Fangoria magazine presents the fourth installment of its GoreZone film series with director Travis Betz's low-budget horror-fest, JOSHUA. Kelby Unger (Ward Roberts) stirs up the past in more ways than one when he returns t... more »o his small Indiana hometown for the funeral of his father, who had a heart attack while serving on Death Row. In confronting his father's legacy, Kelby revisits a terrible childhood secret that awakens his own violent nature and threatens to erupt in a murderous frenzy of suppressed rage. Gory and atmospheric, Betz's genuinely frightening tale of buried trauma bears all the hallmarks of a modern-day cult classic. Credits Cast: Aaron Gaffey, Christy Jackson, Ward Roberts« less
Rodney P. from BEAUMONT, TX Reviewed on 5/20/2018...
Gruesome and sinister film
Movie Reviews
Delightfully disturbing
gorina | Memphis, Tn | 03/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This movie leaves you with the eerie sense that nothing's right with the world. The story concept is one of the most twisted I have seen and I doubt I will be able to get it out of my mind for a long time. If you want to get a real scare, check this movie out. It will mess with your mind."
Now This Is A Horror Film !
creatureart | Massachusetts | 03/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When you watch a new low-budget indie horror film & at the end as the credits roll you find yourself picking your jaw back up off the floor,thats when you know you stumbled apon something very special & thats exactly what happend to me after viewing Travis Betz's horror freak-show 'JOSHUA'. I'm not even gonna begin to try & explain the movie,all i'm gonna say is that this is simply one of the best horror films i have ever seen & i am so glad i stumbled into this gem! All you video store weekender's Look'n for nightmares rent this one if you can find it & as for collectors like myself this one is a future cult classic must!"
Horror
Don Talon | 03/21/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Kelby ,newly engaged gets a call from back home telling him that his father has just died in jail;a father who was a notorious killer and a father whom he cannot even remember.
His father's funeral is a lonely affair as no on attends and neither do they care. It's here that Kelby meets up with his deadly past of murder,tortue and kidnap, a past which he has successfully repressed until he meets up with his childhood friends,James and Wally.
At aged 13 these three had found a baby recently abandoned and in their childhood ignorance, decide to raise it as their own,naming him JOSHUA, this they did duefully until this love of the child became more and more sinister and in the process they revert to primal behaviors on the young child thus raring him into a monster, inflicting awefull mutilation upon the child.
When however it tries to be more than a horror film is when it lagged and dragged.
This film depects violence and abuse which include cannabalism , eating of feaces by Joshua at his birthday in the form of a cake given to him by the sadistic James.
For a low budget film this is a great effort and the acting is nothing to be scoffed at for a film of this budget;this is a film which i recommend.
"
Fangoria gets one right!!!!!
C. Lockwood | Western, NY | 04/26/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"You will either love this movie, or hate it. In my case I loved it. I can see why some people do not like it. The story is very demented, sick and twisted. Mainly the reason I like it so much. As a die hard horror fan, some of the scenes are even a shock to me.
The movie starts out with a guy named Kelby and his fiancee Amelia. Kelby brings along Amelia to the town of Bisbee,Indiana where he grew up, for the funeral of his sadistic father that died of a heart attack on death row for the murder of Kelbys baby sister. As much as Kelby tried to move on from his past, his family and friends refuse to let what he did as a child go. As the famous saying goes, " The past always comes back to haunt you", or in this case eat you. Amelia soon finds out that her soon to be husband is not what he appeared to be. What comes next is full of indescribable, unnatural happenings that will change anyones mind about the human race. Just when you think people are normal a movie like this one comes out to show you what individuals are really capable of.
For a really low budget film, everything was well done. I recommend this movie to anyone that can appreciate independent horror cinema.
"
Not your average gore flick
Kiply Myers | 11/05/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"While low-budget, good acting and creative directing compellingly deliver a story about the nature of human evil. The main character leaves his idealic life to visit his home after his estranged father dies. There, he encounters the strange and vile people of his childhood and finds himself in the middle of several murders. As the mystery unfolds, we learn of his own past demons and influence on the present events. The film examines both the gullability of human beings and their willingness to be perverse, and of the power of "bad seed" in shaping a person's destiny. The make-up is just as disturbing as the content. It's easy to imagine this film being remade on a larger budget and wider release given its great story."