Knifed in Venice

Motel Hell

2012-02-22T21:28:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 101 mins

Director: Kevin Connor

Starring: Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, Nina Axelrod, Paul Linke

Genre: Horror, Comedy

Country:

USA

With midterm well and truly in our rear view mirror it’s time to return to class and the weekly Hixploitation offering. Tying in with the Hostel trilogy and Bloodlust! here’s another location that you won’t find in the Lonely Planet guide for a damn good reason. If the name Motel Hell wasn’t enough to persuade you to drive on then I guess you have it coming.

Farmer Vincent (Rory Calhoun) runs the secluded Motel Hello with it’s neon sign malfunctioning the last letter and is the maker the best smoked meat in the county bringing him a level of fame and fortune but Farmer Vincent ain’t all he appears to be. Stalking the local roads at night he picks off out-of-towners, for his secret ingredient. Along with his ever helpful younger sister Ida (Nancy Parsons) and under the nose of local Sheriff and relative (Paul Linke) Vincent sets about another harvest.

As a Western fan it’s always a real thrill to see Rory Calhoun on screen and as Vincent he’s absolutely fantastic. He's religious, proper, gentle at times, darkly sadist and completely off the reservation at others not only is he frightening he’s also intoxicating and extremely funny (not to mention charming). You’ll want to watch him and his wonderful shit eating grin forever. As an experienced actor not only is he masterful of his screen time but he’s incredibly generous and gives a hell of a lot to his co-stars to work worth. His scenes with Nancy Parsons (Porky’s) are exceptional and her portrayal is bordering on that of an adult with the understandings of the world that you would find in a young child. It’s probably Parsons’ best performance on screen; it’s certainly the most layered and interesting. Nina Axelrod’s level is also raised by the excellent work of Calhoun; the scenes in which the two kindle a romantic connection are sweet, innocent but also awkwardly funny. Quality performances continue across the board including Wolfman Jack (as the Reverend) and John Ratzenberger (as a long haired drummer) a year before he would find fame with Cheers.

For a film that’s thirty one years old it’s actually amazing just how well it has aged. The story, when you think about it is actually quite gruesome and not to give anything away but there’s more to it and it has a darkly comic feel to it that’s very en trend with the current crop of horror directors. Probably the most horrific thing about the film is the sound. To prevent his victims from screaming for help Vincent severs the vocal cords now though we don’t see the procedure we do endure the gargling throaty sounds that emanate from his efforts to scream for help. The continuous gargling is odd at first but it builds and builds and quickly becomes unbearable. Having watched some of the most graphic and distasteful horror sequences of recent years with ease it’s actually awe inspiring just how much of an impact this sound has.

The greatest thing about the film though is Kevin O’Connor. He’s a director that somehow manages to encapsulate enthusiasm and love of story telling in all of his films, for further evidence all you have to do is watch At the Earth’s Core. There are some fantastic set pieces including the S&M guests and Bruce & Terry's trip to the drive in to name just two. The opening sequence of Motel Hell is gorgeous, it’s actually so dated and trendy that it’s come right back into fashion. It’s somewhere between Columbo and D’Urville Martin and really sets the tone for what’s to come. If there’s any criticism is that the neon sign style credits are too trendy against the rest of the film, which doesn’t emulate it’s opening sequences stylishness. There are also a couple of devices that don’t work and a few holes in the narrative for the attentive but these are minor blemishes.

Of all the comedy horror hybrid films that emerged from the 70’s and 80’s and oh boy was there many, Motel Hell does what none of them can in discovering the perfect balance for horror and howls alike. Like all great horror films there have been plans for a remake of Motel Hell thankfully there has been no word since July 2010 which will leave us appreciating Farmer Vincent’s smoked meats free from the fear of the most horrifying butcher, the Studio Exec.

Briefcase

2012-02-20T22:04:00.000Z

Certificate: Unrated

Running time: 6 mins

Director: Nate Golon

Starring: Nate Golon, Nadine Heimann, Tobias Mehler, John Zderko

Genre: Thriller, Short, Mystery

Country: USA

It’s late. You’re at a petrol/gas station depending on which side of the Atlantic you reside on and you come across an unaccompanied briefcase…what do you do? That’s what is presented to Carter (Golon) and in a shorter period of time than it takes to think through the decision he is plunged into a world of danger, mystery and a pursuit for his life.

