The Special: 3 reasons why this film will become your guilty pleasure
The Special is the latest effort from Harrison Smith, the director of Death House and Camp Dread. We were fortunate enough to preview this twisted, well-crafted film about the depths of sexual obsession and the horrible consequences of the ultimate pursuit of pleasure.
The Special is one of those films that stays with you. It is the kind of production that you will find yourself discussing with your friends days after you see it.
Harrison Smith, the director of Death House and Camp Dread has taken Mark Steensland and James Newman’s adaptation of their haunting novel and turned it into a work of body horror art. When you have a solid blueprint like an exceptional story, everything falls into place.
Immediately, we are drawn into The Special from the first scene where we meet Jerry Harford (Davy Raphaely) and his buddy, Mike (Dave Sheridan) drinking at their favorite watering hole. Jerry’s world is crashing down around him when he suspects his beloved wife, Lisa (Sarah French) of cheating on him.
Of course, Mike commiserates with him but believes that “the best revenge is revenge.” Right off the bat, you get the feeling that Mike might be a subtle misogynist that sees women as sexual playthings to be tossed aside after the act. He suggests that his friend fight back by having an affair.
This idea doesn’t sit well with Jerry. Infidelity doesn’t seem like the route he wants to take but after some cajoling, he opens up to the suggestion. Mike goes one step further and promises his pal that he deserves “The Special.”
More from Horror Movies
- Godzilla Minus One makes the King of the Monsters terrifying again
- A Creature Was Stirring scares up yuletide frights
- Pig Killer (2023): A morally ambiguous dive into shock cinema
- Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls: Demonically fun times
- Tobin Bell stars in new horror movie The Cello
At first, Jerry is turned off because he believes it might be like a happy ending at a massage parlor but Mike assures him that it is not what he thinks. And that is where this tale of terror begins.
The two men do go to a brothel of sorts masquerading as a psychic’s house. While Mike prepares to have a threesome, Jerry is led into a room bathed in an eerie purple light and locked in.
Thinking that this is a practical joke, he checks underneath the bed to see if anyone is hiding there. Finally, he looks at this simple black box on a table with the instructions to “Stick it in here.”
After much thought, Jerry figures what the hell and proceeds to have a sexual moment of intense pleasure that would make the Cenobites blush uncomfortably. This is an experience that he won’t be forgetting any time soon and it will take him to the edge of madness.
Now, we won’t give anything away because you need to see the film. However, here are 3 reasons why The Special will become your guilty pleasure.