The Haunting of Rebecca Verlaine

Low-budget maestro Olaf Ittenbach (The Burning Moon, Premutos) mashes together outrageous, if clichéd, splatter effects with the somewhat subtler devices of Asian horror to create a ghost story that will frighten few but will entertain anyone willing to see over-the-top, amoral excess. English actress Natacza Soozie Boon plays the title character, who is haunted by nearly a dozen victims of a slice-and-dice mass murder, all before the opening credits finish. If you miss any of the impalements or gushing extremities, just wait, as Ittenbach will show them to you again later on. The story requires Boon to solve the murders so the murderers will stop killing more people, a plot device that assures a significant body count.

Shelf Talk: MTI is throwing this 2003 off-shore production (originally entitled Garden of Love) against the wall for the gorehounds who troll horror Web sites looking for new meat. Effects artist/director Ittenbach has a following thanks to his earlier works, and his fans will be waiting for this one. MTI is working the horror press and Web sites to raise awareness.