Verotika is a 2019 American anthology horror film written by Glenn Danzig, Bridgid Ryan, and Greg L Smith, directed and scored by Glenn Danzig.[1] Based on a line of comic books published by Danzig's company Verotik, the film stars Rachel Alig, Alice Haig, Natalia Borowsky, Sean Kanan, Scotch Hopkins, Ashley Wisdom, and Kayden Kross.
| Verotika | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | Glenn Danzig, Bridgid Ryan, Greg L Smith |
| Written by | Glenn Danzig |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Brian Cox |
| Music by | Glenn Danzig |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Cleopatra Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Premise
editThe film consists of three segments. The first segment, "The Albino Spider of Dajette", is about a Parisian sex worker named Dajette with eyeballs for nipples, and an albino spider that takes the form of an eight-armed humanoid, the latter of whom murders sex workers by breaking their necks. The second segment, "Change of Face", concerns a mysterious stripper who collects the faces of other women. The final segment, "Drukija Contessa of Blood", follows a countess who kills virgin women and bathes in their blood.
Cast
edit"The Albino Spider of Dajette"
edit- Ashley Wisdom as Dajette[2]
- Scotch Hopkins as the Albino Spider
- Paul Vandervort as Francois
- James Cullen Bressack as Passerby
- Tonya Kay as Platinum Model
"Change of Face"
edit- Rachel Alig as Mystery Girl[2]
- Sean Kanan as Sgt. Anders
- Courtney Stodden as Pretty Blonde
- Sean Waltman as Counter Person
"Drukija Contessa of Blood"
edit- Alice Haig as Drukija
- Kayden Kross as Morella
- Natalia Borowsky as Sheska
- Caroline Williams[3] as Peasant Woman
- Kansas Bowling as Young Peasant Girl
- Brennah Black as Blonde Girl
Production
editVerotika is based on comic books by published by Verotik, a company owned by writer-director Glenn Danzig.[2][3] Danzig has referred to Verotika as a tribute to horror anthology films such as Black Sabbath and Trilogy of Terror.[1][2]
The third segment in the film, "Drukija Contessa of Blood", has been described as "a take" on historical figure and murderer Elizabeth Báthory.[1][4][5]
Release and reception
editVerotika premiered on June 13, 2019 at the Cinepocalypse film festival in Chicago, Illinois.[6] Throughout the screening, the film elicited laughter from the audience.[1][2][7] In a Q&A session following the showing, Danzig asserted that he did not intend for the film to be comedic, stating that viewers laughed at parts that "[he] wouldn't have".[2][6]
The film had its international premiere at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Catalonia, Spain on October 4, 2019.[8]
Verotika was panned by critics, with multiple publications comparing it to the 2003 film The Room,[1][3][6] which is commonly considered to be one of the worst films ever made. Patrick Bromley of Bloody Disgusting wrote that "the audience reaction at Cinepocalypse suggests that Verotika has a future as a midnight movie in the same vein as The Room. There's plenty of entertainment and plenty of laughs to be had, even if I'm not sure it's what director Danzig originally intended. Creating a new horror cult favorite might just be the most punk rock thing he could have done."[1] Nick Allen of Vulture wrote that Verotika "[follows] in the tradition of Ed Wood and Tommy Wiseau", and noted that Danzig may have unwittingly created "the horror-comedy of the year".[2] Nuno Silva said of the film "she's asleep but the boobs are awake". Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club called the film "funny on a level that most comedies can't achieve. It's that rare fusion of painstakingly expressed love and total lack of ability that deliver the best of bad cinema, and [Danzig] should be proud."[6]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 21% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 3/10.[9]
Home media
editThe film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in March 2020.[5][10][11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Bromley, Patrick (March 10, 2020). "[Review] Glenn Danzig's 'Verotika' is the Horror Equivalent of 'The Room'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Allen, Nick (June 14, 2019). "Glenn Danzig Accidentally Made the Year's Best Horror-Comedy". Vulture. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c Collis, Clark (January 14, 2020). "Watch the extreme trailer for Glenn Danzig's horror anthology Verotika". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "Verotika (Blu-ray + DVD + CD)". Cleopatra Records. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Miska, Brad (March 10, 2020). "Win Glenn Danzig's 'Verotika' 3-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Set". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d McLevy, Alex (June 13, 2019). "Holy hell, Glenn Danzig might've just made The Room of horror anthologies". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ McLevy, Alex; Colburn, Randall (June 24, 2019). "The best, worst, and weirdest of this year's Cinepocalypse film festival". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (May 5, 2020). "Glenn Danzig Gives the King a Dark Revamp on 'Danzig Sings Elvis'". Billboard.
- ^ "Verotika (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ Terry, Josh (January 15, 2020). "Glenn Danzig's Horror Movie 'Verotika' Looks Hilariously Bad". Vice. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "Verotika (Blu-ray + DVD + Soundtrack CD)". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
External links
edit- Verotika at IMDb
- Verotika at Rotten Tomatoes