Glass Eye Pix is the master of hiding a punch of heart in the most unexpected places. Those imagining a re-vamped Boris Karloff creature-feature may be sorely disappointed. Instead, we get a true, modern retelling of Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic novel. After some rough performances in the opening act, the story quickly recovers once we move into Adam’s narrative. The film delivers some fun, practical scarring and suture effects denoting Adam’s gruesome origins. The “horror” tag otherwise feels a bit unwarranted, though there’s certainly no shortage of substance in this thought-provoking tale. The run time, coming in at just under two hours, feels a bit longer than it needs to be, but the film is well-paced, which helps move the story along. Depraved is a gripping, heartfelt little gem.
Depraved screened as part of What the Fest!? 2019
