Horror Movie Review: Needle (2010)

Needle is independent Australian horror movie that combines a classic slasher style within a murder mystery all wrapped up with a voodoo bow.

The movie opens with a graphic death as an elderly man has a hole literally burned through his chest. Just before that he was talking/goading someone on the phone regarding something he took from them. As his wife stands over his body we see the feet of a young child having witnessed what took place.

Many years later Ben, a college student is given a strange box that was one of his father’s last possessions. The box is an antique known as Le Vaudou Mort (The Voodoo Death) & after showing it to his friends the box goes missing.

Ben’s estranged brother, Marcus shows up hoping to help recover their relationship as the body count begins to rise. Le Vaudou Mort can be used to take revenge on person by creating a wax voodoo doll of them. All you need is the box & a picture of the person.

Ben’s friends are the targets in some impressively gory scenes; a killer is using the box to take them out but why?

It’s a well-thought out mystery with a revelation that many won’t have guessed. It’s not shocking by any counts but it makes sense for the most part (I’m still not too clear on the reasoning behind the pool death). The film’s build towards the finale is handled well with sporadic deaths mixed with the main characters attempts to uncover the truth.

Brothers Ben & Marcus are the leads of the movie & neither excels in the role. Ben’s lack of emotion over the events that see his friends killed in horrible ways is un-nerving & Marcus is played as if he is stoned throughout. They’re likeable enough pair but don’t light up the screen in any way.

The same can be said for the majority of the cast with certain characters added for poor comic relief. The detective scenes in particular came across quite amateurish.

The biggest selling point of the movie is the effects of the voodoo machine…some of the deaths scenes are incredible such as the exploding limbs one. It’s pretty nasty but very memorable.

A decent horror movie with some really effective gore scenes & a well-thought out murder mystery. Average acting bogs it down & the parts that don’t include death in some way are unmemorable.