Southern Gothic – DVD Review

Don’t you just hate it when your small town preacher becomes a blood sucking vampire? That exactly what happens in the IFC Films horror flick, Southern Gothic that takes one of God’s people and turns him into a raving undead psychopath. And with a top-notch actor like William Forsythe in the role, you know you’re going to have a lot of fun.

And you do. Forsythe is a versatile actor co-starring in movies as diverse as The Rock (1996), Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo (1999), and dozens of others. He’s a lot of fun to watch both dead and undead, and his performance as Pitt brings a real energy to the film.

There’s plenty of blood and gore to sink your teeth into as well (pun intended) as victims and vampires are shot, stabbed, impaled, and maimed in a variety of elaborate and fun ways. Buckets of blood spray and splatter throughout the film, and more than one victim is filled full of holes (in a variety of ways). All the special effects were done practically (on the set) with no CGI used in any of the scenes. This makes the film all the more real and messy.

Despite the cool effects, the film does have some lighting and audio issues, and at times the plot does get a bit thin. The first half hour really draws you in, the last hour sadly loses focus. Then again it is a vampire movie so the plot is pretty much of a single focus: stop the vampires before they get you!

The DVD contains the director’s cut of the trailer and a featurette, Southern Gothic: Behind the Effects. This is a cool featurette that explores how the more complicated effects were pulled off in the film.

If you like vampire movies, Southern Gothic is a fun one to watch at the very least for the special effects. Forsythe is a treat and really lets himself have a lot of fun as the undead preacher Pitt. You could probably make a drinking game out of it as well: every time someone dies you take a shot. It may or may not make the film all the more entertaining.

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