Verotika

The film consists of three segments. The first segment, "The Albino Spider of Dajette", is about a Parisian sex worker named Dajette with eyeballs for nipples, and an albino spider that takes the form of an eight-armed humanoid, the latter of whom murders sex workers by breaking their necks. The second segment, "Change of Face", concerns a mysterious stripper who collects the faces of other women. The final segment, "Drukija Contessa of Blood", follows a countess who kills virgin women and bathes in their blood.

• Ashley Wisdom as Dajette
• Scotch Hopkins as the Albino Spider
• Paul Vandervort as Francois
• James Cullen Bressack as Passerby
• Tonya Kay as Platinum Model

• Rachel Alig as Mystery Girl
• Sean Kanan as Sgt. Anders
• Courtney Stodden as Pretty Blonde
• Sean Waltman as Counter Person

• Alice Haig as Drukija
• Kayden Kross as Morella
• Natalia Borowsky as Sheska
• Caroline Williams as Peasant Woman
• Kansas Bowling as Young Peasant Girl
• Brennah Black as Blonde Girl

Verotika is based on comic books by published by Verotik, a company owned by writer-director Glenn Danzig.{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/glenn-danzigs-verotika-review.html|title=Glenn Danzig Accidentally Made the Year's Best Horror-Comedy|last=Allen|first=Nick|date=June 14, 2019|website=Vulture|access-date=April 7, 2020}}{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/movies/2020/01/14/glenn-danzig-horror-anthology-verotika-trailer/|title=Watch the extreme trailer for Glenn Danzig's horror anthology Verotika|last=Collis|first=Clark|date=January 14, 2020|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=April 7, 2020}} Danzig has referred to Verotika as a tribute to horror anthology films such as Black Sabbath and Trilogy of Terror.

The third segment in the film, "Drukija Contessa of Blood", has been described as "a take" on historical figure and murderer Elizabeth Báthory.{{cite web|url=https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/verotika-blu-ray-dvd-cd/|title=Verotika (Blu-ray + DVD + CD)|publisher=Cleopatra Records|access-date=April 8, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/contests/3608418/win-glenn-danzigs-verotika-home-video/|title=Win Glenn Danzig's 'Verotika' 3-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Set|last=Miska|first=Brad|date=March 10, 2020|website=Bloody Disgusting|access-date=April 8, 2020}}

Verotika premiered on June 13, 2019 at the Cinepocalypse film festival in Chicago, Illinois.{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/holy-hell-glenn-danzig-mightve-just-made-the-room-of-h-1835503250|title=Holy hell, Glenn Danzig might've just made The Room of horror anthologies|last=McLevy|first=Alex|date=June 13, 2019|work=The A.V. Club|access-date=April 7, 2020}} Throughout the screening, the film elicited laughter from the audience.{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-best-worst-and-weirdest-of-this-years-cinepocalyp-1835735862|title=The best, worst, and weirdest of this year's Cinepocalypse film festival|last1=McLevy|first1=Alex|last2=Colburn|first2=Randall|date=June 24, 2019|work=The A.V. Club|access-date=April 7, 2020}} In a Q&A session following the showing, Danzig asserted that he did not intend for the film to be comedic, stating that viewers laughed at parts that "[he] wouldn't have".

The film had its international premiere at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Catalonia, Spain on October 4, 2019.{{Cite magazine|last=Wiederhorn|first=Jon|date=May 5, 2020|title=Glenn Danzig Gives the King a Dark Revamp on 'Danzig Sings Elvis'|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9372018/glenn-danzig-sings-elvis-interview|access-date=|magazine=Billboard}}

Verotika was panned by critics, with multiple publications comparing it to the 2003 film The Room, which is commonly considered to be one of the worst films ever made. Patrick Bromley of Bloody Disgusting wrote that "the audience reaction at Cinepocalypse suggests that Verotika has a future as a midnight movie in the same vein as The Room. There's plenty of entertainment and plenty of laughs to be had, even if I'm not sure it's what director Danzig originally intended. Creating a new horror cult favorite might just be the most punk rock thing he could have done." Nick Allen of Vulture wrote that Verotika "[follows] in the tradition of Ed Wood and Tommy Wiseau", and noted that Danzig may have unwittingly created "the horror-comedy of the year". Nuno Silva said of the film "she's asleep but the boobs are awake". Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club called the film "funny on a level that most comedies can't achieve. It's that rare fusion of painstakingly expressed love and total lack of ability that deliver the best of bad cinema, and [Danzig] should be proud."

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/verotika|title=Verotika (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}

The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in March 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7jnz7/glenn-danzigs-horror-movie-verotika-looks-hilariously-bad|title=Glenn Danzig's Horror Movie 'Verotika' Looks Hilariously Bad|last=Terry|first=Josh|date=January 15, 2020|work=Vice|access-date=April 7, 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Verotika-Blu-ray-DVD-Rachel-Alig/dp/B07ZNF15LN/|title=Verotika (Blu-ray + DVD + Soundtrack CD)|website=Amazon.com|access-date=April 7, 2020}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{IMDb title|id=9425078|title=Verotika}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|id=verotika|title=Verotika}}

Category:2019 horror films

Category:2019 films

Category:American horror anthology films

Category:Live-action films based on comics

Category:Films about spiders

Category:Films based on American comics

Category:Films about prostitution in Paris

Category:Films about murderers

Category:Films set in Paris

Category:2010s English-language films

Category:2010s American films

Category:English-language horror films