Director – Olaf Ittenbach (The Burning Moon. Black Past)
Starring – Natacza Boon (Beyond the Limits, School of Silence), James Matthew-Pyecka (Legend of Hell, Chain Reaction), and Daryl Jackson (Dard Divorce, Gorky Zero: Beyond Horror)
Release Date – 2003
Rating – 3/5
Blu Release – 3/5
German splatter is a term I used to hear all the fucking time when I was a regular on the Upcoming Horror Movies (UHM) message boards back in the day. Only one name was ever mentioned and that was Olaf Ittenbach. It was during this time that I was fortunate enough to watch the films The Burning Moon, Black Past, and Premutos: The Fallen Angel. The movies were unforgettable and the effects were amazing.
Over the years his films have slowly trickled out on blu with the most recent offering being his 2003 film Garden of Love, which was released as The Haunting of Rebecca Verlaine and possibly as Born Undead at one time. I want to thank my friends over at Unearthed Films for sending this release over for review!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young woman who starts to suffer from voices that she cannot figure out. However, as the film progresses she soon learns that her family was brutally murdered and she was the only one to survive while voices are actually her late family instructing her to find the killer so they can finally rest. **Spoiler Alert**
Garden of Love is one of those films I had never heard of until a boutique label got their hands on them. Olaf Ittenbach and his amazing effects have made a name for themselves among horror fans so I was genuinely excited to finally check it out. While the story was lacking, the film still found a way to entertain.
The acting in this one was solid for most of the movie but a few scenes had me laughing my fucking ass off. This one scene in particular involves a meeting between the young lady, here adoptive parents, and someone that knew about the murders before his daughter interrupted them. This whole scene is awkward but the man behind the desk is so bad and awkward to watch. There is another scene later in the film with a similar performance. These scenes do interrupt the flow of the film and ruins what pacing the film does have.
The story for this one is an interesting idea on paper but does not work too well on film. I loved the idea of a group of brutally murdered ghosts helping their living relative find their killers. The way they look undead really made me think of American Werewolf in London. However, the film struggles to find any real momentum. The scenes are painfully dull, for the most part, and a lot of the characters are extremely flat and one dimensional. With that being said, I could really see this story taking hold on genre fans if it focused more on the victims instead of the lone survivor.
Finally, this film has exceptional effects. I knew Ittenbach wouldn’t let me down and this film fucking delivered on the gore. We have some seriously impressive practical effects and a few scenes that will truly stick with you for sometime after watching this bloodbath. Overall, Garden of Love is not my favorite film from Ittenbach but god damn was it bloody in all the right ways. The story may come up short but it’s still a fun one just for the gore. Check it out now on blu from Unearthed Films.
Special Features:
Making Of Garden Of Love
A Look Behind Garden Of Love
NEW Outtakes
NEW Photo Gallery
Trailer
