Flesh of My Flesh

Michelin Houlihan did an outstanding job acting in lead role of Sarah. I loved this psychological thriller, from the creedy soundtrack to the visually stunning imagery. I was drawn into this horrifying nightmare from the very beginning, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride!! Each scene was carefully selected and filmed in such a way that it transports you right into Sarah's visions. The graphic special effects were so realistic and gruesome. If you are a fan of horror, you will love Flesh of my Flesh. I hope to see more of Emir Skalonja's creativity and insidious ideas transformed into cinematic artistry. I hope that when I close my eyes tonight, these graphic images don't haunt me....who am I kidding...yes I do!!!

Buffalo, NY filmmaker Emir Skalonja has been producing films like a man possessed of late.

Last year he completed FESTER. Earlier this year he served up THE BUTCHER. Both featured serial killers, but both were very different in tone. With FLESH OF MY FLESH, Emir offers a more psychological horror film with a teenage girl, Sarah, as the protagonist who seems to have her share of issues with school and her parents. Unexpectedly she discovers there's a terrible secret to her origins and she descends into the truth of her cursed destiny. Played by first-timer Michelina Houlihan, Sarah is initially off-putting with her persistent teenage irritability at the whole world, but as the film progresses she also exhibits a stubborn tenacity in the face of the cards fate has dealt her which is ultimately engaging. Though there are occasional moments when the cast's acting inexperience is exposed, the acting is actually pretty solid. There were maybe two or three scenes or moments I thought where some of the dramatic beats perhaps could have been written and delivered perhaps a little more sharply, but really, that's my biggest critical observation.

Al Baker as the "Demon"/Cult Leader makes an impression with his perpetually grinning, ebony-orbed visage and creepily seductive voice.

The film quietly but convincingly draws you in and keeps you in its grip. But FLESH OF MY FLESH's resolution makes the film especially memorable, not only in terms of the plot line but particularly the final realization of who speaks the voice-over narration.

The use of B&W cinematography is also a great choice.

This was really a great little no-budget film. I think FESTER and THE BUTCHER are solid films and both are definitely worth checking out, but FLESH OF MY FLESH, though comparatively less ambitious production-wise than either previous film, distinguishes itself above them both; not only by its story but the revelation that burning within its dark, sinister exterior is a concealed but indomitable heart. Excellent film!

Haunted by overwhelmingly dark thoughts, a teen trying to make sense of life finds that the visions are leading her to recover memories of her real father, a cult leader looking to use her to raise a god-like being from their religion and must try to prevent that from happening.

Frankly, this one turned out far better than expected. Among the bright spots on display is the fine build-up done to try getting across the idea of her fracturing mindset. Given that there's a fine grasp on her lifestyle with her parents being concerned about her and her friend to the typical angsty, too-cool-for-anything attitude in teenagers when they hang out together, this provides a fine grounding of her existing state so that the freaky visions of everything involving the cult have that much more of an impact on her lifestyle. Following the first vision out with her friend involving the black-eyed leader coming to her, the resulting change and difference that affects them is quite fun and chilling to see play out. As well, this change becomes even more pronounced after that encounter when the visions bring everything to life later on. The main visions of the cult gathered around the bloody and mangled body while the leader continues to taunt and torment her are incredibly chilling and have a lot to like about them as they lead into the alternate dimension. Generating the actual reasoning for the appearances and having plenty of fun with the series of mind-games on her, this is a fine highlight with plenty of creepy visuals and a clever method of dealing with him which is quite intelligent. Coming with some decent indie gore and bloodshed, these here are the film's more enjoyable aspects. There are a few missteps featured here. One of the bigger flaws is a series of disjointed storyline setups that are required for this one to function normally. The fact that she's seemingly aware of who the cult figure was despite only having one vision of him and no other interaction with him is an incredibly bizarre shortcut, much like the shockingly disorienting scene where she runs out on her family. This is an unrealistic and illogical leap of judgment and comes out nowhere, especially with so little evidence to the contrary that would spawn such statements. There's also the obvious low-budget look and feel that runs rampant which might turn some folks off, especially the production values of an indie effort like this where it's not something easily hidden but obvious. These here are what hold this one back.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and a Rape.