horror
Tainted Love
HOME  ABOUT  FICTION  POETRY  ART  SUBMIT  NEWS  ZINES  BEWARE  CONTACT  PLAGUE  SHADOWS  BOOKS  FILMS
The Horror Zine Review

Tainted Love

A film by Mol Smith and Will Moore

Director: Will Moore
Actors: Samantha Morrish, Jody Jameson, Rory Nolan
Studio: Mol Smith and Sex and Death Motion Pictures
Format: 16:9 HD
Language: English
Release Date: December 2012
Run Time: 105 minutes

Tainted Love

still

Tainted Love

A Film by Mol Smith and Will Moore

Review by Jason D. Brawn

A mix of folk horror, sexuality and sensuality; this film was made on a relatively low budget of £15,000 without any backing. With echoes of Rosemary’s Baby, Witchfinder General, The Wicker Man, Blood on Satan’s Claw, To a Devil a Daughter, The Witches,and The Devil’s Rain, it tells the story of the young and virginal Rachel (Samantha Morrish) who lives alone in a country house. Onene night she receives an unexpected visit from Leah, an attractive gypsy girl (played by Jodie Jameson) who asks to encamp her caravan in her garden until she raises enough cash to venture on. Rachel kindly accepts because of her infatuation with Leah. This allows Leah to start a fortune-telling business inside her caravan for the villagers, but this scheme clouds her real intention of finding out how and why her mother was killed thirty years ago. 

The film opens with the 1981 sacrificial murder of Leah’s mother (Michelle Thompson) in her fairground caravan that draws the audience slap-bang into the story, and helps establish the protagonist’s goal/point of view. Like in medieval times when the crops failed, egging the villagers to persecute headstrong and independent women as witches, a similar fashion does happen to Leah when strange occurrences surrounding them begin. But Rachel, who harbours a similar power, is left alone, raising suspicions if she is part of the cult.

There are a few shocks and twists and turns adding to the plot, but some of the scenes are rather long and needed trimming. The sexual scenes are sometimes subtle but often explicit.  I am dying to reveal more, but I can say one thing and that is it features a demonic creature, known in lore as an incubus and a cult of devil worshipers who were part of her mother’s demise. There is a strong reason why Leah’s mother was killed prompting her daughter to revisit the place she was murdered. While watching the film, it originally appears that there isn’t a clear antagonist who leads the cult until the very end, when the rug is pulled from our eyes. 

The relationship with the red-blooded Leah and her love interest Rachel reminded me of Millarca Karnstein’s sexual encounters with Laura in Sheridan Le Fanu’s short story, Carmilla and Hammer’s The Vampire Lovers.  I did like the homoerotic overtones of their relationship and Rachel, who said earlier in the film that she was tired of men, gave Leah the indication that she fancied her.

Under the direction of Will Moore and written and produced by Mol Smith, this is an interesting take on those influential films mentioned in the first paragraph of this review, but unlike many occult themed movies, the female characters are dominant and strong that drives the narrative well.

The cinematography by Will Moore is stunning as well as some of the special effects, and it does surprise me how much little money was spent on this film. It can be served as a good template for any aspiring horror filmmaker who dreams of making an independent feature.  Mol has showed that you don’t need to go through the conventional route of raising a lot of money through various film funding institutions to get your project developed. This film is better than many well-exposed horror films thrown at jaded horror fans. He did it himself, so well done to him!   

As with any film, there are some flaws. I felt that the script was rather plodded and therefore could benefit from shortening. For instance, some of the dialogue was on the nose and the resolution needed more fleshing out. Regardless of these minor complaints, it still doesn’t stop the film from succeeding in its goals.

Tainted Love is a good film and I would like to see more from the maker. It's such a shame that this film is not on the festival circuit or shown on the Horror Channel, which would have been a perfect fit. It is most definitely better than many independent horror films that get immediate DVD releases, as well as the countess stuff that Hollywood manufactures for the multiplex crowd. A must-see film!

To rent this movie, please go to Vimeo HERE

See the movie HERE

About the Filmmaker

Mol Smith

Mol Smith

Mol Smith was born poor in 1950 in Streathham, England. Playing in bomb sites as a child, he lived to create.

Mol has several books published and is now creating films that have strong female lead characters and he likes to think his films are quirky and surprising. He believes that God has a fantastic sense of humor and so Mol looks for humor in tragedy, especially his own.

About the reviewer

Jason D. Brawn

Jason Brawn3

Jason D. Brawn is the author of horror novelettes Stranded and Refuge, as well as having short stories, poems and film reviews published in anthologies, magazines and ezines. He holds a degree in Film and Media from Birkbeck College, University of London and has appeared in the Hammer Horror webserial, Beyond the Rave.

He resides in London and enjoys cinema, theatre, listening to obscure music, art, travelling and reading for inspiration.