DVD Review: The Good Sisters

The other day, I received a screener for the film The Good Sisters. The insert that was included with the disc, proudly proclaiming that what I held in my hands was the hot, psycho-sexual director's cut of the movie. Well, it had my attention, that's for sure! But while watching the film, I was sort of taken aback, but not in the way you might think.

The Good Sisters is the latest film by Jimmyo Burril and it stars his wife, April Monique Burril (of Chainsaw Sally fame) and iconic scream queen, Debbie Rochon. While I was prepared for film to be highly sexual, what I wasn't prepared for was for the film to be as good as it wound up being. In fact, for all the sexual proclamations, the particularly hot scene in question is near the end of the film and it fits perfectly within the context of the movie. This is not a movie filled with gratuitous nudity as one might imagine.

The Good Sisters is a film about two sisters, Breanne and Kindra, who are 10th generation descendants of a witch. With their kind being hunted and persecuted for hundreds of years, the girls live in a constant state of paranoia, which is heightened when they start to believe that one of their neighbors is a witch hunter. In fact, they start to question everyone who lives around them in their small apartment complex. The paranoia is fed when the sisters find messages like, "Suffer not a witch to live" and "We are watching you" written in chalk near their home. As one watches the film, you do start to question which one of these apartment dwellers are responsible for the psychological attacks. Without divulging too much, eventually, the suspicion gets the most of the sisters and they turn to their craft for help.

The first thing about this film you notice is how comfortable Debbie and April are working with each other, and this comfort is significant in lending their sisterhood a believable feel. Also realistic is the film's use of witchcraft. I was impressed with the authenticity of the spells (actual spells were used in the film), and it's portrayal of the modern day witch was spot on.

As I watched The Good Sisters, I was continually impressed with how Jimmo crafted this film. He must have put in many hours of research before he even wrote a single line of this script, and that level of dedication definitely comes through.

I'll tell you what, even the film's soundtrack is perfectly suited for it, as it constantly keeps one feeling a little on edge throughout the movie, much like the characters on screen. Funny how big budget Hollywood films about witchcraft are so overblown and unrealistic, yet this little gem made on a shoestring budget can be so authentic.

That's the big difference here, folks, and this is why independent films will forever be my favorite type of film to watch. From Jimmo and April to Debbie and rest of the gang, they worked hard to get it right, and in The Good Sisters, that work pays off!

The Good Sisters gets ****1/2 out of *****. The director's cut of The Good Sisters will be available on April 27, 2010, so go out and get a copy!