Horror In Short – Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders
Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders (2009)
Release Date: TBD
Directed By: Sean Candon
Cast: Ryan McDermott, Paul Feeney, Charlotte Fellows, Alex James & Paul Newberry
Runtime: 32 minutes
Review By: Annie Riordan
Mark Macready is a paranormal cop. A cool cat that won’t cop out when danger is about. That’s right, he’s one bad mutha…what? Just talkin’ ’bout Mac! Can you dig it? He’s a complicated man and don’t nobody understand him but his woman…in this case, his wife Christina. She constantly worries for the safety of her beloved husband, but Mac has a job to do and that job is to battle the dark forces of Hell itself to keep the earth safe.
But late one fateful night, a mysterious phone call lures Mac away from home. Realizing too late that it’s a trap, Mac swiftly returns home only to be knocked into a coma by a shadowy intruder. When he awakens some time later, he learns the horrible news: his wife has been kidnapped by an entity known as The Archangel, a murderous creature who likes to dispatch his female victims by yanking their hearts out through their vaginas.
Stripped of his badge by his exasperated boss and with the whole world seemingly against him, Mac plunges into the darkness of Manchester’s supernatural scene, determined to stop the Archangel and recover his missing wife.
Admittedly, the words “Low Budget Indie Flick” always fill me with dread, and it was with some trepidation that I clicked on the link to view this 32 minute long bargain basement cheapie. But thankfully, director Sean Condon knows exactly how to approach low budget film making: with a sense of humor.
There’s no attempt at good acting or serious storytelling to be found anywhere within this film. Instead, the cast goes for over-the-top scene chewing, stiff line deliveries, and craptacular special effects consisting mostly of rubber masks, cheap contact lenses, and an Archangel who sports a set of wings that look like cheap shredded curtains still attached their rods. This is great spoofy shit, with a likable cast that makes acting like they can’t act look easy. Ryan McDermott in particular as the gruff-voiced, no-nonsense Mac is a riot, from his take-no-shit approach to the paparazzi to his bare bones manly-man marriage proposal, he had me laughing more than once.
Ending on a cliffhanger, I can only assume that there’s a sequel in the works pending good reviews. So here’s my official endorsement: Sean, bloody good job. Now get your ass in gear and make a sequel, because I want to know what happens next!
The film’s complete and utter refusal to take itself seriously is its biggest saving grace, though not its only one, and at the risk of sounding girly, I found the whole venture to be endearingly cute. Now excuse me while I go brush my teeth.
Trailer:
