What’s It All About
The 1 Sentence Summary of The Special
A man, angry with his wife’s infidelity, visits a brothel and becomes obsessed with a black box that contains what is known as “The Special”.
Cast and Director
Are you ready for a very strange movie that makes you wonder, what’s in the box? Directed by B. Harrison Smith and starring Davy Raphaely and Dave Sheridan, this movie explores obsession, addiction and dark magic.
Spoiler Alert
We’d much rather you watch the movie than read some of our favorite and least favorite parts about it. But if you have to know, check out our breakdown below.
When Jerry (Davy Raphaely) returns to the brothel with the dead thing from inside the box, he quickly starts to succumb to the sickness that has been affecting him. At this moment, you immediately know what was inside the box as Jerry starts to make a quick transformation into the “the thing”. His body starts to ooze a thick slime, his skin starts to melt and soon, he is put into his very own black box.
Jerry (Davy Raphaely) the main character of the film. Much of it is focused on him and his obsession with the special. In the beginning you were on Jerry’s side, supporting some of his actions. As the film progresses, you see him fall victim to his own demons and soon become something else entirely.
There are no true scares in this film, just some odd and strange things. Perhaps the scariest part is when Jerry starts to transform into “the special”. His body starting to fall apart, his skin becoming slimy and wet, and his face becoming a blob of doughy, veiny matter.
Since the movie is about obsession and, in this case, sexual obsession, there are quite a lot of scenes where Jerry just pleasures himself with the black box. Ultimately, there isn’t much to see, but by the third time, we definitely know this guy isn’t going to let up.
There isn’t much character development of Jerry, so in the end, you don’t really care what happens to him. The movie could have benefited from a more composed script.
Get More
Scare Critic Picks
Did you like The Special? If so, check out these other terrifyingly good movies:
Summary
Scare Critics Say: IF YOU'RE DESPERATE
Scare Critic Review
There are no true scares in this film, only the sensation of utter disgust. As we watch the main character descend into his own madness and obsession with "the special", we begin to realize that his addiction will have dire consequences.
Scares Breakdown
- Murder
- Creatures
Good
- Great acting
- High degree of realism
- Delivers on scene setting/atmosphere
- Graphic/memorable scares
Bad
- Plot thin in areas
- Not enough backstory on the antagonist
