Bereavement
Tags: cult

Plot synopsis:
Martin Bristol, a young boy with congenital analgesia, is kidnapped by psychotic Graham Sutter. At his farmhouse, Graham cuts Martin's cheek then proceeds to butcher a captive young woman in front of him. Martin attempts to escape and makes a run for freedom, but Graham catches him and returns him to the farmhouse, where he continues to hold him and future female victims captive.
Over the next five years, Graham brutally butchers several young women forcing Martin to watch. Graham is seen throughout the film talking and arguing with a skull of a bull hung on his wall of the farmhouse.
Allison comes to live with relatives in the town where Graham is committing his crimes. While out for a run, she sees Martin from the window of the supposedly abandoned farmhouse. During her run she is almost hit by a truck and falls on the road. There she meets a local teenager, William, and the two bond and form a relationship of sorts. One night, her uncle Jonathan discovers her about to have sex with William and intervenes.
The next day, Allison goes to the farmhouse after again seeing Martin in the window and is captured by Graham. When Allison doesn't return home, Jonathan gets concerned and drives to the farmhouse in search for her, but is killed by Graham. William drives by and sees Jonathan's abandoned car and becomes curious. He investigates and discovers Allison trapped inside a locked meat room, but he is also killed by Graham. Allison manages to escape and rescue a mute, blood-covered Martin.
Meanwhile, Graham takes Jonathan's body to his home where he kills Jonathan's wife, while their young daughter hides upstairs. Allison arrives at the house just as it has been set on fire by Graham. She stabs Graham twice as he was about to kidnap her young cousin, and he flees. As Allison calls the police, she is stabbed in the stomach repeatedly by Martin, who has now inherited Graham's psychopathic behavior. Martin goes upstairs to Allison's cousin, and her scream is heard. The house burns down. Martin returns to the farmhouse and kills Graham with an axe. The next morning, the authorities arrive at the smoldering ruins of the house, where the Millers' beagle is the only survivor.
Martin uses bones from Graham's remains to construct a skeletal shrine in the farmhouse, using the bull skull as the head. Martin is then seen staring out the window, waiting for his next victim.
In a post-credit scene set five years later, a young girl (Courtney Harrison from Malevolence), flees from an unseen pursuer. She enters the farmhouse and discovers an adult Martin sitting at a table. When she asks for help, Martin turns around with a deranged look and the film ends.

Review: He is abducted by the deranged serial-killer Graham Sutter (Brett Rickaby) and brought to the Sutter Meat & Poultry, an abandoned meat-packing plant in Minersville, Pennsylvania, where Graham slaughters young women that he kidnaps.
Five years later, the stubborn seventeen year-old teenager Allison Miller (Alexandra Daddario) loses her parents and moves to the house of her uncle Jonathan Miller (Michael Biehn) that is located near to the decrepit plant.
Allison does not listen to her uncle and brings tragedy to the Miller family."Bereavement" is a bleak, brutal and gruesome slasher film with a brainless heroine by Stevan Mena.
The storyline is cruel with children and most of the directors of horror movies avoid this approach to make the film more commercial.
I can see how confusing and open ended it would seem not knowing that, especially since, as far as I saw, IMDb didn't bother to mention it, either.This movie does a great job telling the background story of how Martin became the psychopath he was in Malevolence.
He's young enough to learn the business my way."This recent entry in the "small town psychopathic serial killer" genre isn't exactly a game-changer and it doesn't try to be that scary, but it is a tense, nasty affair that will probably appeal to some horror fans.
We've got out deranged killer that preys on young women, a young boy he kidnaps to "assist" him, and a new arrival from out of town (Alexandra Dadarrio) that enjoys taking long runs alone that just happen to pass by a sinister looking and isolated rundown meat-packing plant.
I've been watching horror films for 50 years and have seen almost everything.
I've liked Michael Biehn since I first saw him in the original Terminator movie and, for the most part, he's never let me down with his acting.
Alexandra Daddario shows her best acting in any movie she's been in to date and Spencer List is perfect as the kid who's put through everything imaginable and makes his own future.Unlike most horror films today there's no comedy in this one.
