No Reason – Olaf Ittenbach’s Surreal Bloody Nightmare

0
no-reason-olaf-ittenbachs-surreal-bloody-nightmaref

It has been quite a while since I’ve been able to sit down and watch a good horror flick. Ol’ Yeti has been a bust man. So, it’s hard for me to find the time. However, when I heard that the good folks over at Unearthed Films had sent over a screener for an Ittenbach film, I couldn’t resist. I had never heard of No Reason before. But, with Ittenbach’s name on it, I was more than willing to make some time.

Before we get into the meat of the review, I’ll tell you this: this flick ain’t for everybody. Now, if you’re into weird shit, gore, and more specifically, Ittenbach’s style, you’ll like this. Otherwise, you’ll just be wondering just what the fuck you got yourself into the whole movie.

So, if you’ve seen The Burning Moon or Black Past, and liked them, you’re already halfway there.

Honestly, after the first few minutes, I found myself comparing this one to Phil Stevens’ 2015 film Flowers. It’s the same kind of surreal trip through someone’s personal Hell. However, that and the gore are the only similarities. I just thought it was worth mentioning.

Now, on to the meat of the review.

No Reason Is One Hell of a Ride

No Reason focuses on Jennifer’s soul and its trip through hell to enlightenment. However, the film starts like an old melodrama. The first few minutes of the movie are framed like old home movies. Jennifer, as a little girl, and her parents are frolicking in the snow. Then, the credits roll over old family photos as sentimental music plays.

From there, we see Jennifer’s life. She’s married with a kid. They’re about to leave their apartment to move somewhere nicer. Then, things kind of fall apart.

A man in a Cthulu gimp mask kills all of her neighbors, her friends, and her husband. He then teaches her about all of the levels of hell she has to go through to reach enlightenment.

It turns out that Jennifer’s whole life is a lie. More accurately, it’s a dream. As she breaks through the lies she created for herself, she regains the memory of who she really is. At the same time, we learn a little more about her with each new level of torture.

It’s a surreal, nightmarish trip through torture, death, and revelations. In short, the plot is fucking weird. However, it’s not really hard to follow. No Reason offers a solid if surreal story as a backdrop for some great gore.

Ittenbach’s Bloody Hellscape

Olaf Ittenbach really outdid himself with this one. The effects are great. No Reason easily has the highest budget of any Ittenbach film I’ve seen. He definitely didn’t skimp on the effects.

There are plenty of gunshots. You get headshots, body shots, murders, and suicides. Those aren’t easy to get right. However, No Reason really delivers.

There’s plenty of good old-fashioned gore too. If you’re looking for eye removal, teeth removal, ax wounds, cock mutilation, or full-on dissection, No Reason has you covered.

Not all of the effects look “real,” but that’s not what matters. What matters is that they look cool They definitely do. At the same time, nothing looks super hokey. If you’re just in it for the visuals, No Reason will scratch the itch.

All in All…

All in all, would I recommend No Reason? If you’re into gore, weird shit, and Ittenbach’s brand of depravity, yes. This is one you’re going to want to check out asap. If not, this probably isn’t for you.

You can get No Reason on Blu-ray from Diabolik right now. Don’t sleep on this one.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *