Director – Sean Weathers (Ace Jackson is a Dead Man, Scumbag Hustler)
Starring – Sean Weathers, Erika Smith (Shock-O-Rama, Splatter Beach), and Rachael Robbins (Scavenger Killers, Axe to Grind)
Release Date – 2015
Rating – 2.5/5
Tagline – “How far would you go for fame?”
In August 2014 several celebrities had their Apple devices hacked by an unknown person and their nude photos were posted everywhere online in what many online sites are calling The Fappening. The incident became the topic for several films and memes since then with director Sean Weathers jumping in on the actions…so to speak.
Fans may remember Weathers from his films Vault of Terror, They All Must Die, Scumbag Hustler, and Ace Jackson is a Dead Man. When I learned that Weathers was releasing a film inspired by the incident I had to reach out to him and check it out. He was kind enough to send a link to the online screener my way. Thanks Sean!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows filmmaker Alan Smithee (Weathers) who is known for fucking his lead actresses after promising them the stars. He always keeps record of his sexual exploits on his phone for revisiting later but someone hacks him resulting in countless celebrities having their nudes leaked which results in him losing work.
Some of the celebrities are able to capitalize on the notoriety while other lose work like Smithee does and seeks legal action against the one time director that once worked with the great De Niro. His manager hints at another way of he can get his career back so Smithee puts on a brown, emotionless mask and sets out to kill those that are seeking legal restitution from him.**Spoiler Alert**
Those of you that are familiar with Sean Weathers and his films knows this man is known for his sleazy, erotic horror films that revolve around sex in one aspect or another. I knew The Fappening would follow in those lines but this is the first I have seen of his films that is a straight forward horror flick with the erotic aspects taking the back seat.
The acting in this one is hit or miss. Weathers once again leads the film and he is very convincing at portraying a raunchy, sex-obsessed druggie. I mean this as a compliment and not an insult. The women in the film are decent at times but they have a hard time channeling their emotions. Some, when angry, scream at the other characters and dialogue suffers because of it. It’s hard for actors in indie productions to understand that you can show anger without screaming. With that being said, these ladies are hot as hell and it is a shame we don’t get more scenes with them naked.
The story for this one is a modern take on the old slasher formula. The film starts out sexy enough with Smithee screwing several super fucking hot women and then the film slows down to a crawl while the story tries to point out how shitty Smithee’s life is at this point. The film then picks up with the typical slasher elements as the slasher formula comes to a boil with Smithee killing those that had wronged him just like so many slashers. Sadly, the films first half or so is so slow that this second half can barely pull it’s head above water.
Finally, the film does have several kills but most of them take place off camera which is cost effective if you are working on a budget like Weathers is but those of us that love slashers really look forward to the amazing kills. Overall, The Fappening is a film that has a very interesting premise but the pace is all wrong. The film drags on which really tries the viewer’s patience. It does deserve at least one viewing.
