DEUS IRAE

DEUS IRAE (2010)
AR
Directed by Pedro Christiani

CAST:
Gaston Ricaud - Father Marcos
Bernarda Pages - Carmen
Ana Pauls - Nina

PLOT:
     A fragile border separates our world from the realm of darkness, where nightmarish creatures await in the shadows. Only one thing is standing in their way: a secret order of priests, who devote their souls to protect this border. They are the 'Deus Irae'.

REVIEW:
      One of the only drawbacks of doing this blog is that I usually have a backlog of films to watch. Now this isn't really a bad thing, it's just that I have to pick and choose which films and movies to review. I try to do reviews of recent films or movies that are on the festival circuit first just to stay current whenever possible. Deus Irae is one that I've been siting on for a while and couldn't get to until now. So now, there's no more waiting. On to the review.

     I will admit the acting for the most part in this short film is was about average for the most part. No one really stood out as being better than the rest. Though Gaston Ricuad, who plays Father Marcos, seems to  not really want to be there in some parts of the story as the film plays out. As in most short films, not a lot of information is giving about the characters so their actions have to do most of the telling. And in Deus Irae their actions speak quite loud as innocents are killed and executed. What's even more interesting is that they act more like psychopaths than religious made people. Even though Deus Irea are priests, they have more in common with the medieval Knight Templars than modern priests.

     The one thing that really stuck out about the short is the atmosphere. It is literally dripping with it. If more pure horror movies had this type of atmosphere it would help them out tremendously. From porcelain dolls heads that follow the characters, to dripping splattered on ceilings half bodies, this short didn't jip on the effects one bit and that made it it's saving grace. For a short film it was well put together and shot very professionally which hides the fact Deus Irae is a independent production and well worth a watch, despite throwing the viewers in the center of a storm with no explanation. I would love to see a full length production made of the short as it has so much potential. Any fan of the horror films will find something to like in the short.

BEST DEATH:
     The poor possessed girls decapitation. 

BEST LINE:
     The child was a trap. But not for us.

FUN FACTS:
     Director  Pedro Christiani made Deus Irae hoping to be able to make it into a full length feature.

     The short was made on a budget of about $20,000.