Director – Matti Soikkeli (Blood for Blood, Finnish Christmas Story)
Starring – Jani Laakso (Hell Closet: The Closet that Ate People, No Voice in the Sky), Ville Rajakangas (Blood for Blood, Finnish Christmas Story), and Romeo Soikkeli (Get Out Sam, Luna di Morte)
Release Date – 2020
Rating – 3/5
I’m not much on extreme horror. I have good friends that are avid extreme horror fans but I find most of the extreme horror flicks to be a bit boring. They are one trick ponies if you will and rarely mix it. For those of you that don’t know what extreme horror is, it’s essentially horror flicks that push the boundaries. They rely on extreme violence, degradation, and shock value to tell a story.
I get why some horror fans enjoy these kind of films but I tend to nod off to sleep when I spin one of these films. I absolutely love gore but without a decent enough story the gore is pointless. Might as well be watching a behind the scenes documentary. Anyway, a few days indie filmmaker Matti Soikkeli reached out to me to review his newest short Melody of Madness. I tend to avoid extreme horror flicks but where this one was a short I decided to give it a spin and I’m glad I did. It was pretty fun. Thanks Matti for reaching out!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a deranged man that murders, rapes, and dismembers a man. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this one knowing it was just going to be a few minutes long. As I stated earlier, extreme horror is not really my bag. I love a good gory flick but I need some sort of story. Melody of Madness does not waste the viewer’s time at just six minutes and doesn’t over stay it’s welcome either. Short, quick, and to the point. If all extreme horror flicks would follow this example I could really get behind some of them.
The acting in this one is not acting in a conventional sense. The film is pretty much a one man show. The lead in the film does bare it all for his role and so does his “victim.” The two are very dedicated to their roles. The story for this one is super short and very simple. For a six minute short it works but if it was any longer this story would have been stretched too thin. With that being said, it was still a fun and mindless watch with some solid moments.
Finally, this film has some fun kills, a lot of cheap practical effects, and a bit of sodomy for those of you looking for it with your horror. Overall, Melody of Madness is not the kind of film I would typically check out but I did enjoy it for what it was. Sick, depraved, and entertaining. Check it out if you ever get the chance.
