I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A Brilliant Conflict

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

There aren't many films that have turned me away completely. AU Penance was a first for me. I have never had to take a break from a film before or after this one. The August Underground films each have their "breath of fresh air" scenes in between - or even during - the more disturbing blood/vomit drenched scenes. Penance was different. Where it seems most people think that Mordum was the most disturbing in the trilogy, Penance went to a completely different level of grit and darkness. The breaths that this film took weren't enough to have strong enough laugh at to set you at ease or even kind of take you out of the disgust that was taking place. At one point, I had to stop the film and spend half an hour away from it to relax before I could finish. As the credits rolled, I sat in silence just staring at the screen unsure of how exactly I should feel. Easily the most difficult film to sit through, and easily one of my favorite films because of it. Fred Vogel and his team did an incredible job.

The wait is finally over. No longer will you have to suffice the agonizing torture of a screenshot or teaser trailer. The long awaited arrival of Toe Tag Pictures third entry into the August Underground series, Penance, is finally here, and was well worth every minute.The story picks up with Vogel and While's characters documenting their violent, savage acts on home video as they tantalize, humiliate and force their victims into submission. Through the midst of vicious rape and torture are shots of the two hanging out and goofing off just as any home video would show, adding a certain realism to the film.August Underground's Penance combines the dark realism of August Underground with the extremeness of Mordum to make for the strongest entry in the series. As the film descends, so does the collapse and downward spiral of the two killers. At the start of the film, they appear larger than life, goofing off in front of the camera and acting as kids would. By the end of the film, both characters are in tears, hardly standing the sight of each other through their on going battle of bickering and fighting. Vogel's character becomes more and more enraged with each one of his victims and starts drinking heavily, eventually drinking himself into a state of malady. On the other hand, While's character begins to deteriorate, as she slowly comes to the realization of the atrocities in which they are committing; she starts to break down emotionally and physically.The term "Penance," which also serves as the central theme in the film, refers to, "punishment or suffering undergone voluntarily to atone for sin or wrong doing," and can be seen in the last few minutes of the film where the characters, primarily While's, undergo a dramatic change in mentality. As with the other August Underground films, what happens in the final scene is left open-ended and requires viewer interpretation.Penance, hands down, contained the best acting the series has seen yet with a strong focus on Vogel and While's brilliant performances. Aside from playing the parts of psychotic killers, at certain times in the film their inner child comes out, which in ways, brings a sense of normalcy to their characters but also makes for some of the most disturbing aspects. The complexity of these two characters can be overwhelming at times as they often drift in and out of various mood swings.With a much bigger body count than the two prior films, Penance made for some sick special effects, courtesy of f/x wizard Jerami Cruise. With decapitations, multiple guttings, limb severings and a gruesome c-section, it is sure to have even the most jaded horror fans squirming in their seats. If you thought the other films were sick, just wait until you feast your eyes on this one. Cruise pays extra close attention to detail and delivers his best effects yet.In the August Underground series, Toe Tag Pictures takes horror, shits on it, and portrays it for what it truly is without glorifying the actions. These films show the harsh reality of what really happens in the world, where murder and torture happens daily, and takes the viewer beyond scary into a world of true, bloody horror, straight to the point and without any bullshit. So much talent lies amongst Toe Tag Pictures that assure only great things to come from them.

The scariest and most disturbing thing about "August Underground's Penance" is that Fred Vogel and his team of no-talents deemed what they'd shot worthy of release. This is a tedious, protracted, poorly photographed piece of video age masturbation about two losers (a male and female) who waste their lives indulging in psychotic behavior. Unfortunately, that psychotic behavior is boring and not fit for the most amateurish of home movies. There is some gore and ugly nudity, and an alligator eats a live mouse, but none of this redeems the endless, directionless, vertigo-inducing scenes of pseudo-shock that make up this rotten failure. There are no characters, there is no story, the Killers' POV perspective is now clichéd and done to death, and the ultra-shaky camera-work just further illustrates the lack of intelligence and talent behind this abortion. If I ever have to watch another Fred Vogel piece of anti-cinema, I'll poke my eyes out and puncture my ear drums. As penance for making this crap, the filmmakers should refrain from touching a camera for the next one hundred years.

Man uses video camera to shoot 2 underground snuff films August Underground Pt1 & Pt2.Man meets girl and goes about making a 3rd only this time messes the formula up and spends the bulk of it filming himself in various redneck/trailer park trash pursuits. See as man acts like a gangster, as he feeds a gator & lion, as he rides a quad, as he does a few lines yawn yawn ...Intercut all this with a few gore moments and yawn some more before the end credits roll. Fred and the toetag team have a way with fx this still can't be argued, but its all pointless unless its alongside narrative.To sum it up I gave it a 3/10. If you want sex go rent a porno, if you want gore rent a slasher movie. If you want to feel like you've wasted your money or time rent this.Watch this if you dare and you'll feel you've suffered as much as any of the victims...