Review of Meridian

I never thought I'd say these words in relation to a Full Moon production, but this film contains one of the most sensual and arousing erotic sequences I've ever seen. Approximately half an hour into the film, there's a bizarre but nevertheless oddly enticing series of scenes where a pair of malignant twin brothers drug and seduce the heavenly astounding Sherilyn Fenn and her equally attractive friend Charlie Spradling. Both girls are undressed in highly sensual circumstances (fireplace, blood red sheets, moody tunes…) and the footage is revealing without becoming tasteless or gratuitous. Initially I wasn't too interested in checking out "Meridian", as I suffer too much from Charles Band allergy and Full Moon aversion, but eventually borrowed the DVD from a friend because I was enthralled by the presence of Sherilyn, the intriguing fairy-tale outlook and the potentially macabre settings illustrated on the back of the DVD-cover. Well, yeah, the film LOOKS pretty good. It's nearly incomprehensible how such a bunch of fascinating story elements are turned into such a boring and anti- frightening wholesome. "Meridian" is kind of like a crossbreed between Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and Walerian Borowczyk's cult classic "La Bête", but it lacks the charm of the former as well as the shock- impact of the latter. The graduated art student Catherine Beaumancini returns to her home country Italy to inherit the old family castle. She and her friend Gina become dangerously entangled in a web of mystery and deceit when they invite a traveling circus assembly to dinner. Catherine becomes an object of seduction to the malicious ringmaster Lawrence. His twin brother Oliver sincerely loves Catherine, but stands powerless because he's under a spell that turns him into a wolf-like creature. Interesting enough plot, but the film is indescribably boring and overwrought. Charles Band really exaggerates in trying to make "Meridian" look Gothic and unsettling, with an overload of slow-motion camera-work and unnecessary set pieces. The special effects – and the wolf disguise in particular – are laughably tacky and wouldn't upset the smallest child. In fact, Disney's "Beast" actually was a lot scarier when he got angry.