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| By Dean Galanis |
Jug Face
Produced by Andrew van den Houten, Robert Tonino
Written and Directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle
Starring Sean Bridgers, Lauren Ashley Carter, Larry Fessenden, Sean Young, Daniel Manche
An intriguing if ultimately undernourished horror outing from first-time helmer Chad Crawford Kinkle, the awkwardly titled Jug Face is NOT a spoof or even a comic/horror tale along the lines ofTucker and Dale Vs. Evil. It’s a mostly straightforward, simple story of a group of backwoods families who are beholden to an evil deity known as the Pit – as that is where it apparently resides.
To be fair to said deity, as long as it receives a sacrifice every now and then, it leaves the families well enough alone, and in fact will even cure ailments if all is well in the balance of things. The sacrifices are decided by a spellbound pottery-maker, Dawai (Sean Bridgers, who’s very good), who under the whim and influence of the Pit, makes a jug from clay embroidered with the visage of the next victim.
When young Ada (Lauren Ashley Carter) discovers the next jug has her face on it, she panics and hides it in the woods. This sets in motion a string of grisly events among the families.
Kinkle does a decent job of making the families’ lives and beliefs credible. They aren’t raving religious fanatics, they’re just resigned to the reality of having to appease the Pit to survive. Solid actors like the always-welcome Larry Fessenden (director of the terrific Habit and Wendigo) and Sean Young (!) bring extra credibility to the proceedings.
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