Review of The Burning Moon (1992) by Michael J — 09 May 2012

I'm giving this movie a "strong" 3 stars. There is a lot of potential ground to cover with this movie, but in short, there is something here to be enjoyed by most any fan of horror and/or art house.

Whether you enjoy your horror for "cheese" factor, or for gore, or for remorseless attack or atmosphere there is something to be seen in this flick. It of course is most notorious for the gore, and that it certainly delivers, and for those who get their fix from laughing there is certain some low budget translation/subtitles that will suit that taste if that is what you are looking for.

However for those horror fans who are looking for something more real, serious, and disturbing; or for the art house fan seeking atmosphere and though provocation, that can been found too if you choose to look closely enough.

And that is perhaps what impressed me the most is that for what is essentially a Shot on Video (SOV) and very low budget effort, this movie creates quite a decent amount of atmosphere. Whether it is the surrealistic dream sequences that pop up a couple of times, the short but very real moments of suspense, or the depiction of hell in the denouement.

So if you are looking for a good time then the cultural differences and seemingly unmotivated translation will most certainly deliver. And if you are willing to put aside potential differences and give yourself to the surrealistic, mean spirited and gorey ride that is the Burning Moon, you also most likely will not be disappointed!