The still current coronavirus pandemic has already served, and will surely serve even more as an inspiration to many filmmakers in the future. Such is the situation with this really brutal Taiwanese slasher in which blood literally flows in streams and gushes waterfalls. It was “The Sadness” and the first feature film by Canadian Rob Jabbaz to be found in Taiwan for reasons unknown to me, and it is a horror film that fits aesthetically and stylistically into East Asian cinema. Although it is obvious that the budget was modest, Jabbaz and the team made up for that lack with excellent directing, photography, prosthetics and effects, so that when the shit starts, everything looks brutal and powerful.
The focus is on a young couple, Jim and Kat, and they are torn apart by an epidemic that turns people into deranged, bloodthirsty sadists and rapists who can’t control their instincts. Right in the introduction we see the voice of some virologist coming from the TV in their bedroom warning that a dangerous virus that, if I understood correctly, is some kind of rabies mutation, has started to spread. We also hear standard comments that the virus is a lie, that the media is inflating the situation again and spreading panic, and that the government does not intend to do anything because elections are approaching soon. The situation is well known, but fortunately for us, the virus we are still dealing with will prove to be a cat’s cough for the virus in “The Sadness”.
As soon as he goes out on the street, Jim will start attacking until yesterday normal people who became infected and became bloodthirsty maniacs. And it’s not those classic Romer’s oats that drag and stumble like drunks, but these Taiwanese zomboids have motor functions identical to a normal person. Jim will realize that his sweetheart is also in danger on the other side of town and indeed she will be stuck on a train with many people starting to turn into monsters. Such a frantic search for Kat and an attempt to save a living head will begin, the virus will spread uncontrollably, and conspiracy theorists could be especially enthusiastic about the outcome. “The Sadness” proved to be one of the bloodiest and craziest horrors of recent times, as a manic chase in which Jabbaz was extremely inspired by countless combinations of murders and mutations. Rating 6.5 / 10.
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