Thanatomorphose (2012) review

Director: Eric Farlardeau
Starring: Kayden Rose and David Tousignant
Run Time: 100 minutes

As a fan of gore and the gruesome, I’m often on the hunt for disturbing and shocking films – I’ve seen so many horror films that there is often the overwhelming need for something that makes me cringe, gag or even stop watching it. Fortunately, I’m not easily disgusted; therefore I usually get to wretch all the way through and not even throw-up a little. So, I found Thanatomorphose, and decided I would put my friends through their paces and inflict some stomach churning scenes on them.

We follow a young woman who has an abusive relationship with a man, and then one day she wakes to find she has started rotting. Admittedly the plot is fairly dire and the dialogue is almost non-existent, but there is some good within the bad here. The young woman doesn’t seem to have a name, nor does anyone else, but we do see her have a small party where they have a bit of a conversation.

As the decomposition process begins, we see, let’s call her Rotti (she is rotting after all), her body start off with bruises and marks but nothing a drunken night wouldn’t supply us with. But the process begins to ramp up and that’s when the visuals of this film really become gruesomely spectacular.

The aesthetics in this film really divulge your senses, and bring the smell of death and maggoty meat right into your nostrils. Viewing a decomposing woman, who seems to become hornier the more charred her flesh looks, giving a blowjob to an alive man is a strange and revolting experience. The aftermath of sperm-infested sick is possibly even worse than the act itself.

As Rotti’s skin becomes blackened, maggot ridden and hanging on by the remaining pieces of muscle, her eyes white over and opening a jar is a risk that if you take, your fingers might fall off (this scene had me in absolute hysterics). Rotti begins hallucinating and seeing some seriously messed up scenarios, which only exacerbate her condition and lead her to do some heinous and unforgettable acts of violence.

From there on in, you’re in for a treat of some of the most repulsive special effects I have ever seen. The special effects in this film are arguably the most impressive feat of this film, and really the only reason you should watch it. It provides a total-gross out fest (watching my best friend and I simultaneously wretch was a viewing experience), which at times is hard to distinguish between reality and the fact it’s makeup. Unfortunately, the plot line, characterisation and all the rest are pretty dull, but we didn’t watch it for the plot.

If like me, you like films that make you cringe and flinch, and you’re not looking for the best storytelling film, then Thanatomorphose will really make you writhe and squirm. I whole-heartedly recommend this film for the special effects alone. And if you do watch it, please let me know whether or not you reckon the mouldy ceiling vagina is the cause of the poor girls mayhem.

Verdict: 3 out of 5