"Venom" is one of the more unique horrors to come out in recent years in that it feels just like you are watching a horror flick from the reigning hey-day of horrors, the 1980's. While the premise is nothing new, it is done in a slick fashion that keeps the viewer entertained.
The cast is a mixed bunch, admittedly I am not familiar with some of them, they either are not very good, or they just played their characters poorly. Take Agnes Bruckner for example. She plays the "heroine", Eden, but she is about the most uninteresting character in the whole film, not to mention as far as horror-heroines go, she is not very resourceful. Similarly, Jonathan Jackson seems like an unusual choice for male-lead, but he is rather surprising in that his character is very well-rounded in terms of personality and resourcefulness. Laura Ramsey is terrific as Rachel, Eden's best friend - that is, until she goes rather crazy, then her character is just annoying. D.J. Cotrona plays Sean, the resident hottie, and he is also one of the more interesting characters due to his connections with the teens' enemy, giving him more story than several of the others, and making him more interesting than the leads. Meagen Good doesn't get much screen time, but due to her connections also, she plays one of the more interesting characters, Cece. Rounding out the main group of teens is Pawel Szajda who plays Ricky, and worthy of note not simply because Ricky is gay, but because he is a normal gay character, something still rare in films (where gay characters are either ugly, victimized constantly, or only there as comic relief), though increasingly in horror films gay characters are being depicted as normal, and often more interesting than other characters (see also the recent film Tobe Hooper's "Mortuary").
Rick Cramer plays the possessed villain in the film, Ray, and does a very good job. An interesting location, nice scenery, some frightening scenes and a cool score make for a fun film that pays tribute to the horror of the 80's. Also, just when you think you know who is going to survive (the terrible unfortunate motif of recent years when you already know the heroine and the hero will survive) there is a surprise turn. Highly enjoyable, albeit somewhat underplayed.
