Initially, $25,000 did seem like a lot of money spent on a movie that is quite simple – there are only a couple sets and minimal props. In addition, I was surprised to learn that the director financed the entire thing himself through use of credit cards! While this makes every fiber in my Dutch being twitch, I’m reminded of how Kevin Smith used a similar tactic to make his film Clerks, and in Smith’s case it was definitely money well spent!
The filmmakers used their budget to purchase the camera equipment, including a Canon XL2, which was sold after production (it would have been interesting to see the added monetary gain from all the sold equipment.) The rest was spent on a tripod, insurance, sets, costuming, etc. While sometimes renting camera equipment can be less pricy, this film was shot on weekends, which would certainly have inflated the cost.
It’s difficult for me to conceive of spending such a large amount of money, but then I suppose I’m not as much of a risk-taker. Victim’s Song is a really good movie – barring the few mistakes previously mentioned; it shows a lot of knowledge, planning, and passion on the part of the filmmakers, so I’d have to say it was money well-spent.
Although this film’s forceful nature makes it very entertaining, some audience members may find it difficult to watch. There really aren’t any images that show exactly what is happening, but as suggestion can sometimes be worse than actually watching, anyone with a squeamish nature or an aversion to horror movies might get turned off. To be honest, I wanted very much to turn the movie off several times (which I didn’t!). Fans of horror, suspense, and thriller movies would probably enjoy Victim’s Song. It may also appeal to the hardcore crowd too; aficionados of films like The Devil’s Rejects and the Saw series might enjoy the intensity, but could find it too tame.
Victim’s Song is an intense movie. The story is well-told, and does a great job of grabbing onto an audience. It may start out a little slow, but once it gets going it doesn’t stop for anything.
