Faust : Love of the Damned (2000)

Director: Brian Yuzna
Starring: Mark Frost, Isabel Brook, Jeffrey Combs, Andrew Divoff, Monica Vam Campen . Spain . 1h 38m

Based on Tim Vigil and David Quinn (graphic novel) Wolfgang Von Goethe (play)

There’s a magical era of horror which isn’t to be taken too seriously but it is to be thoroughly enjoyed. I haven’t really been able to put a name to it, if one exists then please hit me up on twitter @admitonefilmadd or comment here. But it involves great special effects, a bit cheesy for modern audiences but so very treasured for the community.

It’s not too hard to work out the basis of this gory horror, it’s a modern rendition of a play by Wolfgang Von Goethe known originally as Urfaust dated between 1772-1775, so the story is well known, but there are additional twists so keep new eyes riveted on the action.

Everything has a price…

A brilliant dark artist called John Jaspers (Frost), lives a quaint life with his amazing girlfriend until one fateful day when she’s murdered, grief-stricken he strikes a bargain with M, a mysterious suited man,  to get his bloody revenge. Soon he realises that everything has a price. When angered he transforms into an armoured demon with a passion for killing, slowly he learns that M has plans to release a Homunculus on the earth and thus opening the gates of hell. To be honest I thought an Homunculus was something completely different, check out this great YouTube video from Scare Theater showing you how you can make you own.. Or at least try..

While Jaspers is in his “devilish” form he ends up reeking a lot of havoc, and hot on his heels is a detective Lt Dan Margolies (Combs) who is open to the ideas of the supernatural aspects at work along with Jaspers psychologist Jame de Camp (Brook) who has a soft spot for her patient.

So after getting his special powers Jaspers goes on a kill spree of the people who murdered his love but soon he realises that he’s a tool for M (Divoff) and his mischievous sexy assistant Claire (Van Campen),the two kinda pair off like a fetishy married couple but M being in control but both struggling for power over the matters of releasing the apocalypse onto the world. Divoff is no stranger to horror and especially Yuzna horrors as he’s the star in Wishmaster (1 and 2 only). Combes is also no stranger to devilry and gory horror, having starred in so many messy films in the past. Slowly the forces of evil begging to gain a foothold due to the souls and carnage their new monster is reeking on the world, until a big show down which is brought about by a kinky orgy.

Offset to a Nu Metal kids wet dream of a soundtrack, there’s lots to enjoy in Faust, while it doesn’t follow the original play closely it’s an incredibly diverse change to a well known fable. The action scenes are fast and cut well, with lots of gore and effects. There’s also lots of Society-esque body morphing scenes and a dose of black comedy.

Jaspers character is pretty versatile, after the initial blood bath he’s arrested and assumed insane, this is when he meets his shrink. In his “normal” state he’s a tortured man, still dealing with the loss of his lover and his internal demons, chuck in the realisation that he’s all a blood thirsty monster and he’s a fragile and showing signs of cracking, but once he turns into Faust the armoured demon, a transformation which reminds me of the iconic Devilman (1987), his personality changes, he’s bold, lusty and merciless.

It’s a pretty solid story with all the typical 90’s styled horror effects, there are a few twists and lots of sexyness usually when Monica Vam Campen is around, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be taken all too seriously but defiantly supposed to be thoroughly enjoyed (maybe as a guilty pleasure).

Rating: 6/10

 

R: Wishmaster (1997), Warlock 2 (1993), Society (1989), Re-animator 2 (1989), Return of the Living Dead (1993), Faust (2011), Guyver (1991), Devilman (1987)

5s: Andrew Divoff, Jeffrey Combs, Brian Yuzna

Vs: Faust Vs Wishmaster