The talented team at Mahal Empire has quickly become one of the biggest players in all of independent horror films. Since their smash hit, Bus Party to Hell, Mahal has been producing high quality horror productions at a lightning pace. The iconic film Battle Royale set the standard for the sub-genre of contest horror. More recently, films such as Would You Rather and Truth or Dare have further catapulted contest horror into popularity. This July 19th, Mahal Empire takes their stab at the growing genre of contest horror with their latest release, DEATH COUNT.
Several captives wake up to find themselves locked and chained in a dungy cell. Quickly they realize that they are now part of a sinister game that is being conducted by a sociopath that calls himself The Warden. Each player must gain “views” from an online audience for a chance to earn their freedom. In order to gain “views,” the unwilling contestants must inflict personal bodily harm to themselves. Through each round, the contestants realize that they are all linked to each other and are paying the ultimate price for a past discretion. Who is willing to sacrifice the most flesh in order to survive The Warden’s game?
Death Count is another fantastic fright film from the team at Mahal. One of the biggest things for a successful contest horror film is that each character must present a unique and memorable performance. All of the performances are memorable and help to keep a brilliant pace to the film. Lead Sarah French stands out with a brave physical portrayal that will have audiences cheering for her through squinted eyes, as she self-inflicts one brutal strike to herself after another. Costas Mandylor (Saw Franchise) brings the horror nation a new icon with his strong and brutal performance as The Warden. Legendary actor Michael Madsen (Species) rounds out the talented cast as a detective that is in a race against time in desperate attempt to locate the game before all of the contestants are dead. Director Michael Su keeps the action flowing with creative individual contest from the written script from Michael Merino and Rolfe Kanefsky. Death Count is a roller coaster killer contest that races through a terror track, leaving the viewers exhilarated at the end and begging for another ride.
Scream Score: 8.8/10