Haunted Prison (TV)

Also known as Death Row, Haunted Prison is a made-for-cable movie that will be debuting on Starz Channel and the Sci Fi Channel on Saturday, October 14, 2006 at 9:00p.m. PT/ET. I don’t know how the movie will play on commercial TV, but if you have cable or satellite the uncensored version is worth a look.

While the subject matter didn't especially appeal to me (videographers trapped in a haunted hellhole… been there, done that), I will admit that there are some twists and turns in the plotting, and this is definitely director Kevin VanHook's most standout work in terms of gore, horror, and suspense.

The derelict, long-abandoned Isla del Roca Penitentiary, a structure with the highest execution rate in the country and the scene of the bloodiest prison riot in U.S. history, sets the stage for five college kids to make their bones in the film world. They plan to film an avant-garde documentary on the sly inside its not-so-hallowed halls, but they don't count on having company…

First off, there are the restless spirits of the prisoners who were murdered by the guards during the riots; then there's the desperate band of jewel thieves who are hiding out and ready to kill anyone who stands in the way of their getaway with the loot.

Haunted Prison stars Jake Busey, Stacy Keach,, Kyle Schmid, James Leo Ryan, Danny Trejo, and Marco Rodriguez, plus a couple of well-endowed actresses who somehow find running water in the prison and strip down to take showers. The acting is decent, and some of the characters, while no doubt clichéd, are fun — especially when they serve to add to the body count. Nearly every gory, grotesque type of death you can imagine was thought up, and put into Haunted Prison.

As I said, this is definitely VanHook's goriest movie to date, and while the movie does tend to drag here and there, when the ghosts are out and about it does have its moments of shock and suspense. The special effects are somewhat over the top, but it totally works within this context: Haunted Prison is a good flick to watch with all the lights off, and the volume up.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson