by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, let’s take a ride on the Road to the Mouth of Hell (A Última Casa no Topo da Colina; Brazil), by writer/director Julio Napoli.
Synopsis
A group of young people are returning from a trip when they come across a lost teenage girl on the road and offer her a ride. After being abandoned by the driver, the group decide to spend the night at the young girl’s house. But it ends up being the worst choice of their lives.
The Good
Joseph: I see many microbudget, no budget, and low budget horror movies every year, and many of them are not worth recommending for a variety of reasons. Napoli’s Road to the Mouth of Hell is an exception, though, as it boasts a bloody, beating heart full of passion for the fright-fare genre. Granted, there’s not a lot new here storywise nor with the usual crew of twentysomethings — some likable, some not — that naturally include at least one social influencer these days, but the chutzpah on display from the direction to the all-in performances to the copious amounts of the red stuff and homemade gore lift the film well above most other films of its budget and ilk.
Mike: If there’s one thing that Road to the Mouth of Hell does well it’s that it hides the fact that it was made on a very low budget. Unknown, yet talented, actors bring their characters to life without coming across as one-note clichés while still managing to check the boxes of the expected character tropes. Especially memorable is the effort turned in by Natthália Goncalves as the young girl found by four friends on the road. If she sticks with acting I expect she has a bright future ahead of her.
Coupled with the better-than-average acting is Napoli’s knack for pacing and setting up some of his shots which highlight what they’re intended to such as a blurry figure in the background moving into focus as they stalk their prey, to others that are clear homage to films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and various home invasion flicks.
The Bad
Joseph: Seasoned viewers of psycho-killer cinema will be a step ahead of most of the proceedings, though Napoli does offer a few surprises. Sure, there are flaws in most technical aspects that are sure to bother viewers more in favor of higher levels of budget and professionalism, but here they feel more engaging than off-putting to me. Also, the second act slows down quite a bit before revving things up again in the gruesomeness and savagery departments.
Mike: The lack of originality may be a turnoff for some viewers with a lot of scenes evoking feelings of “been there, done that, got the t-shirt”. Coupled with a few poorly edited and composed shots, there are some times when a lack of budget and experience peek through. There’s also a lot of needless padding in the second act that could have been better spent showing some of the horrors that our travelers had to experience. Yes, there was backstory exposed during this time, but there are more effective ways to illuminate the darkness than by shining a giant, glaring light onto things.
The Verdict
Joseph: Road to the Mouth of Hell revels in its love of horror cinema, and Napoli has crafted a fun by-horror-fans–for-horror-fans feature that doesn’t skimp on the gruesomeness and obviously fake blood. If you like verve with your violence and can-do spirit with your carnage, you’ll want to seek this film out.
Mike: Julio Napoli’s Road to the Mouth of Hell doesn’t pretend to be anything that it isn’t. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table, so viewers looking for originality will be a bit disappointed. However, what it DOES offer is a brutal and budget-defying story that should please most of its target audience with enough of the meager budget being spent on blood and gore to please those tuning in for the red stuff with a heavy dose of quantity over quality.
If treading into familiar and comfortable horror territory is something that doesn’t bother you, I suggest tracking this down if only to see an early film from someone who certainly has an eye for horror and can only get better with more experience.
Road to the Mouth of Hell
Directed By: Julio Napoli
Written By: Julio Napoli
Starring: Sophia Santana, Natthália Gonçalves, Rafael Delgado, Maitê Padilha, Morgana Corrêa
Run Time: 1h 24m
Rating: NR
Release Date: 2024
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