[The Furnace]
Plot:A group of prison inmates unleash a deadly curse.

Cast:Tom Sizemore, Kane Hodder, Michael Pare, Ja Rule, Jenny Mcshane, Danny Trejo, Kelly Stables.

My Thoughts:This Furnace is all smoke and no fire.

Review:Ghost movies have really sucked as of late. In fact, I really cannot remember the last genuinely scary ghost movie I've seen...direct-to-dvd or theatrical release. "The Furnace" is the latest direct-to-dvd spectre flick, which follows a ghost that haunts a prison and it's inmates. After a rash of strange suicides involving prisoners and a prison worker, a detective is called in to investigate the strange happenings at the prison. The problem with this movie right off the bat, is that it starts off twisted as hell...with a guy coming home to his wife on their anniversary, entering the bathroom, locking the door, and blowing his head off. But after that, all the air escapes the balloon and it goes flat and never recovers.

Even for a film that has Ja Rule and Danny Trejo in it, two guys who usually stick to tough guy roles, "The Furnace" should've been way better than it was. The films major problem, of all of it's problems is that it just is not scary. The ghosts (yes there are two of them), are lame, and so are their respective bacstories. Furthermore...neither ghost really shows a sinister or evil persona at all. It's the typical mischievious ghosts that kill from time to time, and like to mostly appear out of nowhere and freak people out before going back into hiding for another 8 scenes or so.

I'm surprised William Butler could've directed such an unenthusiastic and lifeless horror film. I was expecting something really along the lines of "Shadow:Dead Riot"...which had far lower production values than "The Furnace", but was way better in story, action, characters, and overall entertainment value. In the case of "The Furnace"...I didn't care about the characters at all, and the action was nonexistent. You would think a ghost movie set in a prison would be terrifying with so many advantages such as dark, spooky rooms, cells basements, etc....but this film just fails to take advantage of any of that.

In the end, "The Furnace" comes off as another disappointing ghost film, which doesn't deliver anything that it should deliver, and sends the viewer into a fit of yawns instead of screams. Add to that fact, the ending turns out to be a total cliche when a few key elements and plot points are revealed, and none of it really comes as a surprise as to who the villains, human and ghost are in the end. "The Furnace" is a film I'd recommend avoiding unless you like ghost movies that amount to nothing, plot wise...and in the sense of blood, gore, and graphic violence. This movie promises alot, but delivers very little.

Positives:The setting was very dark and very spooky, which worked.

Negatives:Lack of entertainment value, badly written story, poor acting, hardly any blood and gore, and two very unscary ghosts.

Overall:Lame.





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