Horror is both cinema’s most profitable and maligned genre, which presents a curious challenge. If fear has become the single consistent element of the civilized imagination, non-scary movies intending to frighten should deeply insult us all. At the same time, we take our fear seriously, which makes the horror movie susceptible to greater scrutiny than other genres. Some filmmakers push boundaries simply to toy with susceptible viewers, aiming to invoke angry reactions presumably in the name of art. That goal strikes me as blatantly narrow-minded; the notion of envelope-pushing as a primary endeavor fails to rise above the level of playground zaniness.
That’s why Oliver Blackburn’s British thriller Donkey Punch offers such a unique thrill: It indulges in juvenile scares by placing them in a larger canvas of sophisticated moods. In a smoothly orchestrated set-up, hedonistic travelers Kim (Jaime Winston, daughter of Ray), Tammi (Nichola Burley) and Lisa (Sian Breckin) join a group of horny young men on their yacht off the coast of Spain for a standard issue Eurotrip indulgence. One thing leads to another, and a little sex leads one of them to participate in the risky, legendary orgasm enhancement of the movie’s title (the details of which I will not disclose), and, literally, bam—one of the girls is dead. From there, Donkey Punch becomes a showcase of bad decisions, as the boys try to get rid of the corpse and the girls fight back. The body count rises as the ship sails onto open water and an ominous night settles in.
While the synopsis for Donkey Punch sounds about as simple as they come, Blackburn develops the scenario with remarkably shrewd structural finesse. Bit by bit, the mood starts to change: Over opening credits, we witness the girls enjoying a carefree vacation. Later, on the boat, the sex scenes progress with heated efficiency. Then death arrives, injecting a sudden rupture in their brainless glee. Using well-timed audio cues and keeping the performances neatly subdued, Blackburn maneuvers between a variety of moods, before settling on a constant surge of morose vibes. The accelerated soundtrack by Franois-Eudes Chanfrault defines the rhythm of most scenes with fluid intensity. Its absence at certain key moments makes the silence that much freakier. Blackburn’s pace is relentless: Each sequence smashes into the next one, leaving little time to ponder what might come next. In a hefty Hollywood spectacle, that description usually contains negative connotations, but Blackburn’s streamlined approach doesn’t lack a keen eye for story. The characters make complicated decisions, often too abruptly and the violence continually escalates; but the movie builds from one moment to the next so that it’s impossible to stop and question any given development. A filmmaker able to establish one devilishly complex moral quandary after another with such reverence for film form deserves admiration.
Studio-produced horror movies often rely on bored movie stars and things that go boo. In refreshingly stark comparison, Donkey Punch is compulsively drawn to build-ups, which sets up the nicely subdued anti-climactic finale. Still, the movie gets its puerile glee in bloody retribution, and even a chainsaw homage in the final act. It’s a well-made ride, but hardly a subtle one. Nevertheless, Blackburn will certainly get more work from it. Talented horror directors often possess broader ambitions than mere simulated gore can supply: Peter Jackson made kooky zombie films in the 1980’s; Jonathan Levine directed the tightly assembled, if somewhat rudimentary, slasher All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and then moved onto The Wackness. Blackburn recently co-wrote the grief noir Vinyan, in which a couple seek out their missing child in the wake of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. It’s naturally steeped in heavier intellectual themes than Donkey Punch, but in many ways builds from the same dread of misguided human behavior at its core. Modern horror movies provide a venue for showcasing talent, but mainly they suggest further artistic growth. Blackburn will probably act accordingly.
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Donkey Punch
Directed by Oliver Blackburn
Running Time: 110 min.
