Haunting of Rebcca Verlaine (Garden of Love)

Of late it seems that more and more independent film makers are turning to the horror genre. After all this type of movie can be made is a small numbers of days and a very limited budget. With computer graphic effects so inexpensive and horror make up readily available this is a natural course that many have taken. Besides there are most likely great deals out there if the producers purchase stage blood in bulk which most seem to do. Not only are these films less expensive to make they have a built in audience with high school and college aged males; a demographic with enough disposable cash for a ticket or DVD purchase. Many directors and writers, often the same person, try to make a film that at least tries to be subtle in the use of sex and violence. Perhaps they even gear their movie towards the more comical just to relieve some of the pressure that parent and religious groups make bring to bear on their work. One Indy writer and director who has not gone the subtle route is Olaf Ittenbach. He would appear to have realized that his target audience wants violence, gore and blood in massive quantities and he is determined to give them what they want. His latest opus to find its way to DVD is ‘The Haunting of Rebcca Verlaine’. Some may remember it by its original title ‘Garden of Love’ which was used in its 2003 release at the Dead by Dawn Edinburgh Horror Film Festival. This is an extreme film in every sense of the word. It may be termed revolting by those that are not hard core aficionados of the genre.

Hit is very fortunate for Indy horror masters like Herr Ittenbach that DVD has reached the popularity it has. This film is so extreme that it would be difficult to find a theatrical distributor here in the States. Prior to DVD releases this film would either have to be cut down and diluted or relegated to small specialized art houses and midnight showings in college towns. Since the MPAA ratings board does not extend their critical eye to DVD releases MTI Home Video is able to bring this intense film unedited and uncut to the fans. For those that do not find this type of gruesome film to their taste you can at least appreciate that the art of cinema is a broad endeavor and there is room for just about every sort of film to be represented. For the guys out there who will buy and enjoy this film please remember that this is in no way to be considered a date movie. This is a movie geared towards young adult males; just leave it at that.

Ittenbach is the creative force behind this film. As the writer his script is to the point. The story starts off with a brutal event that sets the rest of the action in motion. He lays down a world where the murdered spirits of a family cannot rest until they are avenged even if it means bringing turmoil into the life of a young woman. His writing partner here is Thomas Reitmair. The two have worked on previous films together and form a formidable team in the genre. In the area of direction Ittenbach is straight forward with his approach to the violence and bloodshed in the flick. His camera is an unblinking eye that brings the audience up close and personal to the mayhem. Ittenbach has quite an impressive resume backing him up. Unlike many horror flick writer-directors he has worked his way through many of the ancillary functions required to make a film of this sort work. He has considerable credits in special effects frequently working as the supervisor or effects coordinator. He has even worked on the infamous Uwe Boll flick ‘BloodRayne’ as well as ‘Seed’ and the upcoming ‘Tunnel Rats’. He has also not let directing go to his head and still works the special effect area for other directors’ films. He has even appeared as an actor in several horror films as well as the producer. This is not his first time as director and writer so this is a man who knows exactly what he wants and how to make it happen.

The story begins on Christmas Eve, a time that families normally enjoy with cheerful expectation. A father tucks his little girl into bed placing a necklace around her neck for protection. The colored lights flicker in the darkness. The girl wants the lights left on and the father reluctantly agrees. The audience knows that this is not going to be a merry Christmas since the music playing is organ heavy and ominous; no Jiggle Bells here. A man with wild white hair dressed in what looks like homespun clothes appears; a knife in his hands. He goes to the bathroom and kills a young blond woman in the shower. Okay, a little cliché but it does set the mood rapidly. Only two and a half minutes into the film and there is already blood gushing out all over the tub. The killer then goes room to room killing everyone he finds. One young woman is stabbed in her neck as she sleeps; her blood forming a stream shooting up covering the bed. A man sits at a table preparing for a meal when the killer comes up behind him and slits his throat. This is not the usual scene shown so many times the blood is a torrent, the sickly, and sticky sound assaulting the audience. Ittenbach doesn’t just show the savage killings he fully employs the Foley artist so we hear every last gurgling sound. One by one every member of the peaceful little commune is ripped apart by the murderer’s blade. The floors are awash with their blood. When he comes upon one little girl she screams. He plunges his knife into her and flees, leaving her for dead. Finally some men in suits break down the door and enter. They examine the horrific scene in the dark, their flashlights catching glimpses of the blood and bodies.

The sole survivor is Rebecca (Anika Julien) who initially is in a coma. When she awakens two years later she has been adopted by her aunt and uncle and told they are her parents. It is not until she becomes an adult, now played by Natacza Boon, that she discovers some of the truth of that night. Rebecca is trying to make a normal life for herself including going to the university and becoming close to a young man. The mystery of what happens weighs on her and she decides to go back to the scene of the murders and investigate the whole story. It is there that Rebecca is visited by her ghostly real father Gabriel Verlaine (Bela B. Felsenheimer) who demands the girl exact revenge so the dead can finally be at rest. There is an official investigation that is taking its toil on the lead detective who as first on the scene is still having nightmares and eerie visions. Prompted by the ghostly family Rebecca looks for who did this and plots the revenge that is demanded.

Those considering this film should not get the impression that it is a never ending stream of violence, it isn’t. It is just that when the gory scenes happen they are so intense that it can force your mind to think it is happening in every scene. Ittenbach does include a story here, albeit a thing one, that does more than just provide a scaffold for the violence. He attempts to create a psychologically motivated film that explores the inner turmoil of Rebecca. We are witness to her mental degradation as her visions become increasingly bloody. She is finally pushed over the edge for the conclusion. The audience can consider the ghosts as just a manifestation of her broken psyche but Ittenback does push in the direction of the supernatural. It might have been better to leave this more of an open question. Those craving gore will not be disappointed although there will be ample opportunities to take a quick beer run during the talk fest portions of the movie.

MTI Home Video specializes in little films that have not received a wide distribution. Many of these films are considered in the more extreme end of the horror spectrum and this on is a prime example. There is a lot of taking but when the violence arrives it is memorable.

Posted 02/24/08