AMERICAN MARY

American Mary Movie Review

Medical school student Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle, Ginger Snaps) finds herself in financial trouble. One day, she answers a help wanted ad and finds she can make lots of money performing illegal surgeries. What starts with her saving a man quickly turns to a world of revenge, torture, and performing body modifications. This 2012 indie flick from the Soska Sisters (who also appear in the movie) garnered a lot of attention upon its release, and really, it's easy to see why. The movie, while not entirely original, certainly hangs out well off the beaten path of horror flicks. If you're a fan of Isabelle, you will not be surprised at all to hear she does a fantastic job here. The acting takes a large step down from there, though Tristan Risk is memorable as Betty Boop wannabe Beatress Johnson.

She actually WANTS to look like this

The movie feels very unbalanced--I know a lot of this is by design, but some of it isn't. What is most bothersome is the jump from the time Mary is raped to what happens next. Instead of getting to see the gruesome revenge we are all expecting, we skip past that to see Mary has changed her life seemingly over night. Though we don't get the bloodshed we expect there, the movie certainly is not lacking in the department. There is tons of blood in this movie, making it fit snugly in the "torture porn" subgenre. Also most unfortunate is how predictably the movie plays out. For a film that feels chaotic, it is blueprinted as you would expect it to be. If you are paying even a little attention, you will see the ending coming--not that the ending is a bad one; it is executed nicely, and really, execution is the most appealing part of this film. The movie forgoes CGI in favor of practical effects, and the results are visually pleasing. For years, I had heard how great American Mary is, so maybe my expectations were high, but overall, I found the movie to be a letdown...but one that is still worth watching. 

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 6

American Mary Movie Trailer