Furnace (Unrated) [Import]

michael turner has begun an investigation involving mysterious drug related deaths in a maxium security prison and while the guards bring out body after body the guards and detective all seem at a loss until clues begin to appear as to whom or what might be killing the inmates!

**spoilers below**
this film was a bit of a surprise when I began watching it, it seemed a little slow in the beginning.
after that you begin to wonder "what the heck is killing the prisoners?" after that you get drawn in to the movie.
well come to find out the inmates are not taking drugs, turns out, the former warden had been killed inside the Furnace, and has come back for revenge to those that burned him Alive!
a pretty good film that I think most whom enjoy the supernatural and cop type films will most likely like this film. I think it was pretty good 4 stars.
*Widescreen*

buy it here!
Furnace (Unrated)

I bought this film..and really really wanted to love it. I love Tom Seizemore..and Danny Trejo is simply a modern cult star. It starts out very good with interesting character development and pretty eerie setting. Though the horror aspect of this film is derivative of much better films like the Ring, and the elm street series..it does try to put it's own signature on it. The movie was entertaining enough to keep me interested...however when the credits rolled I was ultimately disappointed as in my opinion poor writing made the flick fall apart and squandered a good opportunity for a good film.

When rating a horror movie, I go by the chill factor (no pun intended) and the "grip" it keeps on me throughout the viewing. Furnace (Unrated) was creepily chilling, gripping me from the beginning: yellowed newspaper clippings against a dark prison background with shooting flames devouring everything in sight. The stories headlined a warden's daughter "gone missing," an old prison closing under mysterious circumstances and something about an Indian burial ground. It was an eerie start to a thrilling, supernatural horror film.

Furnace (Unrated) opens with a guard smashing his fingers while aiding in the re-opening of the walled-off section of the prison, then going home and doing something horrible, leaving his young wife devastated.

Bad things are happening to so many of the prisoners that the detective played by actor Michael Pare opens an investigation to determine what's going on in order to stop the death and destruction.

The main female lead is played by lovely, talented Jenny McShane who plays a prison psychiatrist. McShane and Pare are well cast in these roles.

What happens when the detective calls on "The Doc" to help get to the bottom of the mystery? What is one of her aging patients hiding? He's an inmate named Simon and knows something about the warden and his daughter from long ago? But what? Is he the killer or is it something more sinister? Are supernatural forces at work? And what does the prison furnace have to do with the tragedies?

One predictable outcome is that Pare and McShane's characters are attracted to each other, but the bedroom scene is not what you would expect. The evil finds them and causes one of the most frightening scenes in the movie. McShane's dramatic skills dominate this scene, which is my favorite scene in the entire movie. Realistic performance!

A performance you'll have to see for yourself to find out what happens and learn the answers to the above questions.

I highly recommend this movie--on the stipulation that you lock all your windows and doors before it commences. You might start jumping at your own shadow.

In addition to McShane and Pare, Ja Rule puts in a surprisingly good performance as a troubled prisoner. But it's no surprise that veteran actor Tom Sizemore gives a great performance as the prison guard you love to hate. He has it "in" for our brave detective so causes more twists in this chilling horror.

True horror buffs will not want to miss this one! Great graphics!

ENDNOTE:The cover fits the movie, but I was disappointed that it had pictures of four male actors on front, but relegated Jenny McShane to the back; she was, after all, the lead actress. Hmmmmm...

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, August 2009
Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von)