URCHIN REVIEW

Urchin, though often bloody and violent, is not so much a horror film as it is a somewhat nightmarish urban fantasy.

It's set in a depressingly grungy underground world: the New York of losers, mad dreamers, and criminal opportunists. I didn't think it was going to be to my taste, but about twenty minutes into seeing it, I asked myself, "If you don't like it, how come you're still watching?"

The answer is, I found it impossible to turn away from. Writer and director John Harlacher has a potent imagination and invests his cauchemar with flashes of compassion and poignancy. Urchin's redemptive outcome is both unexpected and surprisingly moving.

Urchin reminded me of an odd science-fiction film, Pi, that I saw some years ago. Urchin is thoroughly different in style, mood and texture from Pi, but both are riveting experiences. I just couldn't stop watching either.

-- Marvin Kaye,
Editor, H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror






www.UrchinTheMovie.com