Thr3e (DVD)

In the interest of full disclosure to you bloodthirsty gore-hounds who infiltrate Horror.com on a daily basis, you should know that Thr3e is the second cinematic release from Fox Faith, the Christian-themed distribution arm of 20th Century Fox. In spite of its pious roots, it does star one of the Devil's Rejects (Bill Moseley), and it's also no more heavy-handed in its religious message than, say, Premonition (same deal: one shoehorned-in scene, in which a minister tells the protagonist we can't fight evil without God on our side).

OK. That was it — like the band-aid quickly ripped off smarting skin, the pain is over. As for how the movie stands on its own as a horror-tinged suspenser, it's OK. Certainly not the worst I've seen lately; not by a long shot. It wasn't boring, which is a real saving grace in my book. I have enjoyed director Robby Henson's other B-thrillers (The Badge, starring Billy Bob Thornton; and The Visitation, starring Edward Furlong), and while Thr3e is no exception, I will say it's the weakest of the trio. (Henson's done other films, but I have not seen them.)

The most vibrant actor in the movie is Moseley, but as, er, "fate" would have it, his character is the least-seen. His fellow Devil's Reject, Priscilla Barnes, costars, and she's good — in a campy, Bette Davis meets Karen Black kind of way. The lead, Marc Blucas, is far too bland to carry the story and make you really care, but his work is serviceable enough.

The plot follows Kevin Parson (Blucas), a seminary student who is targeted by an all too knowing serial murderer known as The Riddle Killer (Moseley) and finds himself in a race against time to save not only those closest to him, but his own life as well. The storyline isn't that spectacular or original (think: Saw with a very dulled blade), but it's suspenseful enough and the slickness of the look, the pizzazz of the director's visual style, plus the aptness of the actors all save Thr3e from being an entirely hellish rental.

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