SOUND OF VIOLENCE

 

There's always potential to find some gems amongst lower budget horror films, as it seems to be a genre where you can make something feel genuinely creepy or disturbing without as many resources at your disposal. Sound of Violence certainly offers up an inventive and rather out-there concept but does it make the most of it to become a memorable entrant into the horror genre.

Alexis (Jasmin Savoy Brown) recovered her hearing during the brutal murder of her family when she was ten. The visceral experience awakened synesthetic abilities in her and started her on an orphaned path of self-discovery through the healing music of brutal violence. She goes on to pursue a career teaching and experimenting to find new sounds. She is supported and loved by her roommate Marie (Lili Simmons) who is unaware of the dark secrets behind Alexis' unique music and the part she unknowingly plays. Faced with the likelihood of losing her hearing again, Alexis escalates her pursuit of her masterpiece through gruesome sound experiments and devastating designs. She won't let anything stop her not even love.

Sound of Violence lets its audience know right from the start that this isn't going to be for the faint-hearted, the brutal murder of Alexis' family being a blood-soaked prologue to a twisted tale of the symphonies of violence that cater to the film's protagonist regaining her hearing. If Sound of Metal hones in on accepting deafness as a way of life, Sound of Violence moves in the polar opposite direction of doing what it takes to be able to hear again, no matter how bloody things get.

Alex Noyer directs the film with a real sense of style, the moments of violence followed by visually striking scenes as Alexis takes in the sounds, that may curl the toes of others, in a total state of euphoria. Noyer's writing is a weaker element of the film, the dialogue being a little paper thin as well as the characters however, people are here for the violence, much like films in the Saw franchise, and on that note it does deliver.

Jasmin Savoy Brown delivers a fine performance in the lead role of Alexis, the double life she leads giving her the chance to show two incredibly different sides to her character and she really does excel in the role. Brown stands out amidst the rest of the cast, ensuring she puts her stamp on the film, but Lili Simmons is worth noting as her love interest who might not want to do any digging into her girlfriend's mysterious behaviour. 

While it may not do enough to reach the higher echelons of the horror genre, Sound of Violence delivers a star turn from Jasmin Savoy Brown and an array of violent scenarios that are crowd-pleasing, even if it does reach a questionably over-the-top finale that may be the moment where you decide whether you really like this film or hate it. It's bold, that's for sure.

Verdict: ★★★½