Overview: Confined to a mental institution, disturbed young serial killer Simon (The Rule of Jenny Pen’s Paolo Rotondo) is tormented by cruel orderlies and his own personal demons including The Ugly which compels him to kill.

Now at his request, Dr. Karen Schumaker (The Brokenwood Mysteries’ Rebecca Hobbs) arrives to discover whether Simon is fit to be released back into society. As the terrifying secrets within Simon’s mind are revealed, no one will be left unscathed by the horrors about to be unleashed.

One of the most stylish shockers of the late ’90s, this acclaimed New Zealand descent into madness features startling makeup effects from the future Oscar®-winning Wētā Workshop team (The Lord of the Rings trilogy).

Both touching and haunting, this film marked the impressive debut for director Scott Reynolds (When Strangers Appear) and, after a long period of unavailability, has now been fully restored to its original colorful, haunting glory for the first time in North America. But be warned... once you meet The Ugly, you may never be the same again.

Blu-ray Verdict: Simon Cartwright is a multiple-murderer who has been in a mental hospital for the last five years. Karen Shoemaker is an over-ambitious doctor who tries to analyze his crimes through deep conversations about his childhood memories and adolescent traumas. The more Simon opens up to her, the more she’s pulled into his introvert and haunted world of supernaturalism.

Now, this sounds like yet another typical Silence of the Lambs rip-off, right? WRONG! It’s pretty obvious where The Ugly found its inspiration and director Scott Reynolds surely knows his horror classics, but this is NOT just another fanboy-movie with nothing new to add. Reynold’s script is very clever and extremely mesmerizing! Although the structure and plot aren’t highly original, you constantly have the feeling you’re watching an innovating, groundbreaking film.

The happenings shown during the flashbacks constantly jump back and forth in time and form an entirely new structure by themselves. It’s hard to explain, but fairly easy and interesting to follow while watching it. Not just the structure is fascinating, the pivot-character (Simon) and his background are a lot more interesting than any other TV-killer of the last ten years.

Cold-heartedly portrayed by Paolo Rotondo, Simon Cartwright is mysterious and compelling personality who messes with your head! The Ugly actually is one of those rare gems that are scary! At least 5 sequences in this film will keep you on the edge of your seat and make your blood pump faster. These sequences are fairly gore as well, showing blood as black as the night itself. Yet, to point out at least one slightly negative aspect: the ending comes a bit abrupt and maybe it’s a little too left open.

The Ugly is a modest and rather anonymous production that certainly deserves more credit than it actually receives. It was made in New Zealand and those productions rarely ever get any attention (aside from Peter Jackson’s initial splatter highlights Bad Taste and Braindead). Too bad, because the horror-industry desperately needs more quality titles such as this. [C.T.]

Limited Edition Special Features:
NEW Scanned in 4K from the 35mm interpositive
NEW Commentary with actors Paolo Rotondo and Rebecca Hobbs, moderated by Nathaniel Thompson
NEW Scott Reynolds short films A Game with No Rules & The M1nute
NEW The Ugly Visual Essay
NEW Photo Gallery
Trailers

Official Movie Trailer

Official Purchase Link