Don't let the front of the case fool you: that little "Bruce Campbell Presents" is not a tag guaranteeing you fun slapstick horror. Hatred Of A Minute is an incredibly dark and somber movie. This movie isn't popcorn horror, or for the squeamish. It's bleak, disturbing, and after a slow beginning, quite good.

After a quick series of flashbacks to explain where he's coming from, we're introduced to Eric Seaver and his fiancee Jamie. They're in love, they've got a kickin' pad, and dream jobs. Eric is an autopsy report stenographer with aspirations of being a screenwriter, and Jamie is an artist. Eric is haunted by childhood memories of abuse he and his mother suffered at the hands of his stepfather(Gunnar Hansen) which come to a head after his mother's death of a heart attack. After the funeral, Eric brutally bludgeons his stepfather and buries him alive at the command of Jack, a demonic manifestation of his violent side. This entity dictates to Eric which women to "save," much to the chagrin of the manifestation of his good side, Michael. However, Eric can't stop. He needs to "save" women from the pain and humiliation of abuse from their boyfriends and husbands. When his fiancee is marked for this "salvation," Eric is at an impasse. Will he bend to the whims of Jack, or listen to the pleas of Michael?

This is most definitely an indie film. Quality of the movie is very uneven. Acting is rather mediocre throughout, and the introductory portion of the film is rather weak. However, after Eric murders his stepfather, the film shows a marked improvement. Michael Kallio has an amazing flair for visuals, mixing bizarre imagery with an almost Argento-level use of color. There are many creepy bits in this film, with use of shadow that reminded me of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu. I would love to see Kallio do a movie that exploits these strong points, instead of his all-too-standard shots for the bland character interaction. I also enjoyed the idea of Michael's consciousness manifesting itself as human beings. Jack is intensely eerie, with absolutely no lines coming from his mouth. He is a silent reaper, pointing out those that are to die. Michael, the good side, is genuinely saddened by Eric's downward spiral, popping up from time to time to try and save him.

I was impressed with the care Anchor Bay put into the manufacture of this DVD. Picture quality was excellent, with near-perfect color saturation and nary a hint of print damage, all in a nice anamorphic frame. The Dolby Stereo mix was fantastic, with everything sounding clean with no distortion or muffling of the dialogue. Extras are beefy on this disc, with a featurette showing the breakdown of one of the scenes, from rehearsal to shooting, with all the steps in between. What I genuinely adored though, was the inclusion of the original screenplay in Adobe PDF format. It's nice to be able to read through stuff like this, especially for film dorks like me (Hint, hint, all you DVD publishers out there!)

While it may not be the finest movie ever, Hatred Of A Minute is genuinely passionate filmmaking. It brings many fresh ideas to the table, and marks the introduction of who could become a formidable filmmaker. I tip my hat to you, Michael Kallio.