Review: SHECHOTIC (2018)
This film opens with a disclaimer that the director “in no way endorses support of violence, abuse against women or other subject matter that may be considered offensive.” So you could be forgiven for expecting some strong content to follow. And I’d certainly have no objections to another REVENGE or I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. Instead, SHECHOTIC, (a bad pun on psychotic I’m assuming), is a twisted soap opera with some mild sleaze and murder tossed in.
Maxine (Erica Mitchell) finds out her boyfriend Lance (Robert D Watts) has been cheating on her. Rather than just leave him, and at the urging of her “alter ego”, she knocks him out and chains him up in the basement. Then she goes looking for revenge on his mistress Lana (Brittany Bryant). Revenge that includes sleeping with her father, (Jason Walker) and eventually her. Confused? So am I and I watched this twice trying to figure it out.
Despite the disclaimer, SHECHOTIC is a very tame film. There are some flashbacks to Maxine’s rape by her stepfather, (for which her stepbrother is doing time, I think). But apart from that, the violence tends to be dealt out by the woman, not by them. There’s even a female on male rape scene to balance things out on that front.
There is a fair amount of nudity scattered through the film. There’s undoubtedly more flesh than blood on display which makes me think writer/director Leandre Fiori was going for more of an erotic thriller than a horror film. And, if you like thick black women, that might be a reason to watch. It’s certainly a nice change from the usual Barbie wannabes.
SHECHOTIC was apparently filmed in five days over a two-month period. I have to give the makers credit for pulling that off. Five days isn’t much shooting time and it is professionally shot. The script is just such a mess it overwhelms everything.
SHECHOTIC is available on Amazon and other streaming platforms.