DEVIL'S DEN

In this day of hypocrisy and oh-so incorrect 'political correctness' where our moral stances and forms of entertainment are dictated, regimented, and controlled by ideals as wishy-washy and transparent as the government and special interest groups that enforce them, storytelling is in danger of going the way of the dinosaur. In a society where illusory morality is injected into every imaginative concept, freedom is a dirty word, and writers/directors apologize for trying to scare people, it's refreshing to see a movie so very simply devoted to nothing more than entertainment. Fast-moving, involving, and fairly outrageous fun, this hybrid of kung-fu and sleaze hit's the spot for those in search of a quick, painless fix of monster mayhem. Directed by Andrew Dunt and written by Mitch Gould, Devil's Den is the newest low budget shlock-shock offering from genre king Anchor Bay. It also happens to be an unapologetic love letter to exploitation, embracing its cynical humor and sexy chills with confidence. An obvious homage to such one-night survival hits as From Dusk Til Dawn, this wet, sleek celebration of skin, grue, and Samurai also plays off conventions of Buffy and other monster hunter motifs made popular in the post MTV generation.

During a last ditch effort scheme to get rich (and laid) two friends -- Quinn Taylor and Nick -- are on their way back from Mexico with a case of 'Spanish Fly' when they make a bet to see if it works. Pulling into an out-of-the-way strip club (the setting for several other films of this ilk) called 'The Devil's Den,' they determine to test the product out on some of the sexy, friendly talent. But amidst lap dances, booze, and an assortment of unlikely characters, demons lurk -- ghouls hankering for meat -- and not the kind these boys want to give them! Before we know it, skin, blood squibs, and severed limbs (and heads) are tossed in the air beside shaking ass, and an orgy of bloody survival ignited -- complete with asides to Zatoichi the blind swordsman and a handful of other splatter films. As the boys fight to survive, they find allies in a samurai demon hunter (Ken Foree, who handles the role with aplomb), and a hot if frigid government assassin (Kelly Hu).

Both an homage to -- and parody of -- several recent creature features and the typical genre conventions that define their themes, Devil's Den has a good time and encourages its audience to do the same. No deep thematic observances are made here, no subversive ideals. This doesn't pretend to be an allegory or ponderous exploration into some hidden aspect of the psyche. It's enjoyable but obviously transparent as a story, not strong enough to dig into truly unique areas of human psychosis. The picture's structure and themes are devoted to surface action, not moral introspection or philosophical stances. This is no frills exploitation -- eye candy lacking any profound philosophical observances. And sometimes that just hit's the spot. An obviously cheap production, the economical smallness of its scale works in its favor, imbuing convincing sleazy yet captivating interiors of strip clubs with believability. An orgy of B-movie talent and big busted babes, the simplistic concept, revolving around possessed stripper ghouls, is outrageous enough to make us forgive its obvious debt to other films. The humor, while over silly at times, fits right in with the action, and provides a film geek's pillow for the gore, which is itself handled with class. The characters are more believable than one would expect, with the people possessing identities, histories, and motivations. If the motivations themselves are stretched past the point of credibility to fit the strained coincidences of plot, than, hey, it isn't the first film to have done so, and the good, geeky cheer of the main character and ham fisted speed of the thrills make us forgive the inconsistencies. An old fashioned monster-attacks story, Devil's Den is better than a lap dance!

Visually, Devil's Den is up to the usual standards of Anchor Bay's low budget movies of late, if not as polished as its more honored discs. While the picture is for the most part clean and concise, sporting good, solid colors and convincing skin tones, there is a bit of grain and blurry imagery along the way. Thankfully this doesn't really take anything away from the movie. The picture itself is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Audio is offered in Dolby Surround 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, both of which distribute the music and effects evenly. Extras are surprisingly generous, including a better-than- average Audio Commentary, Blooper Reel, Photo Gallery, DVD ROM Screenplay, and half a dozen trailers.

Review by William P. Simmons