Review of August Underground's Penance (2007) by Daniel M — 11 Dec 2011

Well, I've told you twice before, and I will tell you once again: don't watch August Underground films unless you are the type of person (like your humble reviewer) who has an inexplicable need to watch the most tasteless and brutal examples of exploitation cinema.

Penance is the third and final entry in the August Underground series--the previous two being August Underground and the infamous August Underground's Mordum. Penance follows the same formula from the previous two films.

Director Fred Vogel plays the lead psychopath who abducts, tortures, rapes, degrades, and murders people while videotaping his shenanigans. This film seems almost tame by comparison to the extremes of Mordum, but it still features plenty of brutality and a truly twisted Christmas home invasion scene.

Penance strips down the killer entourage to just the couple who attempt to live their lives as a super-depraved version of Bonnie and Clyde or Mickey and Mallory. But the film tries to actually flesh out the characters some more by exploring the tensions that begin to develop in this serial killer love story.

Unfortunately, the film is just not very interesting when it's not depicting acts of depravity, and its depiction of violence serves no purpose other than pure exploitation. As with the previous films, Penance is genuinely shocking but lacks any real artistic or entertainment value.