The Horror Show
Flowers
by Phil Stevens
I've always had a special fascination with the macabre and the exceptionally dark. The horror genre is not the only one that produces disturbing works, but it's definitely the most consistent tapping vein for such a thing. However, this style of horror film is unfortunately not in the heaviest supply so I try to check out nasty work whenever I hear about it. I had heard of Phil Stevens’ Flowers a while back, at first in passing, and then I started realizing the legitimacy of the project. The bits of imagery I came across intrigued me and the buzz was positive, so I decided to take a look for myself. In the end, I'm glad that I did.
Flowers begins with a woman clawing her way out of a plastic bag. She is enclosed in some kind of basement or crawlspace area; her ceiling is the next level's floor. She finds a dead pig beside her and soon discovers that she is surrounded by many human remains as well. From here we are shown an inside look into the journey of several other victims trapped in different parts of the house, each of them in their own unique hell of sorts.
The film takes the unique perspective of following the victims primarily. The killer character is a factor, but only pops up in relation to the role he plays in the victim's lives as opposed to the other way around. Usually I'm a sucker for serial killer stuff and focusing on the psychology of the perpetrator, but I found myself surprisingly drawn in by this film's take and it felt fresh.
The atmosphere and set design were so well pegged that I could almost taste, feel, and smell the filth and disgusting nature of the surroundings. The film features a lot of rot, decay, and slop. The project completely sells that these poor souls are lurching knee-deep through the inner depths of a serial killer's residence and beyond. The flies and the churning bodies felt so organic to the scenes and came across completely effective.
There is no dialogue of which to speak, and each and every performer shines in their respective roles. They all have to display emotions that are specifically linked to this particular project without speaking, which is an impressive task. The movie doesn't stay in seemingly reality-based territory for long and becomes something far different later down the line. Everyone involved seemed completely on board for what their parts entailed.
Flowers is aptly shot and the music accents the visuals beautifully. Even with subjects such as murder, self-mutilation, and necrophilia it never feels like a shock project. For those who are familiar with my interests, you know that shocksploitation films are among my absolute favorites, so I'm not saying this in any way to knock the concept of shock for ‘s sake. However, this isn't what the project was made to be and what it actually was turned out to be really interesting. Flowers starts as a visceral, down to earth film that turns into a funhouse and lands on a type of poetic beauty that was unexpected. Do I understand every little intention or meaning? Probably not, but it doesn't matter because it all feels authentic in an odd way and is just so fascinating to watch.
I quite liked the ending and it brought everything together in an unexpected and satisfying way. It all feels artistic without feeling random and culminates exactly how it should. With a short running time, Flowers tells an engaging and colorful story that doesn't seem to leave anything out. It's a unique experience that never grows dull while still marveling at its own spectacle. I don't mean that it thinks it's better than it is, it simply knows what it’s doing and has the confidence to show it off.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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