Donkey Punch

Three young attractive British girls on vacation in Spain go bar hopping, with not a care in the world until…..exactly how at least 7 other horror movies start right? The recent “touristas” had almost an identical set up. However where that film floundered, and this film succeeds, is all in the delivery.
The locations are absolulutly stunning. The sexy women in their bikini’s, the orange sun drowning out every other color. The atmospheric music, more like tonal humming in the background than actual instruments. It lulls you into a very comfortable place, so when three strapping young men show up to show our three leading ladies a good time, your just as exited about taking a trip on their yacht as they are. Things go from promising to titillating as they partake in an assortment of drugs, go for a cooling dip, jam to some music and then decide to “take things down stairs.” Now the name of the film is Donkey Punch, which will illicit a knowing smirk to those in the know, and be randomly meaningless to those that are lost. Have no fear, it is well explained in the film, and then actually shown in a very steamy group scene. And then what is a very erotic and humorous scene turns ugly on a dime. Let’s just say the actual “act” of the donkey punch doesn’t exactly go off without a hitch.

What proceeds is an astonishing level of tension and thrills that never let up. Placing the action on a small yacht was a perfect move. Unlike most slashers where the nimble young girls have all sorts of places to run and hide, there is none of that here. Every single scene is a full on confrontation. It’s not so much suspense as it is mounting violence between characters. These kids are put in a very serious position, and it’s quite fascinating to see how they react. The wilting flower of a girl is the last person you’d expect to pick up a boat propeller and run down one of her boat mates. Or the good guy who wants to call the police is suddenly one of the first to be convinced a shotgun is the only way to settle certain matters. The level of tension is so expertly sustained, you won’t realize how tightly wound you are till it’s over, and you find yourself breathing easier.

The direction is hypnotic. There are several scenes that start off as typical horror clichés, then suddenly the swaying music kicks in, as does the slow motion and the sequence turns into an eerie but beautiful montage. With every confrontation handled in a different artistic way, it keeps things very fresh. The movie is an hour and 40 minutes, all but 10 of those contained within the boat. Never do you feel repetition, or that you’ve seen in before, or that they are just trying to stretch out the running time. If there is only one complaint, it’s that the final, while realistic and keeping with the tone of the rest of the movie, is a bit on the underwhelming side. There isn’t really a huge explosion, or totally awesome “gotcha” bravura death scene. It just stops. This however isn’t distracting enough to sink the film. Also, and this is no fault of the filmmakers, but the British cast have accents that are SO thick that at one point I felt like I missed a major plot point, and had to rewind and watch it again with the subtitles on.
More of a psychological thriller than a horror film, Donkey Punch comes HIGHLY recommended. It’s beautiful cinematography, amazing locations, and smart characters lend a dignity and maturity to a slasher setting that usually doesn’t get such great treatment. Full of sex and violence, it’s also not for the faint of heart (for the first time the “unrated” label on the front actually MEANS it’s worse than an R rating).