DVD Release
After a washed-up ventriloquist commits suicide with a drug overdose, her children Angelina and Norbert are bounced from foster home to foster until they’re able to reunite and hit the streets with their mother’s ventriloquist dummy named, ironically Dummy, in search of work It doesn’t take long before the siblings find a truly fulfilling job…murder.
Triloquist was written and directed by Mark Jones, the filmmaker/screenwriter behind both Leprechaun and Rumpelstiltskin, so I think most people assumed they’d be getting some kind of psycho puppet flick, which is only partly correct. This movie doesn’t entirely focus on just the homicidal dummy but also the twisted, incestuous relationship of Angelina and Norbert, adding a bit more depth to what could have been stock, one-dimensional crazies. Personally I found the bizarro interaction between the dummy, Angelina and Norbert to be the best part of the film; you just couldn’t help liking these two psychopaths and their creepy dummy, but I can see where some folks may be put off by the film as a whole.
Jones has created an ambiguous, almost experimental, grindhouse-style horror film that keeps the viewers wondering whether dummy is real or an extension of poor, mute Norbert’s super-ego encouraged to manifest itself due to the love-hate relationship he has for his foul-mouthed sister Angelina. Naturally, ambiguity isn’t going to be something fans will appreciate though the true nature of dummy and the siblings’ relationship does begin to become clear toward the final quarter of the film. Hopefully people decide to stick it out for the finale because it was clever.
I know this film is getting panned, big time, by critics and fans but I really did enjoy this flick, it was like a freaky mash-up of Natural Born Killers and Magic. The acting was good, though occasionally spotty, and the inclusion of a few funny cameos, nudity and Paydin LoPachin’s truck driver mouth was pretty damn entertaining for me.
Triloquist is by no means perfect, hell it’s not even close, but it’s different. Jones attempted something quirky, sleazy, sexy and horrific and perhaps he fell a bit short when combining all of those elements but in the end this was a unique viewing experience for me that was neither unpleasant nor disappointing.
This is going to make some scratch their heads but I say, check this out, preferably as a rental first. I own it and I have no doubt I’ll be watching it again, this time with friends. It’s not Leprechaun so don’t pop this in expecting all 100% murderous dummy because that just ain’t gonna happen. Jones made a stylish little horror film that, in my opinion, smoked the large majority of the genre garbage hitting theaters but that’s just me. Give it a shot; you could probably do much worse. I was a bit pissy about the lack of extras but I’m fairly certain most people won’t give a shit after seeing this.
