WFG RATING: A+

Gravitas Ventures and Raven Banner Entertainment presents a KWF Films production in association with Elite Media Group. Directed by Marcel Walz. Produced by Joe Knetter, Marvel Walz, and Sarah French. Written by Joe Knetter. Cinematography by Marcus Friedlander. Edited by Kai E. Bogatzki.

Stars Robert Rusler, Monique T. Parent, Sarah French, Sarah Poladnek, Gigi Gustin, Dazelle Yvette, Jazz Egger, Sarah Nicklin, Adam Bucci, Paul Gunn, and Mimi Foxx.

A family offers dreams that ultimate become nightmares in this thrilling horror film from the producers who brought you That’s a Wrap.

The Eden Family are devout Christians who plan to open their new church after buying a parcel of land in the middle of the desert. They are well-known for their parties, in which they make people’s dreams come true. They are made up of patriarch Matheo, matriarch Eloise, and daughters Angelique and Dominique, the latter who was adopted into the family.

However, on the surface, this is a perfect family. In reality, the dreams they present at their parties are to punish those who have wronged the keyholders, the ones who wish to make things right. To the family, they are doing God’s work. As much as the family relishes on the word of God, an isolated incident is set to begin a domino effect that could change the lives of this family forever.

With the success of That’s a Wrap, the triple threat of director Marcel Walz, writer Joe Knetter, and actor Sarah French are finally back with this long awaited follow-up that is definitely one of their bravest films and definitely one of their most intense and disturbing films yet.  Using religion, masked parties, and the idea of torturing as a means to punish sinners, the film is a meshing of Hostel, Eyes Wide Shut, and Midsommar wrapped up in a just over two-hour package.

Former teen idol Robert Rusler shows why he has done some of his best work as of late with director Walz. The 2009 reboot of Blood Feast was the catalyst but here, Rusler shines as patriarch Matheo, who on the surface seems like the perfect choice for an televangelist. However, he has quite the skeleton in the closet while showing his love for Eloise, played by the amazing Monique T. Parent, who wowed in That’s a Wrap, earning her the Best Supporting Actress at the 2023 WorldFilmGeek Awards. Parent’s Eloise is the motherly figure who despite being a part of the “party game”, relishes on being a woman and also being a motherly figure to her two daughters.

Speaking of daughters, Sarah French once again shines. Where people may be used to seeing her as a final girl or victim, she goes 180 as the potential goddess of evil in Angelique. She is definitely her father’s daughter as her sweet and innocent façade shows how demented she can be. As the adopted daughter Dominique, Sarah Polednak is great as the one who questions everything and even has doubts despite the fact we see flashbacks of her traumatized childhood.

The kill scenes are completely unforgettable in this film and kudos must go out to Vincent Guastini and his team. There is a curve if you will when it comes to the factor. Starting with a graphic style stabbing, the level rises and rises then goes down until one particular scene towards the last few minutes may be guaranteed to be emblazoned in your skull for a while (as it does to mine having just watched this last night). There is even a scene that could have been part Hostel, part Ichi the Killer if you will and one scene that brings a specific death in the Hong Kong horror tale The Untold Story to mind. In some cases, we see flashbacks of the “sin” committed that leads to the death of these sinners. However, one scene stood out as disturbing on a Terrifier 3 level mixing eroticism with death that just can’t be described here.

In the end, despite its disturbing factor, Garden of Eden is the horror film of the year so far fans do not want, but need to see. The themes are there, the kills are spectacular, and performances of Robert Rusler, Monique T. Parent, Sarah French, and Sarah Polednak as the titular family are the heart of this insane and very intense film.

The film is now available on Digital and on Blu-Ray.