Movie Review: For An Interesting Take On Revenge, Try “Avenged”

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A deaf girl is brutalized by a murderous gang who are then hunted by her when the bloodthirsty spirit of an Apache warrior inhabits her lifeless body.

“Avenged” – a supernatural vengeance thriller originally titled “Savaged” – is grotesque, horrifying and borderline brilliant. Whenever you watch a B-rated horror movie, you never really know what to expect. This film was a very pleasant surprise. Not only was almost all of the acting top notch – there were maybe two who were not up to par with everyone else – but the storyline was also really cool, too. The main character is deaf, which is something you do not get to see all too often. Amanda Adrienne did a fantastic job in this starring role as Zoe. I cannot stress that enough. The villains – led by Trey and West (portrayed by Rodney Rowland and Tom Ardavany, respectively) are so disgustingly awful that you find yourself hating them so much.

It is hard not to yell at the screen. “General Hospital’s” Marc Anthony Samuel presents Zoe’s fiancé Dane in such a way that is truly believable and – I’ll admit it – made me cry. While the rape revenge idea has been done before, “Avenged” puts a really great spin on it complete with an Apache medicine man, well-done-on-a-smaller-budget graphic violence, and genuine gross-out moments. History buffs may be interested in the references to Apache Chief Mangas Coloradas, whose story is significant to the storyline. I found myself fidgeting and switching positions so many times because it was making me so anxious. A film that can get that kind of reaction out of you deserves your appreciation.

If this movie had just a little bit more money, I think it could have – and should have – been a big hit. I was originally going to give it 3.5 stars just based on the budget, but my gut tells me that it deserves a 4 because they did so much with what they have, and it makes me want to watch anything that writer/director/cinematographer/editor/is-there-anything-he-can’t-do Michael S. Ojeda works on in the future. If you like horror, thrillers, revenge plots, or even just gruesome violence, “Avenged” is absolutely worth checking out.

In select theaters and on VOD now