In Theaters and Digital

“If you would have come in 10 to 15 minutes earlier or later, this just might not of happened."

Dark and depraved; that's exactly how independent filmmaker Joe Hollow likes it.  Which is why he is back at it with a brand-new cut of the first film he completed, The Family.  That was 2011 and times have changed, but - when you have this much material to work with and a talented cast, too - why not revisit the original, tighten the edits, and make it a better film?

Which is exactly what Hollow does here.

I mean, this new cut - now retitled The Family Business - is defter; weightier; and altogether a better film than its previous incarnation.  In fact, it feels like it is indeed a different film with better pacing and a whole lot of tonal swagger as Tony Todd, Angie Stevenson, Michael Berryman, Shannon Lark, and Kane Hodder all make appearances in this deranged thriller. 

Comically dark, The Family Business is what happens when one twisted family sets out to make the most epically wild snuff film.  They have different ideas on how it should go down and from what angle the camera should be positioned, but - when the lust for blood runs this deep - there’s no denying the business they are bound to . . . no matter how constricting the ropes get.

And this family wants blood!

The Family Business is still about a deranged family which makes snuff films, but the characterization in this new version is better; the edits cleaner; and the chaos of two brothers with differing opinions about the art they make is truly funnier in that demented way of sorting morality out that Hollow has in his exploitation titles.  There’s no escaping that and this film delivers one sick and twisted moment after another as victims are released and a wild game of cat-and-mouse follows!

The point of the matter is that this new cut - bringing out the thriller aspect a bit more sharper than before - absolutely works to deliver an unforgettable (or is that unforgivable?) time with this demented family.

Starring Mark Hanson as Jacob and Hollow himself as Jonathon, the battling brothers at the head of this dysfunctional clan, The Family Business is not going to be for every horror fan out there.  That’s a given, but - if you like exploitation flicks leaning more toward the demented side of the aisle (complete with a strong cast which includes Devanny Pinn and Tawny Amber Young) - then you really should give Hollow’s new edit a try as an abandoned prison becomes the location for this family’s snuff film. 

Travelers are lured here and, thanks to the friction in this family, find themselves caught in a demented and neverending dysfunctional nightmare. 

There’s no escaping the ties which bind in The Family Business!

MPAA Rating: unrated.
Runtime: 89 mins
Director: Joe Hollow
Writer: 
Cast: Mark Hanson; Joe Hollow; Angie Stevenson
Genre: Horror
Tagline: It's hard for a family to stick together when, killing runs in their blood.
Memorable Movie Quote: 
Distributor: primal Motion Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: November 28, 2024
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: The Family Business is a Dark, Dramatic, Horror, Thriller where tensions rise among a twisted family of psychopaths who set out to create a very unique snuff film of epic proportions.