Review of Mulberry Street (1990) by Private U — 19 May 2008

A horror film that is as uneven as it is ambitious. Scenes vary in quality from breakthrough to mediocre and everywhere in between. Nearly every aspect of the film varies in quality from makeup, acting and atmosphere Some scenes are gripping, approaching breakthrough horror film making only to be followed by an relatively amateurish sequence.

Even worse are the scenes that start out great but either end with or are marred mid-way through by something silly. Just when you think the film is edging towards horror comedy something visceral happens, and vice versa.

Picture inexplicably artsy shots following sequences of harrowing creature horror that were preceded by the same exact characters interacting with the same creatures in a slightly different setting that seemed intentionally humorous.

Suffering from a low budget does not always necessarily mean running the gamut of the horror genres. The film does boast a very strong cast and succeeds uniformly well in seamlessly moving between the various characters.

There are many memorable performances here as well as alot of great personalities to root for. Unfortunately, the universe which these characters populate is ultimately too unbalanced to be wholly satisfying.

Atmospheric disjunction of the film also becomes most apparent in the setting of New York City. Just when we as the viewer is actually beginning to get lost in the image of New York being transformed into a post-apocalyptic quarantine zone we are yanked back out by quiet, unobtrusive scenes that look like the actors are running around in a mall parking lot after hours.

A good film to take notes on, the few moments when it is truly functioning on all cylinders are still expertly crafted enough to warrant an examination.