The Devil's Carnival

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.

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.

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.

I loved Repo! The Genetic Opera so I thought I would at least like this. Did I?

Well, the concept was interesting and there were, like, two catchy songs (one that played in the middle of the end credits). However, I didn't feel anything for the characters and I found myself checking the time throughout most of it. As for the music, I guess I was expecting more rocky tunes like the ones in Repo. I quickly learned that this is nothing like the movie I saw 20 times (and counting).

The Devil's Carnival isn't the worst film ever, but it's not a film I would willingly watch again.

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!