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Review: Berenice

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I was sent a screener of Berenice by Jeremiah Kipp. I knew I was in for an interesting ride when I saw that he chose to adapt a classic Edgar Allan Poe story into a modern, independent short film. Here are my thoughts.

Berenice is based on the original story by Edgar Allan Poe, and is written and directed by Jeremiah Kipp (“In Fear of”). It stars Thomas Mendolia, Cheryl Koski, Susan Adriensen (Sculpture, Lewis), and Bob Socci (Poultrygeist, “Zombie Hunters”) with backing appearances by Missy Heather-Byron, Bradley Creanzo, Dan Carroll, and Desiree Boyle.

In Berenice, an obsessive young man is on edge when his sickly cousin moves into the posh home he shares with his mother. The obsession turns to madness as the cousins grow closer and closer. Berenice is one of four short films compiled in the Creepers II anthology.

The first thing I want to address here is the casting. I have comments for the four lead characters because they were all so great and were pieces that made up a very complete casting puzzle. I think that Thomas Mendolia was great as Edward and his performance in the last few minutes was bone chilling. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Cheryl Koski because she reminds me – both in looks and talent – of Mercedes McNab or Alicia Silverstone. Susan Adriensen was just a joy to watch on screen again. She has a very definite, unique style when she acts and I find it so interesting. Bob Socci has nearly 50 credits to his name, despite this being my introduction to him, and he pulled off the creepy caregiver role well. It was nice seeing some of my friends as background extras, too.

If you’re a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, then you’re definitely going to enjoy this adaption of Berenice. It’s expertly filmed, as psychologically testing as the original, and contains new elements that could only be incorporated in the modern era. It’s not boring either, which unfortunately a lot of Poe adaptions become. The only problem is… If you’re unfamiliar with the original Berenice story, then some of this story becomes a little confusing. Once I read a summary of the Poe story online, some of the things in this short film made a lot more sense. Although, maybe I wasn’t paying attention enough because I was too enthralled by the cast….

Despite not being in your face horror, Kipp’s Berenice does contain an eerie air about it and almost from the beginning you realize something is very wrong with the people you’re watching. It’s great with suspense throughout, and for people who are looking for horror-horror, just wait for the last couple of minutes. That’s when things get crazy!

I’m going to rate this a 7 out of 10. Good job!

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Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

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