User reviews

"The Devil's Carnival" is very much a Darren Lynn Bousman's pet project. It's unmistakable for anything else and that means if you liked his previous work in "Repo! The Genetic Opera" you'll be familiar with the style of horror and rock opera presented in this short film, so you'll enjoy it a lot. The plot? Well I can't say I can really recall it very well and some of It is because it's confusing at times. I remember a lot of cool visuals, some similarities with Aesop's fables, demons, knife-throwing, Bill Moseley in makeup and Alexa Vega looking pretty sexy. In all honesty it's not my fault, this is a picture that you kind of need to watch more than once.

While the songs aren't as polished as the ones in his previous work, the sets and costumes are impressive and for a low budget production, it looks great. I found the story to be scrambled though, which frustrated me because I love the idea of this demonic carnival (and I've always wanted to see it done well since I saw "We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story). The upside is that if you like it, the picture is short so you'll be able to watch it multiple times to clarify the confusing bits. Similarly, it's a lot of style over substance and if at first you don't really care for it, it's just not your thing. It's a love it, or hate it kind of thing and I bet the way to really appreciate It would be to view it with someone who's already fallen In love with it and can clarify some of the plot elements or give you factoids on all of those cool little details. I enjoyed it enough that I think you should check it out, if only to see If It will be your kind of thing. (On DVD, November 15, 2012)

From Terrance Zdunich, creator of "Repo: The Genetic Opera", and Darren Lynn Bousman, director of the film adaptation of "Repo", as well as "Saw" II-IV comes the short film anthology "The Devil's Carnival", an insane, musical horror/comedy centering on three people who have died and ended up in Hell, where the must contend with various obstacles.

This is an entertaining, yet highly flawed film.

We follow John (Sean Patrick Flannery), a grieving father who committed suicide, Tamara (Jessica Lowndes) who trusts people too easily and was killed by her boyfriend, and petty thief Ms. Merrywood (Briana Evigan) whom was gunned-down presumably by police. All three awaken near the "Devil's Carnival", a twisted sideshow in Hell run by and populated by various demons, harpies and oddball characters, and of course headed by Lucifer himself. (Zdunich)

Meanwhile, Lucifer reads to a young child from Aesope's Fables, narrating stories that mirror the struggles of the three main characters as they are forced into dark, deadly tests.

The film is fairly simplistic and has a decent structure, and is populated by a handful of well-done musical numbers. (It is a bit of a Rock Opera, to be honest, similar to Repo) The musical numbers may not be too memorable, but they're an absolute blast, and are very well- written and performed.

Characters are developed just enough for it's short 50-or-so-minute run- time. Although the only character you will really care about is John, as he's far more sympathetic than Merrywood or Tamara.

The supporting cast (including Bill Mosely, Alexa Vega, Emilie Autumn and others as the cast members of the Carnival) are a lot of fun, but aren't really developed.

And the camera-work, though decent for a short film, is a bit too chaotic at times. During the titular musical number "The Devil's Carnival", the camera seems to randomly glide around rather than follow any sort of direction, which kind of distracted from it.

I also take issue with the pacing of the story. Well it is well- structured, the film bogs itself down too much in the first 10-or-so minutes, making the rest of the film feel needlessly rushed.

But for what it is, it's worth seeing. The music is good, the characters are memorable despite uneven development, and it's a fine little short film.

I give "The Devil's Carnival" a slightly-above-average 6 out of 10. Fans of Zdunich, Bousman or horror in general should check it out.

