Enter Sade Man

This movie was a mess. A literal mess.

As much as I would have liked to have liked the 1998 horror film Strangeland because my beloved Elizabeth Peña was in it, there was no denying the fact that not even she could save this movie for me. Indeed, I felt a bit sorry for her whenever I saw her onscreen during this film because her role as housewife Toni Gage wasn't one of her better-written parts.

I also felt sorry for actress Linda Cardellini, who played Ms. Gage's daughter Genevieve -- a girl who ended up becoming the victim of a serial torturer named Captain Howdy (played by former rock star Dee Snider) who lured victims to his residence via the Internet. If you thought the way Ms. Cardellini went from playing a great character on TV's Freaks and Geeks to playing Velma in the Scooby Doo movies was a tough break, just wait until you see her in this movie. On second thought, don't. This movie does not deserve more viewers.

The movie made some feeble attempt at social commentary by having the plot include an attempt to “reform” the villain via medication only to have him revert to type after he had been attacked and almost killed by a group of vigilantes. But in the end, it was just an excuse to have the villain do a lot of nasty things to people of varying degrees of guilt until he finally got a taste of his own medicine.

Unless you get off on seeing innocent people like Genevieve Gage hurt, there is just no way you are going to enjoy this movie.

However, I suspect the Marquis de Sade would have liked it quite well.