‘Botched’ is ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ With Satanists [Video]
Welcome to The Overlook Motel, a place where under-seen and unappreciated films are given their moment in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy your stay here and find the accommodations to be suitable. Now, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable. I have some misbehaving guests to ‘correct.’
This week’s selection is a horror comedy that has flown under the radar for far too long. Kit Ryan’s Botched begins life as an action-packed heist film and morphs into a depraved and blood-soaked tale of the occult. Along the way to a bonkers finale, the film serves up hilarity, twists and turns, and a hefty helping of ultra-violence.
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As the title suggests, Botched begins with a job gone terribly wrong. In the wake of a series of unforeseen events, Ritchie (Stephen Dorff) loses a fortune in gemstones meant to be delivered to a Russian mob boss. As penance for the bungled assignment, he is sent to Moscow to retrieve a priceless artifact of major historical significance. Upon his arrival in Russia, Ritchie teams up with locals, Peter (Jamie Foreman) and Yuri (Russell Smith). The trio successfully locates and steals the artifact but the elevator stalls on the 13th floor as they are making their escape. Making matters even more complex, Ritchie, Yuri, and Peter are accompanied by a colorful group of fellow elevator passengers whom they take hostage. That setup would easily be enough to sustain a 90-minute feature. But that’s just the first act! From there, the occupants of the elevator realize that the 13th floor of the building is blocked off from the rest of the structure and is home to a sadistic cult of satanists. Ack!
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What strikes me about this flick is that it has a number of skeletal similarities to From Dusk Till Dawn. Botched is very much its own entity, mind you. However, I can’t help but think the filmmakers were influenced by that 1996 heist flick turned vampire film.
Similar to From Dusk Till Dawn, Botched starts out as a heist picture which sees a group of antiheroes taking hostages and ultimately ends in a gory bloodbath. Like in the Robert Rodriguez-helmed tale of the undead, two of the core characters (Peter and Yuri) are brothers, one of whom is injured during the early part of the ordeal. The siblings even have a similar dynamic to the Gecko brothers, where one is savvy and the other a bit dimwitted. Additionally, Stephen Dorff’s character is named Ritchie. That particular piece makes me wonder if screenwriters Eamon Friel, Raymond Friel, and Derek Boyle may have been paying deliberate tribute to the film by which their script is likely inspired. As you may recall, Quentin Tarantino’s character in From Dusk Till Dawn also goes by Richie.
I was also struck by the fact that Botched has a similar sense of humor to From Dusk Till Dawn, with moments of dark comedy amidst the gratuitous display of carnage. The relationship between the brothers is mined for plenty of laughs and several of the secondary and tertiary characters have some truly comical quirks. Each of them is kind of a caricature but it works. The film is anchored by the core trio. Accordingly, not every character needs to be fleshed out as thoroughly.
One component that separates Botched and From Dusk Till Dawn is the fact that the antagonistic presence arrives on the scene a little earlier here. In the Robert Rodriguez vampire epic, the bloodsuckers don’t present until roughly an hour into the film, making the beginning and the end feel a bit like two different movies that cohesively gel into one entity. Here, we see the forces of darkness introduced a bit sooner.
Speaking of the arrival of the dark forces, the introduction of said forces is staged pretty brilliantly. The pivot from heist picture to horror movie happens in the blink of an eye and it made my jaw drop the first time I saw this flick. I love how it comes straight out of left field with absolutely no warning or buildup. That gives the film an unhinged and unpredictable quality.
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The violence perpetrated by the aforementioned forces within the film is legendary. Without giving too much away, the central evil has a penchant for inflicting pain and their handiwork is shown in great detail. All the effects work appears to be practically accomplished and there’s plenty of goopy viscera to be had.
The proceedings certainly get a bit campy at times but that’s mostly by design. The film’s narrative also goes to some pretty outrageous places that will require full suspension of disbelief. But if you’re willing to turn your brain off and have fun, this flick is a great time.
All in all, Botched is a darkly comedic, brutal, and often surprising ride. Don’t overthink it and you’re likely to have a great time with it. If you’re keen to check it out, Botched is available to stream for free on YouTube as of the publication of this post.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you want to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram.
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