Rapturious (2007)

Director:

Kamal Ahmed

Writer:

Kamal Ahmed (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kamal Ahmed	...	Cab Driver
Sal Argano	...	Racist drunk at bar
Tamsin Atkinson	...	Tormented Prisoner in Hell
Glen Baisley	...	Orderly
Denny Bess	...	Marshall
John Bloom	...	Doctor
Frduah Boateng	...	Freddy Bop
Tim 'Single' Braddock	...	Bar Battle Rapper
Al Burgo	...	Mysterious man
Alex Corrado	...	Rapturious' lawyer
Ben Curtis	...	Specter from Hell
Thomas Daniel	...	Demonic commanding officer
Ian Dorian	...	Demonic Guard
Lori Eastside	...	Casting lady
Emily Fitzgerald	...	Actress Auditioning
Jim Fletcher	...	Dead-Eye Pete
Jim Fletcher	...	Dead-Eye Pete
Jamie Greco	...	Tormented Prisoner of Hell
Alex Greene	...	Tormented Prisoner in Hell
Hoya Guerra	...	Louie Savage
Jason Hedges	...	Actor Auditioning
Mike Hurt	...	Casting Director
Amin Joseph	...	Sloop
Megan Kain	...	Actress Auditioning
Cinqué Lee	...	Host
'Yellowbird' Leonard Lethbridge	...	Spiritual Indian
Sam Lisenco	...	Casting Director 2
Tony Mangia	...	Bartender
Dirk Martin	...	Bartender
Ken Mayo	...	Drug spot lookout
Robert Oppel	...	Rapturious
Gary J. Palermo	...	Movie Honcho
Leandro Polanco	...	Actor Auditioning
Debbie Rochon	...	Sid
Brian Rogalski	...	Agent
Stuart Rudin	...	Preacher
Ron Ryan	...	Superior
Luigi Scorcia	...	Cop
Mark D. Severini	...	Movie Honcho
Scott Sherratt	...	Deputy
William Smith	...	Sheriff
Elisabeth Stephan	...	German girl
Joe Suba	...	Allen McGhee
Alex Tufel	...	Demonic Guard
Kevin Van Hentenryck	...	Agent

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Benson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Rapturious LLC

Soundtrack:

Contigo (Y Nadie Mas)

A straight-faced genre film that's interesting but flawed

Considering that "Rapturious" is a horror film about a white rapper that is directed by Kamal Ahmed (of Jerky Boys fame), I assumed it was going to be a low-budget goof-fest of Tromatic proportions. I couldn't be more wrong. It's a film that is very serious in tone and the only joke I recall is the pun in the title. The film opens with an old Western setting, where a remorseless murderer is being condemned by officials and the local priest. The monster is hanged. The film then flashes to the present day, with the story surrounding a young up-and-coming rap star named Raptorious. His days are booked with interviews and meetings with his pushy yet caring agent (played by indie horror queen Debbie Rochon.) When his aggressive drug dealer gives him a new street drug, Rap starts having bizarre hallucinations and dreams about demons that are after him. They become so heavy that it threatens his career and soon his life. Is it the new drugs? Or is he a paranoid schizophrenic? Or is he really being chased by demons? The film explores each of these angles and is mostly successful. The cast is surprisingly good, especially Robert Oppel as the lead and none other than Joe Bob Briggs as a doctor that he's unsure if he can trust. Debbie's good too, though not always believable as a big-time talent agent. While the film did create an effective feeling of paranoia, it's too ambitious for its budget. It's never as scary as it should be. There's a sequence (that may be a dream or a flashback or reality) where Rap is in Hell, and Hell doesn't look particularly threatening or difficult to escape. This scene leads to a controversial set-piece that had me giggling instead of shocked. While there are some delicious gore sequences, the demon masks mostly look like something out of a Halloween chain store. All in all, "Rapturious" is an interesting watch. It's got a neat concept going for it, but it doesn't always deliver.