This movie doesn't rely on cheap scares or excessive gore to grip the audience, it runs on the adrenaline of fear.The fear of Sutter, the blood-splattered face of true horror.
Well I read the reviews and as always went in with an open mind since I frequently like films with bad reviews (I obviously ignored the amazing reviews from cast and crew)I was expecting a B-Movie slasher I guess.
This film is highly recommended for those who like the old creepy guy doing creepy things to people in a creepy abandoned isolated place where no one can hear your screams.
To designate BEREAVEMENT, an artful work combining the ethereal sensibilities of DAYS OF HEAVEN with the gritty melancholia of HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, solely as a "slasher film" is to minimize its overall depth of vision.
'BEREAVEMENT': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five) Director Steven Mena wrote, directed, produced and did the music for this horror prequel to the cult slasher film that got him his start 'MALEVOLENCE'.
This film shows the origins of the main villain of 'MALEVOLENCE', as a child, when he himself was abducted by a psychopath and held captive in a farmhouse, where he was forced to not only witness but take part in the madman's brutal killings.
I haven't seen the original to compare it to but this one is mediocre at best.The film begins with it's central character Martin Bristol (Spencer List) swinging alone on a swing in his front yard when he's kidnapped by a man named Graham Sutter (Brett Rickaby).
It's explained that Martin has no physical feelings in his body, by his mother right before he's taken, so the killer continues to cut and abuse him, as he feels no pain, while also making him bare witness to the killings of other innocent victims he kidnaps.
He's held captive in a farmhouse for quite some time while the movie changes focus to a family in the same town where a young woman named Allison (Alexandra Daddario) comes to live with her aunt and uncle after her parents die.
Of course her path eventually crosses with that of the killer and the young boy and things get complicated.I've read that the original cut was 3 hours long and Mena wanted the film to be an epic horror film.
As a whole I'd say the film is pretty average, nothing more and nothing less, just you're average routine horror film; which is not of course how the filmmaker describes it but that's what it is.Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGWqCYOhcJs. Everything you expect, plus more.
Simply put, Stevan Mena's "Bereavement" is the new gold standard for Psycho films & looks to stay on top of the heap for a long while.
The way it was filmed and edited did at the eighties feeling.I have seen Stevan Mena's first attempt Malevolence (2004) and it was one I liked.
Also both thumbs up for a new scream queen, Alexandra Daddario who plays Allison, we will see her in Texas Chainsaw Masacre 3D coming out in 2012 but don't forget the 12 year old (when it was shot) Spencer List.
Five years later, Allison Miller (Alexandra Daddario) arrives to live with her uncle Jonathan Miller (Michael Biehn) and his family after the death of her parents.
Graham lives in the nearby shutdown family meat packing plant where he does his killings.This is a function slasher horror movie.
Introduced to Jonathan Miller (Michael Biehn- THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, THE ABYSS), and his family, including his niece, Allison (Alexandra Daddario), we know that their lives are about to take a drastic, unexpected turn.
"Bereavement" is one of the bleakest and nihilistically primitive stories ever and even the most experienced horror fanatics with strong stomachs and steel nerves are likely to be astounded by the brutality of this film.
Allison's fate will provide a neat little twist.Bereavement is a competently made horror flick that benefits from the acting skills of the entire cast and the beauty of Daddario.
This movie does not deliver.Not only does it not deliver in the "scare me" department, but the scenes are so utterly ridiculous, the acting so insanely over the top, and the direction so pitifully bad that I had to walk out at the 3/4 mark of the film.
It's about a semi-attractive girl in a new town whose life is already tinged with tragedy being stalked by the weird guy who lives in an old meat processing factory.He drives the quintessential "scary truck" and is suitably unattractive.Lots of torture/killing ensues by Weirdo McStabby as the young boy he abducted watches.The writer/director/producer is clearly trying to get in a few weak allegories here (with the whole boy feels no pain BS) but the whole film is an unrequited snore fest.You never care about the characters - as there are no characters.The acting is simply atrocious, main guy not scary or creepy, no sense of tension.Before this gets ranty - I'll just say to avoid it..
