The Special Gives New Meaning To A Happy Ending

What would you do if your best friend took you to a secret brothel and told you not to ask questions? In The Special, temptation takes on a flesh-and-blood form, but this isn’t just a sleazy detour into sin. It’s a descent into obsession, madness, and a very specific kind of body horror you won’t be able to unsee.

Jerry suspects his wife’s cheating. Mike, his ever-loyal wingman, offers the perfect distraction: an exclusive invite-only house of pleasures. But once Jerry meets “The Special,” the real story begins, one that spirals quickly into grotesque addiction.

This isn’t for general audiences. It’s not something you put on with your nanna. The Special is weird, dark, and absolutely not mainstream-friendly, and that’s exactly why it works.

Stick It In Here For A Happy Ending

Jerry isn’t keen to just dive into the deep end of revenge against his supposed adulterous wife. Keen to impress his friend, Mike suggests he just take ‘the special,’ a no-frills way to whet his whistle without the pesky drama of actual personal service. From here, Jerry is led to a dark room that confusingly houses a box. The box sits on a table lovingly scribed with the words “stick it in here.” So Jerry does.

Where to Watch The Special Streaming

The writers behind this peculiar premise are James Newman and Mark Steenland, who have neither highly regarded nor noteworthy films preceding The Special. The director, B Harrison Smith, was responsible for Death House. Anyone who set out to watch that one knows the only thing going for it was that it housed just about every B-movie horror actor known to man. A bone could be thrown its way for the solid effects, but otherwise, a train wreck. Had it not been for my usually trustworthy friend, I would have skipped over this one, too.

Love Story? No?

The effects are solid and sordid. Performances, especially Jerry’s, who is played by Davy Raphaely, are good. Both seedy and gruff, the security detail for the whore house, Ivan, played by Doug Henderson is also a memorable presence in the film’s tidy storyline. A cleaning lady with almost no lines was not only a neat addition to smooth out the kinks, but Sheri Fairchild also gives a certain charm to her small but important bit part. Look out for Fairchild in Terrifier 2.

The thing about “The Special” film, though, is it’s entirely watchable. To present a whole 94 minutes of one man consistently sticking his wiener in a box is quite the car crash, I could not look away from. Jerry becomes addicted to whatever it is inside that is showing him the best time of his life. That is, he does after he accidentally kills the mystical madam and scurries off with the box. It’s easy to see where this narrative is going when Jerry rents an apartment to get additional uninterrupted alone time with his newest love. He begins to look not so hot, and he’s additionally very worried about whatever is locked inside the box.

For all intentions, I can’t help but recommend this oddball and crass horror movie with what cannot be described as anything but one that decidedly has a very happy ending. Just not for Jerry.

I give The Special

3.5 Love with a box is still love out of 5

The Special Movie Review

• Director: B. Harrison Smith (Death House & Camp Dread)
• Writers: James Newman (Still Waters), Mark Steensland (The Last Way Out).
• The Special film cast includes Davy Raphaely, Dave Sheridan, Sarah French, Tony Barber, Paul Cottman, Susan Moses, Sheri Fairchild, and Lisa Budwig.
• The special was acquired as a screener as part of the press for Grimmfest 2020.
• If you want more weird films and unique playbooks, watch one of these titles next: Freak Off 2025 | The Ugly Stepsister | Vulcanizadora | The Bondsman

Production Info Note

This review was inspired by a recommendation from my friend Kieron during the Grimmfest 2020 Online Festival.
Despite being on opposite sides of the world, me in Australia, him overseas, we both tuned in and got to enjoy one of the best curated genre lineups out there. His suggestion to check out The Special turned out to be the kind of twisted gem that festivals like Grimmfest do best.

The Special

Director: B. Harrison Smith

Date Created: 2020-10-13 18:14

Editor's Rating:
4

Pros

• Memorable
• A horror twist on obsessive love
• The Special is fun to talk about

Cons

• So bad it's good