Many a films have explored people's transgressions during their lives and their ultimate fates that await them. But never quite like this. The very creative film maker Daryn Lynn Bousman of the fantastic Repo! a Genetic Opera brings this whimsical inspired morality anthology tale to life as a horror tinged macabre musical. Centering on the souls of three innocent parties as they enter a carnival unlike no other possessing the choice of where they spend eternity through their actions. Although it's been done before in one way or another the films maniacal execution feels like something new altogether. Although far from perfect it's imagination limited by it's very low production values, bad sound mixing and generic cinematography the film always remains engaging throughout. Featuring of a cast of somewhat knowns like sexy Briana Evigan of Step Up 2, Burning Bright, Mother's Day and Sorority Row and the gorgeous Sean Patrick Flannery of Boondock Saints and Powder amongst a few cameos from the Repo! crew such as the always inspired Skinny Puppy and Paul Sorvino Devil's Carnival is not anywhere near being as great as Repo! due in big part to it's very short running time and not fully developed concept but at least there is someone still in the business that keeps trying to do new things flawed or not. Maybe next time around he'd do better to slow down a bit so we can relish in his twisted imagination instead of being stunted through it.

Just because your movie brings together two fairly unrelated genres doesn't mean it is free from criticism, and "The Devil's Carnival" is bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.

The film follows the tales of three people as they explore the titular Devil's Carnival and they replay three classic fables. An interesting set-up with a lot of potential, but the writing is so heavy-handed that the message falls flat on its face.

As far as the plot is concerned there are a lot of good ideas, but watching the finished product is like a slow-motion train wreck. Nothing ends-up coming together. It doesn't matter if you have any good ideas for your movie if they aren't executed well. For example, there is this one gatekeeper-type character that keeps banging-on about "the rules" sporadically throughout the movie, but this never ends-up coming to anything and is left as one of many loose ends.

Most of the actors seem to be phoning it in for most of the film, which is particularly sad because there are a few people in this movie that working their hardest at giving a good performance.

All the shots are the same cookie-cutter bore: close up of the singer, cut to carnival audience, back to singer, slowly pan up from ground, repeat. This movie is "safe"--it takes no risks and gets nothing back from the audience as a result.

The music all sounds the same and the lyrics are not clever nor engaging. Rocky Horror Picture Show is a masterpiece of film, and I actually feel bad for having to compare it to this nonsense. Rocky Horror was clever and energetic--Devil's Carnival is just plain boring, with immediately forgettable song-writing and lacking any "spirit" of its own.

"The Devil's Carnival" is a terrible movie. Good makeup and good ideas are completely overshadowed by clunky writing, samey lyrics, unremarkable songs, and terrible acting and execution. Give it a miss.

I saw this movie last night as part of "The Devil's Carnival" road show. If you have seen "Repo! The Genetic Opera," then you are already a Terrance/Darren fan. This movie is the first in a series to be made. It deals with 3 people who die and land in Hell. Terrance Zdunich plays a very menacing Lucifer. Using Aesop's Fables, Lucifer associates one of the fables to each of the people, trying to discern whether or not they realize the sin that has brought them there. Lucifer picks specific members of his carnival to help act out the fables for the sinners. This is a musical and is beautifully done. I was not aware that Brianna Evigan had such a great voice. There are other stars that amazed me with song. I was mesmerized throughout her song. The make-up was well beyond expectation, especially for Lucifer and The Twin, played by Ogre of Skinny puppy. If you wait to see this movie on DVD, you will miss out on half of the enjoyment. The road show pulls you in and makes you very much apart of it all. If this showed in a local theater, I would see it again and again.

Before I say anything this should be known. DO RESEARCH. Terrance Zdunich does NOT write for a main stream audience. This movie doesn't cater to a wide audience because it was not created for one. It was created because Zdunich wanted to make it. I found the use of Aesop's Fables clever. I found that the lack of character development was purposeful. Most characters didn't even have names but titles. Which I found effective. There wasn't much of a plot. That's because it was Aesop's Fables. What is my problem with the film though? Too short.. Though I am more okay with this because this is a trilogy which in my opinion excuses the brevity. The movie is chaos because its a carnival in hell and I think a lot of people miss that point. Is this movie great? no. Is it worthy of a 1 or 3 star rating? GOD NO. The film is just really okay. Nothing more but nothing less.

A trio of lost souls wake to find themselves as guests at a hellish carnival where the performers proceed to involve them in the telling of three fables (as recounted by the devil).

