Filthy Review - 'Ryan Nicholson's The Good Wife' Slaughter in Syracuse 2014 World Premiere

The Good Wife (2014)

Review by Jude Felton

Whether or not the extreme horror anthology, The Profane Exhibit, ever see’s the light of day on Blu-ray or DVD, or fucking Laser Disc for all I care, remains to be seen. I asked director, of The Good Wife, Ryan Nicholson if he had any idea, and judging from his response it won’t be any time soon. That’s a real shame, especially if his segment, The Good Wife, is any judge of the standard of extremities we can see.

What I saw, at the excellent Slaughter in Syracuse Underground Horror Film Festival, was not only the World Premiere of this film, but also quite possibly the last time anyone will see it. That is how Nicholson relayed it to the audience, and I sincerely hope he is wrong.

Dynamite Dan Ellis, who kicked plenty of ass in earlier Plotdigger movies such as Gutterballs, Hanger and Star Vehicle, once again returns to the fray, in quite possibly his vilest role to date. That my friends, is saying something! He plays ‘he who must be obeyed’, or the bad husband opposite the good wife, who when he is not beating and raping his wife, has a penchant for torture and murder.

The Good Wife is fifteen minutes in which we not only see just how evil Ellis’ character really is, but also an exercise in some truly nasty onscreen violence, and not only from his hands. It’s a short and simple film, yet it is also Nicholson at his best. The director is really becoming an absolute expert in portraying the depravity of human nature on film (something I will again touch on in my review of Collar).

Whether or not you’ll see The Good Wife as just another excuse to slap extreme violence on screen is purely a matter of opinion for the viewer, and being as though many of you won’t see it, really is a moot point. Yes, it is horrifically violent and even when you think there may be some semblance of affection or love between the husband and wife, Nicholson will quickly and effectively strip this away.

In my humble opinion, Nicholson and Ellis are the Scorsese and DeNiro of ultra-violent exploitation horror; they bring out the best in each other, and I hope they work together again in the near future. That might be a lofty compliment, but in terms of this film, and the previous Plotdigger Films I mentioned, they ring true as a team that really know how to stick the meat hook in, and twist it.

As a fan of the genre, and Ryan’s films, I sincerely hope that The Good Wife does get to see the light of day somewhere (hey, Beneath the Underground, I’m talking to you!!), as it is more than worthy of your time. This is a film that’s just as sick and violent as you would hope it would be.