Knife-wielding murderers and demonic creatures of the night are usually the images we equate with horror films, but now there's a new villain trying to work its way into the killer hall of fame.
Bones. Jimmy Bones.
So the James Bond reference doesn't really work, but Jimmy Bones is still a lively character. He's a legendary switchblade-carrying numbers runner who was murdered by his business associates (Michael T. Weiss, Clifton Powell, Ricky Martin) when he refused to sell crack in his neighborhood.
And although he looks more fit to be in a Blaxploitation action film than horror movie, viewers are guaranteed to leave the theatER feeling either one of two emotions — love or hate.
Rap artist Snoop Dogg plays the title character in the supernatural thriller whose spirit lives on in his dilapidated house 30 years after he was murdered. Bones is set free when two brothers and their sister (Khalil Kain, Merwin Mondesir and Katherine Isabelle) decide to turn the haunted place into an urban night club.
But the siblings get more than they bargain for after finding a black dog with red glowing eyes, unaware that it is a servant of evil for Bones. Cryptic warnings are dished out from local psychic Pearl (Pam Grier) and her daughter Cynthia (Bianca Lawson), but those messages might come too little too late.
Numerous occurrences begin to transpire as the body count starts to rise. The dog, ironically called Bones, takes another victim before spewing thousands of maggots that rain down on all the patrons of the club.
Moments later — at last — Jimmy Bones is brought back to life in a hail of fire and unleashes his revenge on those who murdered him.
The death scenes are gory and take place in an instant. Besides a few jump-worthy moments, the instances in which Bones goes on his killing spree are more amusing that frightening. The most hilarious scenes involve him carrying around talking severed heads.
Unlike other horror films, Bones fails to genuinely scare the audience. But what the movie does have in common with other films dealing with the supernatural is a very covert, yet simplistic, way to rid the house of the unwanted spirit.
There are numerous reasons to dislike this film. The premise was unoriginal, borrowing storylines from films like Amityville, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser, just to name a few. This could be taken as a compliment, but the ideas weren't thought out, and the movie came across as rushed and underdeveloped.
Only hardcore Snoop Dogg fans may be able to appreciate this work. But if you're looking for a film to satisfy a Halloween thrill, you'll be better off skipping it. Bones is definitely one movie that should've been buried a long time ago.
Grade: C-
R, 90 minutes
