Here we are, the day before Halloween. If you check the sales fliers from this past weekend (past few weeks, actually) you will find that a number of horror releases have hit sales racks, most notably the entries in After Dark's Films To Die For series and the Masters of Horror releases.

However, if you peruse the new release lists, there are very few new horror releases this week. Most of the new horror titles were spent in the past weeks leading up to the big day. That said, when looking over the noteworthy new releases, I decided that the week's pick would have to be a horror film. Guess what? I found a worthy one. One that most of you will have had a very different reaction to than I did.

This week's pick is none other than Captivity. It sparked controversy earlier this year when a series of graphic billboards and posters popped up around Los Angeles. Producer Courtney Solomon claimed that it was a mistake, but I seriously have my doubts regarding that. It seemed to be the perfect way to drum up some mainstream press for this small film in the hopes of a box office spike. Well, it backfired and the box office prospects withered and died before it even hit the big screen. Then there was the problem of a work print that made the rounds. It was not well received, and from what I hear, it differed greatly from the final product. This was particularly noticeable in the gore department. Still, I liked this film and look forward to adding it to my collection.

I enjoyed laughing at the ridiculous script, I enjoyed squirming at the torture sequences, I enjoyed the ridiculously shallow tale being spun. The fact that I found myself enjoying this beyond all reason is testament to my being a fan of horror movies; it can be hard to find good ones, so I will occasionally find myself drawn into a bad one. Perhaps it was the more twisted elements that kept me captivated, because it sure wasn't the characters holding my attention.

The movie opens as we watch the unidentified killer cover a victim in plaster of Paris, poor something down a tube through his nose, while blood drains from his other nostril. It ends ends with the killer taking a sledgehammer to the plaster encased head. Now, that should give you a clear idea of whether or not this is going to be a movie for you. Undoubtedly, many of you will not go anywhere near it, while others of you may smile, thinking this could be just what you're looking for. Well, it isn't quite as bad for the former, and not nearly enough for the latter.

As I sat there watching the film, the words morally bankrupt and misogynistic came to mind. Not that I believe the filmmakers are either, nor do I think those who enjoy this are either. It is, after all, a movie, an exercise in creativity that happens to skew towards the darker side of life. If you watch the film, I am pretty sure the same words will come to your mind. That is until we get a finale that brings in an element of female revenge flicks like I Spit on Your Grave, but just a touch. The way the people are treated in this film is rather repulsive; even without caring about these paper thin characterizations, it was still pretty cruel.