DVD Review: Sin Eater

DVD Reviews, News, Reviews

Nothing gets you into more trouble than an act of kindness. How many times have you done something nice and within minutes, you immediately regret your giving nature? It can be as simple as letting someone cut in front of you at the grocery store since it seems like they have a few items in their cart only to discover they’re going to buy 50 gift cards and 43 cartons of cigarettes and pay with a check. Or just giving a kid ice cream only to discover the other five kids expect you to treat them too. In <i>Sin Eater</i>, a character helps a stranger only to have everything go dark immediately.

Christine (She Walks The Woods‘ Jessie Nerud) is driving through a wintry countryside when she sees someone walking along the road. Instead of just driving, she stops her car and asks the stranger to hop in and get out of the cold. This act of charity goes horribly wrong when after a little small talk, something happens and the car flips. The aftermath isn’t pretty. The stranger is dead. Christine ends up with her jaw wired shut. She has nowhere to go since everything she owned was in the car. She has no significant other or family. Luckily the local cop Isaac (The Last Son‘s Danny Bohnen) has a guest room she can use while she recovers from the wreck and waits to hear from the insurance company. Christine appears to have a few dark secrets including a warped relationship when her parents took her to a priest (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2‘s William Mosley) to beat a demon out of her. No matter how weird her past seems, the locals of the place she’s stranded have their own oddness. This includes regional religion that’s explained by Abraham (Scott Moore). Christine stumbles upon someone else staying at the house that might not really be there. Everybody is so nice and seem to be doing each other favors. Something is going to go incredibly horrific.

Sin Eater makes it so you’re not sure who is a bigger threat and has a darker secret: Christine or the locals. The movie is a bit of a supernatural slow burn with accents of creepiness such as flashbacks to the priest. The makeup effects for Christine’s busted up teeth and jaw are astounding. There’s a moment when she forces open her mouth. You’ll scream if you’ve had any major dental work. Director Carmelo Chimera and his crew have created a spooky film that keeps you guessing which characters really need to fear for their lives. Sin Eater makes everyone look ready to devour or be devoured.

The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The resolution lets you enjoy the dental nastiness on Christine’s mouth. The audio is Dolby Digital stereo.

Not sure about bonus features since it was reviewed on streaming.

Magnolia Home Entertainment presents Sin Eater. Directed by Carmelo Chimera. Screenplay by Carmelo Chimera. Starring Jessie Nerud, Danny Bohnen, Scotty Bohnen, Bill Moseley, Scott Moore and Gretchen Ho. Rating: Unrated. Running Time: 85 minutes. Release Date: March 15, 2022.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.