“Torture porn” has long been officially recognized as a subgenre of horror, since it is very difficult to apply a different genre definition to the creation of Jimi Hemphill. The movie “Bad Reputation” resembles a vigorous mix from “Carrie” by Brian De Palma and “I Spit on Your Graves” by Meir Zarha.
Hardcore revenge movie
Jimi Hemphill, who acted as screenwriter and director of the movie Bad Reputation, simplified the story to the bare concept of Rape? Get it! ” and satiated with a maximum of violence for every centimeter of the film.
In the center of the story is the main character Michelle, a modest and patient girl who is sometimes terrorized by her mother, limiting her communication with peers. One day, she still manages to take time off to a school party that ends in tragedy for her. The most popular guy in the school, the player of the football team, offers the girl alcohol, after which she retires with her in the bedroom, where she rapes the unhappy with her friends. Her misadventures do not end there, the hostel guard also tries to enjoy the lifeless body. In a fit of jealousy with the company, the girlfriend of a football player ties Michel to a pole, crucifying her hands, and writes an insulting word on her forehead with lipstick.
On this, the first half of "Bad Reputation" ends, and in the second, the girl desperately takes revenge on her offenders. The insulted victim gradually turns into an executioner, whose torture is several times greater than the injury inflicted on her.
Simple formula
For Jimi Hampill, the horrors with the element of the thriller “Bad Reputation” became a debut in a big movie, later he shot two more films: “Trouble with the Truth” (2011) and “Hercules” (2014). In the 2005 painting, he tried to gently mix physical and psychological violence. At the same time, the narrative does not contain clearly expressed moral lessons, well-thought-out motivations for actions, feminist subtext, or frantic Freudianism. Therefore, the rating of the IMDb tape is 4.30, and the audience reviews “Bad Reputation” are attributed to frank “torture porn”.
Reviewers are partly right, since the projects of this subgenre were created according to the simplest formula - in their first half, an attractive young woman is sexually tortured, and in the second half, the heroine severely takes revenge on offenders by abundantly filling the cell with their blood. This is how history develops in the work of Jimi Hemphill. Moreover, on the one hand, male spectators receive a generous portion of sexual exploitation, and on the other, the author does not glorify violence, and while condemning, he warns others around how such tricks can end.
Hemphill's armor-piercing confidence that a person in a certain situation is practically no different from a rabid dog gives a stunning result to the finale. Among the reviews for the film "Bad Reputation" there are positive and laudatory evaluations.
Professional criticism
Unlike the benevolent viewers, the reviews of movie experts were uncompromising. Particularly cynical-minded contributing authors stated that the project does not have a conscious direction, a non-standard approach to visual solutions and acting. Some film critics put the film on the level of ordinary porn, only instead of voluptuous groans, the actors scream in pain and shake with fear. The starring Angelica Hennessy is just another starlet who ordered a road to a big movie. Among other actors, only Gerad Anderson managed to build a cinematic career, the rest have sunk into oblivion.
Only the creative fans of the composers Eric Choronzi and John LeBeck won praise from the professionals, who delighted us with a rich palette of musical accompaniment, ranging from furious hard rock to instrumental music. The music perfectly complements the picture from the cameraman Forrest Ellison, who manages to keep the attention of the audience around the overall plot with a deft game of shots. This is the only original move in the film.
Spoiled by inexperienced directing
With all the criticism mentioned above, the picture "Bad Reputation" received two awards of the New York horror film festival in the nominations "Best Feature Film" and "Best Actress", which allows recommending it to fans of the genre.
In the end, you should not evaluate the picture as a highly artistic cinema - these patterns do not fit exhausted girls who shred their offenders right and left.