Director: Tomaž Gorkič
Year: 2019
Country: Slovenia
Alternate Titles: Prekletstvo Valburge
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Attempting to get by in life, a group of friends looking to start a scam tourist souvenir business and head out with an eccentric group of tourists and other locals to a supposedly haunted local castle, only to find that the local superstition is true when they start to disappear one-by-one.
Review:
Overall, this one was quite an enjoyable enough offering. Among the better qualities here is the exceptionally wacky screenplay that manages to bring together this group of seemingly separate storylines into one whole story. The early scenes of the group sitting around the bar talking about how they're going to start the scam business start this off with some sardonic laughs at their eccentric behavior while the series of utterly bonkers and bizarre tourists that are on the trip with them manage to build that wacky setup further. From pornstars attempting to sneak in a shoot to Satanists looking to explore the actual incident, there's a lot to like here with the zany characters on this expedition and helps to make the film seem that much funnier with some legit hilarious moments sprinkled throughout the tour. Combined with the bizarre work you see behind-the-scenes of the tour as they try to pull off the scares of their fake service, from setting up objects to jump out at people to arguing about the semantics of the situation, this first half of the film has a lot to like about it.
Once this one manages to go for the overt horror scares and stalking scenes, the film picks up considerably with plenty of strong points. The first attack in the basement has a lot to like with the darkness hiding the killer as we never get to see it strike and are only left with the gruesome aftermath, while the attack on the group going through the porn shoot is just as striking since once again the killer is never shown and only the gruesome aftermath is shown, giving us a clear idea of what they're dealing with. That leads nicely into the big scenes here where the killer, still off-screen this entire time, begins to really take out the tour group which features plenty of slasher fun here with the attacks on the group that results in more graphic fun with saw blades ripping through people's heads, steel poles rammed into various body parts and more carnage throughout here which comes from the relentless and utterly frenetic running time that means numerous attacks and stalking encounters throughout the castle for the various members of the tour group. Since these are all accomplished with stellar practical special effects that look gruesome and realistic, the film manages to contain a lot of positive elements.
That said, there are several flaws with the film that hold it back. The main issue here is the fact that the film's sudden introduction of the family alongside the killer hunting them doesn't really strike any purpose. They act as though they're trying to capture the women in the group to act as broodmares for the future to ensure the family bloodline continues, but the fact that they outright kill or just severely break the victims apart before then is completely at odds to what their intent is. Even still, that's just a guess as they're brought into this so late into the running time we don't have enough time with them anyway to learn about them or their needs, and most what they accomplish while on-screen could've easily been handled by the lone killer making them redundant in the film overall. The other real issue to be had with the film is the somewhat confusing and jarring conclusion that doesn't really connect to anything that's happened before with the strange German couple coming into the film and mentioning events that we were never there for simply to set up a potential sequel. These are really all that hold the film down.
Overview: ***.5/5
While there are a few minor issues to be had with a rushed finale and some questionable storyline inclusions, there are more than enough positives here with the slasher film dealings and the fun setup to make it worthwhile. This is definitely worthwhile for fans of low-budget gory slashers or curious about the country’s output, while those not willing to be involved in these genre efforts should heed caution.
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