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 he Sci-fi Channel movie "Saint Sinner" is
officially called "Clive Barker Presents Saint Sinner." Unlike his
fellow horror writers, Barker has always been comfortable with cinematic
versions of his works, and have oftentimes written and directed movies adapted
from his own short stories or novels. "Saint Sinner" is based on
Barker's work but is written and directed by other people. Despite this, the
movie has Barker's "feel" -- it's a mixture of sex, horror, gore, and
human drama.
"Saint Sinner" stars Greg Serano as Tomas, a
carefree monk in the 19th century who unwillingly unleashes two demon
sisters from their prison. The sisters are succubae creatures that feed on men.
Released, the sisters escape via a magical Wheel of Time that sends them to the
present, with Tomas in hot pursuit. Tomas wields a dagger that can kill the
sisters, but finding them is the least of his problems, as he ends up being
suspected by the cops and Rachel (Gina Ravera), a Detective investigating the
trail of corpses left behind by the demons.
For a TV movie, "Saint Sinner" is surprisingly
very graphic. The succubae feed greedily by stringing their victims from
ceilings and literally sucking the life out of them. It's all done with great
flavor and giddiness, and you could almost sense the pride the filmmakers have
as they come up with each feeding set piece. These people are going for the
throat, but unfortunately their imagination is limited by a TV movie budget.
Greg Serano does well as Tomas, the hesitant savior who, as
the title suggest, isn't exactly a saint. Because he's a monk, Tomas also has
very little martial skills. In his first encounter with the succubae, they
disarm him and throw him out a window, then imprison him in a cocoon. Not
exactly the type of results one expects from a hero, as it were.
Gina Ravera succeeds more as a pretty face than a cop, but
that's not an exception considering the movie's inability to strike any sense of
realism when it comes to its police segments. Rachel's partner Morgan (Art
Hindle) is such a clichéd character that one would have to be drunk and numbed
on some mind-altering drug to believe he could be anything other than an actor
spouting inane "cop" dialogue according to screenwriters who have
gleaned all their cop knowledge from bad cop movies.
In one telling scene, while the succubae are feeding in a
music store, Rachel and Morgan arrives as SWAT units are getting into position.
Our top cops (sarcasm firmly in cheek) arrive, draws their weapons, and proceeds
to enter the store without waiting for the highly specialized tactical cops.
Worst, after the cops battle the succubae, the idiot partner still refuses to
believe they're supernatural killers. This, after one cop shoots a demon in the
gut and its wound magically heals up a second later. If that wasn't bad enough,
the succubae flees the store with the idiot partner in tow, but the SWAT and
other cops waiting outside apparently doesn't see them and instead rushes
into the store as the succubae makes their getaway!
As a TV movie, "Saint Sinner" is just barely good
enough as a pilot for an ongoing series. As a single movie that must stand on
its own, it underachieves badly. Its premise has promise, and its lead actors
are likeable enough, but the film is just too incompetent for its own good. The
screenplay by Doris Egan and Hans Rodionoff is full of gaping holes, plot
contrivances, and amateurish dialogue.
On the plus, "Saint Sinner" looks good and has a
firm grasp on its horror elements. The sister succubae are well done, with one
being more feminine than the other despite the fact that both are women. They're
appropriately scary and dangerous, and there's a lingering feeling that our
heroes are in way over their heads.
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