearly departed Pearry Teo."
