At approximately 53 minutes into the third installment of Fred Vogel's controversial August Underground series, I found myself violently upchucking delicious Chinese food into my lovely little toilet bowl while two very confused felines looked on. It was not a pretty sight.

I'm not kidding.

What caused my tasty dinner to turn chunky somersaults in my rumbly tummy, you ask? Was it the jittery amateur cinematography? How about watching a live rat getting ripped to shreds by a hungry alligator in a filthy aquarium? Or maybe it was the gurgling, bubbling disembowelment that did the trick? To be honest, I’m really not sure. However, if I were forced at gunpoint to put my finger on the exact moment my stomach decided to stage a juicy revolt through my nose, it would have to be the Christmas-theme home invasion sequence. I’ll probably have nightmares for weeks. Thanks a lot, Vogel.

But that’s the thrill of watching something like August Underground’s Penance, isn't it? To see an array of atrocities that will ultimately make you feel cheap, dirty and more than a little ashamed of yourself? There’s certainly no plot to speak of, no sweeping narrative to guide you through this never-ending onslaught of putrid carnage. If there were such a thing present in this flick, the whole thing would probably derail and explode right before your very eyes. After all, Vogel's mission is to make you believe you’re watching an honest to God snuff film; the presence of a traditional story would be the proverbial monkey wrench in his morbidly amusing machine.

Penance once again follows the disturbed exploits of the two nameless killers from the previous AU entries, a veritable Bonnie and Cycle for the sadist set. Unlike the other films in the series, there are actually moments of genuine clarity sandwiched in between the grue, some of which are actually quite suburban. In fact, there’s enough so-called “down time” in Penance that some may think Vogel has gone a little soft on us. At first, anyway. Don’t let those coherent conversations and mature observations fool you; Vogel is just biding his time, lulling you into a false sense of security before getting down to some seriously depraved business.

The faux-VHS look of Mordum has been tossed aside in favor of a more contemporary digital look, which makes perfect sense if you’d stop complaining long enough to think about it. This newfound visual quality actually allows Vogel and company to give you an unflinching, up close look at all the horrifying imagery packed into this slim 84 minute descent into complete and utter madness. Though it sometimes comes across like a video travelogue for the emotionally deranged, the decision to upgrade the look and feel of this supposed final entry in the series is actually quite brilliant.