Full disclosure: I HATED REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA. I found it to be poorly written, badly arranged, and something of a Hot Topic-fueled train wreck. So, it was with great trepidation that I pushed PLAY on THE DEVIL’S CARNIVAL. Brought to you by the same guys who did REPO (Darren Lynn Bousman & Terrence Zdunich), CARNIVAL is a misguided affair that, for some reason, decides to places its music in the spotlight, even if said music is written, performed, and presented badly. The film aims for Sondheim, but hit’s a target that is far more crass and commercial (not a good thing, I assure you). The film looks good (particularly the makeup FX by Vincent Guastini and his crew), but it’s all ultimately soulless (and thereby uninteresting). CARNIVAL features what – at first blush – looks like imaginative casting (Marc Senter, Bill Moseley, Paul Sorvino, and Sean Patrick Flannery - who looks like he’s retaining water BADLY!). All too soon though, we see just how out of their element these actors are. The fact that most of them are FAR too young to be playing the roles that they are only scratches the surface. Reportedly, THE DEVIL’S CARNIVAL is the first of many such “episodes” in this series. Zdunich has already written Episodes 2 & 3…, which bums me out to no end. The thing that most irritates most about both REPO & CARNIVAL is how seemingly calculated they are. It’s as if the filmmakers were more focused on establishing a lucrative franchise rather than making a coherent film or even an interesting story. It’s like the film is “dinner theater for the Spencer’s Gifts set.” Boring… I mean the film only lasts an hour and I found myself checking my watch at the 10-minute mark (again, not a good thing). I’m sure both Bousman and Zdunich will make more of these shit shows… and I’m sure their core audiences will lap this swill up with a biscuit. For me… I’ll go rent either SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, INTO THE WOODS, or SWEENEY TODD instead.
2 out of 5 stars
~ Thom Carnell
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