Porno (film)

Last updated
Porno
Directed byKeola Racela
Written byLaurence Vannicelli
Matt Black
Produced bySarah Oh
Chris Cole
Starring
CinematographyJohn Wakayama Carey
Music by Carla Patullo [1]
Production
companies
Fangoria
Evoke
Distributed by Shudder
Release dates
  • March 21, 2019 (2019-03-21)(SXSW)
  • May 8, 2020 (2020-05-08)(United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Porno is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Keola Racela and starring Katelyn Pearce, Jillian Mueller, Larry Saperstein, Glenn Stott, Evan Daves, and Robbie Tann. [2] [3] The film premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, [4] and released to virtual theaters, due to Covid-19, via Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and other theaters on April 10, 2020, and release to VOD on May 8, 2020. [5] It is a Fangoria Presents production.

Contents

Plot

Set in the early 1990s, five teen employees of a small town movie theater find a mysterious film reel and decide to play it after the theater closes. Watching the vintage X-rated film unleashes a succubus, who tries to seduce each of the five teens as they attempt to escape the theater intact.

The day starts off with two of the teens, Abe and Todd, outside of a house in the suburbs as they peep through a window, watching a couple have sex inside. Todd wants to leave and tells Abe they will get in trouble, so the two of them hop on their bikes and ride down the sidewalk to the theater where they work. Inside the theater, they and their fellow employees stand around in a prayer circle led by their boss, Mr. Pike, who tells them they can have a movie night after they close and clean the theater. As the teens fight over which movie to watch, A League of Their Own or Encino Man , they hear a noise inside the theater. A crazy old man is running around by the screen. They attempt to get him to leave, but he runs through a boarded up opening in the lobby. As the teens peer inside, they see that it leads to a basement.

The five of them decide to go down together to get the man out instead of calling Mr. Pike. Once down there, they find a room filled with old tin cans of film reels. Abe brings one of the reels upstairs, and they all vote to watch it for movie night, except for Jeff the projectionist, who worries that it might break the projector because it is so old. He is out-voted though, and they start playing the film, which is a weird pornographic film that unleashes a succubus named Lilith.

Reception

The film has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 52 critic reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Porno mines sexual repression to produce a laughably lurid - and genuinely scary - outing that should delight genre fans in search of a good time." [6] Jude Dry of Indiewire gave it a B+. [7] Chris Salce of Film Threat gave it 8 out of 10. [8] Trace Thurman of Bloody Disgusting gave it two-and-a-half skulls. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uma Thurman</span> American actress (born 1970)

Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 covers of British Vogue, Thurman starred in Dangerous Liaisons (1988). She rose to international prominence with her performance as Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. Often hailed as Tarantino's muse, she reunited with the director to play the main role in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2, which brought her two additional Golden Globe Award nominations.

<i>Paycheck</i> (film) 2003 film by John Woo

Paycheck is a 2003 American science fiction action film directed by John Woo. Written by Dean Georgaris, it is based on the 1953 short story "Paycheck" by Philip K. Dick. The film stars Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman, Aaron Eckhart, Paul Giamatti, Michael C. Hall, Joe Morton, and Colm Feore. The film was released on December 25, 2003, by Paramount Pictures in North America and DreamWorks Pictures internationally, to negative reviews.

<i>Hellboy</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Guillermo del Toro

Hellboy is a 2004 American superhero film based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name, created by Mike Mignola. Produced by Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin in association with Dark Horse Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the first live-action film in the franchise. Directed and written by Guillermo del Toro, the film stars Ron Perlman in the title role, alongside Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, and John Hurt. The film draws inspiration from the debut comic Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. In the film, a charismatic demon-turned-investigator named "Hellboy" works with the secretive Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense to suppress paranormal threats, but a resurrected sorcerer seeks to make Hellboy fulfill his destiny by triggering the apocalypse.

<i>Chelsea Walls</i> 2001 film by Ethan Hawke

Chelsea Walls is a 2001 American drama film directed by Ethan Hawke in his directorial debut and written by Nicole Burdette, based on her 1990 play of the same name. It stars Kris Kristofferson, Uma Thurman, Rosario Dawson, Natasha Richardson, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Robert Sean Leonard. The story takes place in the historic Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan.

<i>Holy Ghost People</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

Holy Ghost People is a 2013 American psychological thriller directed by Mitchell Altieri and written by Kevin Artigue, Joe Egender, Altieri, and Phil Flores. It stars Emma Greenwell as a woman who goes in search of her missing sister, who has joined an isolated religious group.