You just can't make a lame screenplay work by just using a bunch of people, put them in the countryside somewhere in the rural America, then put one or two families with young kids or teenagers just reach puberty, with one or two moms, some kind of a father figure always looked like so unhappy and angry almost anything, then a loner who as formulaic to be a psycho, like to kidnap kids, teenagers, cut them up, using lot of red dye and required all the kidnapped one kept screaming their head off and at the same time using some lame horrific sound track to give off the horror feelings.
The horrific account of 6-year old Martin Bristol (Spencer List), abducted from his backyard swing and forced to witness the brutal crimes of a deranged madman.Let us get the cast out of the way: Alexandra Daddario, who played Allison, is a rising film starlet, and deserves any praise she gets.
Kudos to writer/director Stevan Mena for making Bereavement, his prequel to the impressive Malevolence, such a downbeat, mean-spirited and bloody little psycho flick, and also for casting delicious Alexandra Daddario in the lead, an actress who deservedly finds a place in my 'Big Breasted Babe In A Small Vest' Horror Hall of Fame.
And then there's the little matter of Sutter's lair, a dilapidated meat packing factory which sits next to a main highway and yet has never aroused the suspicion of anyone passing by, despite screams clearly being audible from the road; incredibly, the place even has power and a fully functional furnace!!!Considering the sheer stupidity of this basic set-up, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to learn that the characters act as though they have sawdust for brains.
Track star Alison (Daddario) has obviously never seen a horror film in her life, since she is happy to continue exploring the creepy meat factory even after finding pools of blood and a scrapbook full of newspaper cuttings about missing local women.
Hell, it's almost as though people actually want to be killed by this guy.Unfortunately, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the idiocy on display in this film, with moments that will make you want to scream at the screen in frustration coming thick and fast, right up to the bleak and bloody finale that could have been avoided if only someone had just displayed a little common sense..
Bereavement is a slasher movie with some strong points - good acting (Michael Biehn, Alexandra Daddario and the rest of the cast) and a good cinematography and production value.
The weakest point: the behavior of the victims is so dumb like they never heard any news of serial killers and maniacs or never watched some horror movies.
Also the "twist" (no, I won't spoil) I saw miles ahead coming and is just a cliche that wants to shock but can't, at least not the "serious" horror audience.Well, with a more refine and plausible plot this movie could be easy a really good slasher.
This is a dark & nasty horror movie with child torture & murder at it's core - quite tough viewing at times.
I felt the female lead was a bit too dim at times & the film at 103 minutes is a little on the long side but for fans of American rural, psycho horror it's well worth checking out - providing you can stomach the kiddie torture porn stuff..
Bereavement is the prequel to the film Malevolence, explaining the origins of Malevolence's serial killer.
When you mix a serial killer, a child, pretty women, and multiple meat hooks you know the film will not end happily.
after the expression trigger happy now is time for stabbing happy, usually takes place in some isolated wilderness or some forsaken town in America.A psychopath individual or family brutally assault and kill supposedly innocent people to a climactic finale sometimes positive or negative mostly depending if a sequel is to come next.It is cliché and i think it is becoming a genre of it's own mostly for gore fun because true horror fun know that it must be suggested the fear not actually shown and there is no need for blood torture etc to scare the audience, a good story with atmosphere will suffice.No need need for mediocre acting big breasted Lolita's or numb children, so avoid this film if you agree with me better try the caller 2011 which reminds me a story from the twilight zone series ..
Another major character in the film is a boy named Martin who is kidnapped by our killer and latter becomes his successor in the movie Malevolent.
Apparently BEREAVEMENT is the prequel to another slasher flick, MALEVOLENCE, although I haven't seen that film.
It's Tuesday night over here, and I was in the mood to watch some good old school horror, so I watched Stevan Mena's Bereavement, which is the prequel to Mena's Malevolence (2003).
It's a really good psychological horror/slasher film and it's something like The Shining meets Friday The 13th, starring Brett Rickaby, Alexandra Daddario, and Spencer List as Martin Bristol.
For those who have not heard about this film series, I highly recommend that you to start off with this prequel, Bereavement, and witness the rise of pure evil before you watch its 2003 slasher follow-up, Malevolence.
Back in 2003, director Steven Mena made an ultra low budget slasher effort called Malevolence, chronicling the brutal crimes of a kidnapped child named Martin Bristol, who grew up watching his abductor commit heinous murders in front of him, and as such became a monster himself.