They say that the devil has all the best tunes, but that's certainly not the case with this bizarre musical horror from director Darren Lynn Bousman: the songs in The Devil's Carnival, some of which are belted out by Old Nick himself, are absolutely atrocious—whimsical, tuneless tracks that seriously grate on the nerves.

The rest of the film isn't much cop either: the whole 'scary carnival' routine is extremely old hat, and when the show's grotesque characters aren't bursting into song, they're indulging in all manner of kooky behaviour that proves almost as irritating as their wretched warbling.

I was a big fan of Bousman's previous horror musical Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), which I could happily watch again, but this attempt at mixing tunes with terror is a travesty that doesn't bear repeating.

3/10 for the colourful lighting, creative costumes and Briana Evigan.

You will either like this movie or hate it - there is no in between. If a blend of Rocky Horror and the Twilight Zone sounds intriguing, then I urge you to give The Devil's Carnival a try. The story follows 3 of Aesop's Fables with 3 recently deceased individuals going to hell. Personally, the location feels more like purgatory - where persons are given an opportunity to relive past mistakes but make better decisions.

The music, costumes and makeup were perfect for the movie - not state of the art, but definitely above B horror flick. Except for Sean Patrick Flanery and Paul Sorvino, I didn't recognize any of the cast (although I know that Alexa Vega had a role). I actually like independent movies since they aren't polished and perfected.

Find a trailer and watch before viewing the entire movie. If the trailer sucks to you, keep on moving. But if you like weird things like I do, give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

First off, I'm not a reviewer. Aside from making my opinions known to my friends and family, I've never made much of an attempt at doing any formal reviews. I was so disappointed with this film that I felt it was my duty to save the vast majority of people from wasting their time with this movie. My girlfriend and I were on Netflix, browsing through the endless mediocre and bland titles, when we stumbled across a movie that had almost five stars! A brief look at IMDb revealed an 8+ rating! So we hunker down and prepare ourselves for what we thought was going to be the best movie we've ever seen. Unless you like musicals with no plot then don't waste your time. After doing more in-depth research as to how this show received such high ratings I discovered that it is a cult film for those people who have seen the road show (whatever that is...I'm assuming a low- budget Broadway type thing?). Unless you are one of these fans of the road show I can almost guarantee that you will be utterly bored as people with stage makeup and carnie costumes sing and hop around a circus ring for 50 minutes. Save yourself the boredom and waste of time. I feel sorry for the others who were tricked (not really anyone's fault, just a cult film with a small but loyal fan base) into watching this, but now that it is on Netflix it will lose its near-perfect rating in a matter of days.

As a huge fan of Repo! I attended one of the Devil's Carnival roadshows. I listened to the soundtrack a few times prior to the showing and enjoyed the music. The movie however was a mess.

First, there is no character development at all. We never get a good idea as to who the victims who end up in hell are nor do we get a good idea about any of the carneys in hell or even the Devil himself. As another review pointed out the lack of blood despite a good deal of violence also put me off. Directed by Darren, the man who went on a rant about blood consistency and its importance on the Saw 4 commentary, the complete lack of blood during the whipping scene makes no sense to me.

The songs, as mentioned, are quite catchy and some are very good. My problem is that, the best song in the movie (and the one clip we've seen in previews) is relegated to the end credits.

I love Repo! (Even attended 3 of the roadshows for that film) but to me the Devil's Carnival just seems unfinished and uninspiring. Maybe when parts 2 and 3 come out it will become more coherent, but for now it is an episode that gave nothing.

I caught a screening of this on Easter Sunday which just brought a terrific sense of irony to the entire day. I am a big fan of Repo! The Genetic Opera and wanted to see if Terrance Zdunich and Darren Lynn Bousman could pull off another fantastic collaboration. I was not disappointed. The Devil's Carnival is such a unique film and it stands out from so much of the Hollywood hum-drudgery in so many ways. Firstly, the music was the very essence of originality and each of the singers/actors brought they're own different musical style to the film. The colors and the costumes and the sets were so very engaging and bright. Hell, even the extras looked fantastic. And, the whole movie had this amazing duality to it that really sucked me in. The dark and creepy atmosphere was contrasted by the bright colors and festive music. And even though it's a story about a carnival run by the devil, it's got a strange kind of morality to it. Sometimes I didn't know if I wanted to feel disturbed or elated, disgusted or thrilled. I love that in a movie! So, if you've got a taste for the "out of the box" movie experience. And, we're talking way out there, check out The Devil's Carnival.