<i>Starry Eyes</i> 2014 film directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer

Starry Eyes is a 2014 American horror film directed and written by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. The film had its world premiere on March 8, 2014 at South by Southwest and features Alexandra Essoe as a hopeful young starlet who finds that fame's price is not always easily paid. Funding for the movie was partially raised through a successful Kickstarter campaign.

<i>Darling</i> (2015 American film) 2015 American film

Darling is a 2015 American psychological horror film written and directed by Mickey Keating. It stars Lauren Ashley Carter as a young woman who slowly goes insane after becoming a caretaker in a large New York City apartment. It also features Sean Young, Brian Morvant, Larry Fessenden, Helen Rogers, and John Speredakos. It premiered at the 2015 Fantastic Fest and released to limited theatres in the United States and VOD in April 2016.

<i>Hush</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Mike Flanagan

Hush is a 2016 American slasher film directed and edited by Mike Flanagan, and starring Kate Siegel, who also co-wrote the film with Flanagan. The film co-stars John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, and Emilia "Emma" Graves. It was jointly produced by Trevor Macy through Intrepid Pictures and Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions.

<i>Bull</i> (2019 film) 2019 film

Bull is a 2019 American drama film directed by Annie Silverstein. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The film received widespread critical acclaim and went on to screen at the Deauville Film Festival, where it won three of the top five prizes including the Grand Jury Prize, Revelations Prize for Best First Film, and the Critics Award. Bull was released to video on demand and streaming platforms on May 1, 2020.

<i>Animals</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Animals is a 2014 American romantic drama film written by David Dastmalchian and directed by Collin Schiffli. The film stars Dastmalchian and Kim Shaw as a couple living in a broken car who scam strangers to support their heroin addiction. When their misadventures turn from bad to worse, the young lovers must decide if true love can prevail in the face of all else.

<i>Another Evil</i> 2016 American film

Another Evil is a 2016 comedy horror film that was written and directed by Carson Mell. The movie had its world debut on March 12, 2016 at the South by Southwest Film Festival and stars Steve Zissis, a man who hires a ghost hunter to rid his house of ghosts but finds that he instead wishes to rid himself of the hunter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Leone</span> American film director, special effects artist, writer and producer

Damien Leone is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer known for writing and directing All Hallows' Eve (2013), Terrifier (2016), and Terrifier 2 (2022), each of which feature his character Art the Clown. He is currently working on Terrifier 3 (2024).

<i>Lily Topples the World</i> 2021 American documentary film

Lily Topples the World is a 2021 American documentary film, which follows acclaimed domino toppler Lily Hevesh as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. Directed by Jeremy Workman, the film also marks the producing debut of actress Kelly Marie Tran.

<i>The Seed</i> (2021 film) 2021 British horror film

The Seed is the 2021 science fiction body horror feature film directorial debut of Sam Walker, who also wrote the script. The movie premiered in the United States at Beyond Fest, after which it was released to Shudder as one of its original films.

<i>Offseason</i> (film) 2021 horror film

Offseason is a 2021 supernatural horror film written and directed by Mickey Keating. It stars Jocelin Donahue, Joe Swanberg, Richard Brake, and Melora Walters. The film premiered at South by South West in March 2021 before a theatrical release by RLJE Films on March 11, 2022.

Abe is a 2020 Brazilian-American comedy drama film directed by Fernando Grostein Andrade and starring Noah Schnapp and Seu Jorge. The film depicts twelve-year old protagonist Abe's attempts to unite his half-Israeli and half-Palestinian family. Abe is the son of a Jewish Israeli mother, Rebecca and a Muslim Palestinian father, Amir.

References

  1. ↑ Colburn, Randall (September 9, 2020). "Fangoria's Porno delivers the shivers in this exclusive clip from its spine-tingling score". The A.V. Club . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ Harvey, Dennis (2019-03-10). "'Porno': Film Review". Variety . Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  3. ↑ Schager, Nick (2019-03-09). "'Porno': The Gross-Out SXSW Movie Exposing Sexual Hypocrisy". The Daily Beast . Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  4. ↑ "Porno". SXSW 2020 Schedule. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Odie. "Porno movie review & film summary (2020) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  6. ↑ "Porno (2019)", Rotten Tomatoes , Fandango , retrieved October 30, 2021
  7. ↑ Dry, Jude (2019-03-13). "'Porno' Review: Religious Teens Battle a Sex Demon in Gutsy Horror Comedy Debut". IndieWire . Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  8. ↑ "Porno | Film Threat". Film Threat . 2019-03-10. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
  9. ↑ Thurman, Trace (2019-03-12). "[SXSW Review] 'Porno' is a Flaccid Attempt at Fun". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 2020-10-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.