Cue a prequel, entitled 'Malevolence: Bereavment', a detailed, suffocating and very, very disturbing account of Martin's childhood initiation into the life of a serial killer, under the wing and at the hands of a madman named Graham Sutter (Brett Rickaby, a walking nightmare).
Meanwhile, a young girl (early work from Alexandra Daddario) moves into town to stay with her estranged uncle (Michael Biehn) and his family.
While she tries to wade through a romantic coming of age story involving a local boy, events surrounding the killer's actions get perilously close to everyone, and erupt into one of the most stressful, harrowing chain of events I've ever seen in a horror film.
It has elements that are very similar to a TVM where a beloved family member goes missing but its scenes of violence are genuinely disturbing and unpleasant as a young boy is forced to watch young women being tortured and murdered by a serial killer .
Bereavement is about some crazy guy who talks to cow skulls and kidnaps young girls to torture and kill.It's hard to like the girl, Allison, in the leading part cause her acting is so awful.
The movie drags along and the scenes where the crazy guy talks to his skulls are boring and hollow.Reactions from captured girls, including Allison, are often implausible and annoying (hardly fighting back, making extreme loud noise while trying to escape, etc).
Although the movie had some brilliant moments (great cinematography, terrific use of sound and very gory scenes) for the most part, it all-too-quickly slips into the realm of "We've seen this before." Examples: A lonely psychopath who lives in a slaughterhouse, a mute child, a big-breasted, small-brained heroine, an ending that involves a fire.
It's sad, really, because Mena is clearly a passionate, talented man who wore several hats while making 'Bereavement.' Maybe he should have saved some time to give the movie a real, hard, serious look..
He kidnaps a screamy teenage girl (one of many, this one is particularly screamy, though), but her family (all people who have never seen a horror film before) come to rescue her one by one, and don't notice that the nutjob is creeping up behind them as he despatches them in unpleasant ways (except for Uncle Jonathan who he murders quite nicely with a shotgun).
But the nutjob gets killed and the teenage screamy girl escapes, except she doesn't because the small boy knifes her multiple times, the end.This generic mad killer / slasher horror is slightly below average of its type, but gives the impression it thinks it is actually rather good, which it isn't.
Although i didn't enjoy this movie as much as i thought i would I still plan on watching Malevolence, as I'm interested to see where the director takes Martins character..
This time Mena actually has a big budget, some name actors and all technical equipment needed but movie still sucks on most levels, mostly because of the story/script.
Simply because it looks like a slasher movie you have seen thousand times before.
I am not saying that those are mutually exclusive, but the same fan exists in the horror genre as well.In this movie, if what you expect is good to triumph over evil and to sleep well at night, then don't watch it.
I don't know if i will SPOIL anything in this review, I guess watch ANY OTHER slasher and you will spoil it anyway.The movie wasn't quite OK.
I was surprised that Michael B was in a movie this cheesy.The girls screamed WAY TOO MUCH, and you really didn't know what was going on after it all ended.
The films ending is pretty disturbing, brutal, bloody n has a real suspenseful feel.
Saw this on the horror channel and there's Lots of blood and gore with many graphic kills but movie is boring only good thing about it is Michael Biehn.
Despite never quite living up to his potential after the success of Terminator and Aliens, he normally puts in a solid supporting performance in whatever he's in.Bereavement tells the story of a young boy who's kidnapped by a serial killer and forced to watch as the man executes one girl after another.
However, what starts off as possibly an enjoyable serial killer flick, descends into one daft plot hole after the next and soon I found I was actually laughing at how stupid everything turns out to be.I know you have to suspend your disbelief to watch most horror films, but this one is too much.
But kudos to the filmmakers for really getting into the psychology of how broken families/people make other broken people- and thoughtfully exploring the ways people are trapped..whether through isolation, by one's own demons, disabilities, or through another's evil, it's explored in every character.It's probably the best-shot horror film I've seen in years, and looks like they had a ton more money than I bet they actually did.
This is a prequel to the movie Malevolence, showing how Martin Bristol becomes a serial killer.
Just how I like them to be!I also liked how this film shows what became of Martin & how a boy with no feelings became a killer!