The Sawyers. The Fireflys. The Odets. Psychopathic families have been a steady and celebrated fixture in the horror genre for decades. Writer/Director/Actor Joe Hollow (Flesh of the Unforgiven) brings the Horror Nation the newest clan of carnage with The Family Business. Known for a no holds barred style of old school filmmaking and littered with a cast of icons including, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, and Michael Berryman, expectations will be high for this fear family tale.
Brothers Jacob and Jonathan are filmmakers specializing in a niche brand of art. Snuff films. Not just any dark web style snuff films, but real-life sex, torture, and death style cinema created for a selective and profitable market. The brothers and their brood of bloodthirsty crew have been luring unsuspecting victims to a paranormal penitentiary for years, all the while having the town officials and local law paid off to keep tight lipped. Once the profits and blood start to drip thin, the family begins to reassess their business and relationships as their latest film unravels into a descent of darkness which gives new meaning to the phrase, final cut.
If The Hills Run Red and House of 1000 Corpses had a diabolical love child film, The Family Business would be that film. Hollow and co-director Wolfgang Meyer pull no punches as they present cinematic carnage throughout the eighty-five-minute run time. Horror fanatics will be salivating with joy watching Kane Hodder and the late great Tony Todd square off during an extended cameo. The rest of the cast puts in a terrifyingly terrific performance, while Devanny Pinn steals her scenes with a fantastic portrayal of Rebecca which puts Sherri Moon’s Baby Firefly to shame. The production team refreshingly does not shy away from the modern cut-away kills, with several deaths sticking in the psyche of the viewer long after the end credits. The Family Business is paced like an out-of-control terror train that twists and turns passengers through a dark tunnel of depravity, one which shows no light at the end.
Scream Score: 8.5/10