Film Review: Furnace (2007)

SYNOPSIS:

It started as a murder-suicide case at a maximum security prison, but as Detective Michael Turner (Michael Paré) investigates, he finds that the truth is more terrifying. Something evil stalks the facility, a demonic force that kills indiscriminately. Turner races to stop the entity before it kills again, but how do you fight an enemy you can’t see? Ja Rule and Tom Sizemore co-star in this atmospheric horror film.

REVIEW:

The Furnace was about Black Gate prison which was having a lot of the inmates dying. They thought these deaths were from drug overdoses and suicides but soon you see that it all deals with the supernatural. It starts with a bunch of inmates breaking bricks out of the south wing of the prison which has been closed off for more than 50 years. Within that closed area was the former Warden Mr. White’s office who was murdered by an inmate by the name of Simon. One of the guards goes home that night and blows his brains out.

Karen the coroner goes to the house and investigates the suicide saying something just doesn’t seem right. Detective Turner who is played by Michael Pare decides to head over to the prison and see if he can find out anything that would make this man kill himself. While snooping around in the south wing Turner bumps into his old rival Frank Miller who is definitely one with a dark past. He sneaks in drugs for the prisoners and bribes them to do the dirty work he can’t get away with himself.

Acclaimed rapper Jarule plays Terrence who seems to be one prisoner that doesn’t want to get wrapped up in the seediness and drama of the prison. He senses something is evil about the place since the south wing has been reopened with the plans of renovating it to house more inmates. One day while they are working Scaggs his deviant buddy sniffs some drugs then heads down the south wing by himself to see what he can find and returns bloody and in a stupor foaming at the mouth. 

Turner meets and gets the help of the lovely blonde Psychiatrist Dr. Ashley Carter. She and Turner start to unravel the mystery of Blackgate Prison that was covered up many years before. Inmate Simon is an old man now and has always been a little slow and mentally retarded. Ashley just can’t see him murdering Warden White or having anything to do with his daughter Lucille’s disappearance. After Turner shows her a thick folder filled with articles on the whole deal they decide to find out what really happened. 

The problem I had with the film was that I would of liked it a lot more if the dialog matched up with the peoples mouths as they were speaking their lines. It drove me crazy that I would hear the scary noises and music before the incident actually happened. When something like this occurs you seem to spend more time watching their mouths instead of concentrating on the film. It’s not fun to hear that the scare is coming and then get the scare. 

I really enjoy movies that have you wandering around in old buildings searching for clues on what the past really was. I have went exploring myself in a few abandoned places including an asylum and would love to do it again. You find all kinds of old items from before and it just is fascinating and has you thinking about what exactly went on behind those walls and in those rooms. You almost always hear rumors before hand and while in there you can’t help but wonder if any of them are true.

The ghost of the little girl Lucille White was ghoulishly creepy and if she came looking for me i think I would drop dead like Fred! When history replays itself near the end and you see exactly what happened with the whole situation it’s really sad that poor Simon had to experience what he did. But even if he spoke up and told the events that took place do you really think that people would believe an inmate over a Warden? No way!

Furnace was a fun watch that allowed you to get caught up in the mystery of what was and what was starting to happen now that the past wasn’t bricked up in silence anymore. I think you would enjoy it on a rainy day curled up on the sofa, it’s just that kind of flick!