Clif Prowse and Derek Lee’s “Afflicted” is a mix of “Innocent Blood,” and Cronenberg’s “The Fly,” with a hefty injection of “Chronicle.” It’s rife with cliches, predictable plot twists, and is about ten minutes too long. But in spite of all of that, I’d definitely suggest “Afflicted” to horror fans. Because while it’s retreaded horror fodder, it’s well directed, tightly edited, and solidly performed horror fodder to say the least. I knew what was coming, but I was also very much invested in the characters. I also really enjoyed the special effects.
Derek and Clif are life long friends that have decided to go for a year without their work a day jobs, and travel the world with one another. Derek has found out that he has a brain aneurysm that will eventually leave him either crippled or dead. Deciding to get one last taste of life, he and Derek set out to see the world. Despite zealous protests by Derek’s family, he and Clif journey to foreign lands and stream it all over the internet to get suggestions from viewers on their next destinations and to make a record of their last hurrah. While in Paris, Clif and friends set Derek up with a gorgeous woman at a bar, and the pair head up to his bedroom for lovemaking. When Clif and his friends bust in to play a prank, they find Derek unconscious on his bed and inflicted with a few mysterious wounds.
Anxious to escape more hospital visits, Derek convinces Clif that he’ll be fine and they continue their trip. Except Derek begins acquiring a series of after effects that are both amazing and horrifying. It’s all so painfully predictable, that before Lee even begins transforming, you’ll catch on to what has just happened in seconds. And in the tradition of this kind of fodder, Derek finds an positive in this situation, reveling in his ability to smash through solid rock and leap high places. He’s also horrified to find that he can’t keep solid food down, and begins melting like cheap plastic in direct sunlight. Much of what occurs from the awe inspiring to the horrific all feel very derivative, almost as if Lee and Prowse were paying tribute to “The Fly.” But really it just feels like they had no other idea how to depict this horrific situation and just outright copied Cronenberg beat for beat.
That said the special effects help big time, with much of Lee’s transformation ranging from disgusting to absolutely haunting. There’s a particular scene where he rips the eyes from his face, and when he and Clif begin looking for random dogs on the street to lure away for a meal. The special effects are also a major highlight, as directors Prowse and Lee make a wise decision to not only show how Lee transforms, but in how hideous his condition becomes. From pulsating veins in his body, to the horrific growls he releases in anger, it allows for some gruesome and spooky entertainment that adds a new twist to the sub-genre. “Afflicted” tries very hard to turn the narrative and the sub-genre on its head. While it works only half the time, it’s still a very well directed horror film with incredible special effects that warrants a watch from audiences.
Now Available on Video On Demand.