Forced by a rabid fan-girl to watch this and I want my time back. Rip-off of Aesop's fables done so badly with so little thought to logic that I the moral's are lost.

First victim? Why didn't the director/writers have her crushed to death in the weight of her greed and things that she stole? Oh no, we're just going to rip off her clothes and whip her for a bit.

Second victim? She "sinned" by trusting? Give me a break.

Third victim? Died of sorrow, wasn't terribly clear on it.

If you're going to take fables from ancient Greece and combine the Judaic-Christo "evil" character, at least put some effort into it.

Looked like they couldn't decide on what kind of costumes to use and just said, "f-it go to the flea market and take everything that you can."

I have been a fan of Mr. Zdunich's comic series "The Molting" and 2008's "Repo The Genetic Opera" for years. When I heard about "The Devil's Carnival" being made, it's creators were cryptic as ever about what it actually WAS, but just knowing what I did about the people involved, I knew it was going to be artwork of epic proportions. I bought VIP tickets for the first stop of the Road Tour the instant they became available, and put the soundtrack on repeat in iTunes. It did NOT disappoint by any stretch. This show is AMAZING. As usual, the acting and singing talents displayed give the audience a trip into their own souls. Costuming, makeup, and set design were superbly rendered to truly make you FEEL what was happening. The electricity in the theatre could be seen, heard, touched, and tasted as brilliant and beautiful people, music, and colors assaulted us. Check out the cities/dates for the remainder of the road tour and go see it if you have the chance. You'll be blown away!

The characters were total, complete non-entities. I didn't care about them.

The songs ranged from the mediocre to the horrendous; the lyrics were consistently clumsy and silly.

Atmosphere? Mood? Sense of fear, menace, dread? Don't be ridiculous.

Story? Sorry, that's not gonna happen.

And Terrance Zdunich is one DULL Lucifer. Seriously, he does nothing but read to a kid and glower.

I literally have no idea what one could like about this sludge. It's one of the dumbest, lamest, most shamelessly pandering things I've ever seen.

Oh, and it's supposedly the first part of a trilogy. God help us.

This is far more than just a film, it is an experience in itself with the current format they're using for viewings.

I purchased the soundtrack before seeing the film & fell in love with it only to fall even harder for the songs & characters when I watched the movie.

All the dynamics exist in this dark melodious tale based in an Aesop's Fable type storyline. The cast is dark, funny & makes you glance inward when you find yourself rooting for the devil himself.

This is a must see for artists as you see each and every one of the characters betray their passion for the project & become The Devil's Carnival.

I subscribe to Miss Hannah Minx's channel on Youtube, not because of her stupid JWOW vids which are a way for her to show off her cleavage while making money off naïve 12 year olds that think you can learn Japanese one word a week. The notion of that is dumb just in the face of it; but occasionally she does make very funny comedy sketches and videos on Japanese culture that I like. This is how I first heard about this film, and then I found out that Emilie Autumn was also in it, so I decided to watch it. Hannah is only a glorified extra, she has no speaking lines, and I'm not even sure that she even sings when she is supposed to be doing it (she's the girl with the exaggerated red lip makeup, if you can't pick her out of the numerous other girls with garish clown makeup). Emilie Autumn plays a larger role in the movie, and that's where I really have a bone to pick with the film: It's a musical, and there are only two people in it that know how to sing worth a damn, Emilie Autumn, and the guy that plays the devil. I could be wrong, and I'm not gonna check on it, because I'll be damned if I'll sit through this piece of crap again; but I don't even think Emilie has any actual speaking lines in the film. I'm giving it a 3/10 only because Emilie sings a song in the movie, and her voice is always a homerun. Otherwise, this movie is not worth watching.