Golon’s direction and use of light and of the camera to create a claustrophobic and hostile Los Angeles is great. The framing of the briefcase in the foreground with the approaching police vehicle through the middle distance is a delicately constructed shot but one that any film fan with a degree of historical understanding will know how sophisticated a shot this is. Similarly the chase sequences are tight, contained and most importantly clear. All too often there are moments in high octane sequences of film that are too close, too mingled and unclear. Even excellent directors have had their moments were their action could have been somewhat clearer but Golon’s understanding of the framing of catch and release chases in cinema in strong and allows the audience to simply soak in the tension.

Golon’s performance is also, surprisingly, extremely strong. All too often independent writers can’t direct, directors can’t act and actors can’t do either of the other two but his scenes with Nadine Heimann (Sam) are complicated, emotional and most importantly natural. Likewise Nadine Heimann is excellent, a real find. She’s got a natural screen presence that can’t be learned or acquired, she simply belongs on screen.

The mystery of Briefcase is also beautifully simple. Having re-watched it there’s a real sense of Richard Kelly in the film, a sure-fire compliment regardless how problematic Southland Tales was but more than anything it feels, not narratively but atmospherically, like Alfred Hitchcock presents: The Man from the South. For a short film to be able to capture that level of tension and payoff is marvellous. Briefcase must be the beginning of a bigger picture, it’s tension, atmosphere and is a damn good old fashioned nod to story telling is wonderful. Briefcase can be found below for viewing and well worth it.

Bloodlust!

2012-02-18T16:20:00.000Z

Certificate: 15

Running time: 68 mins

Director: Ralph Brooke

Starring: Wilton Graff, June Kenney, Robert Reed, Troy Patterson

Genre: Horror

Country:

USA

Richard Connell’s short story The Most Dangerous Game is one that seems to have a timeless appeal to film makers with Ernest B. Schoedsack, Robert Wise and even John Woo all referencing it through the course of their directorial careers. Ralph Brooke was clearly taken by the story of the forbidden hunt as it became the subject matter for his first and sadly only feature film as director, his untimely death two years later brought to an end a career that, in Bloodlust!, showcased talent and a love of the theatrical.

Dr. Albert Balleau (Graff) lives on a secluded island with his wife Sandra (Lilyan Chauvin) and has dedicated his time to hunting. Have shot, killed and mounted just about everything on the island Balleau’s tastes have turned towards a more dangerous sport as he hunts humans brought to the island.

Bloodlust! cames in for a lot of criticism from people, they have issue with the fact that the film looks and feels a lot older than it actually should. Having been made in 1961 most film fans will happily admit to being somewhat taken aback by the use of black and white film, the use of chiaroscuro lighting and staging of this piece. They seem to think of it as less sophisticated than other filmic offerings that year, that somehow Brooke was out of date and out of touch. I don’t subscribe to this nonsense. The film is a period piece, much like Steven Soderbergh’s The Good German was a homage to the cinematic stylings of the 1930’s and 1940’s so Bloodlust! is a salute to the Classical Horror during a time when Hollywood was moving away from this model and towards a more fashionable contemporary era and this is where a lot of criticism comes from, the fact that they don’t feel the film is trendy. Nonsense.

Brooke’s influences are clear and present for all and the choice to make the film as though it’s a product of the 1920’s-30’s is inspired as it allows the world of the film to exist within the period in which the short story was published. Modern directors are doing the exact same things today with H.P. Lovecraft stories and are being applauded for it, case in point the H.P. Lovecraft Societies period version of The Whisperer in Darkness. The use of lighting is fantastic as the low camera angles and under lit characters cast exaggerated gothic shadows that are reminiscent of Weimar cinema and those directors that proved to be so influential that their Hollywood careers give birth to not just horror but also film noir. Like classic noir/horror the chiaroscuro lighting in Bloodlust! serves two purposes, the first being to create a psychological landscape within the film that is menacing and piercing and the second (and certainly more pragmatic) is to mask off the budgetary limitations of the film. Bloodlust!’s budget most certainly wouldn’t have sprung for a realistic tropical setting but Brooke’s understanding of how to sculpt a scene with light means that it doesn’t really become an issue.

The use of the camera comes in for some criticism and rightfully so as it always feels placed and is never in any real danger out acting as an investigative character in this story, something which is true of a lot of classical horror but not all. While making Dracula in 1931 the Studio hit upon the realisation that it would be cheaper to hire a Mexican cast and crew to make a Spanish language version of the film rather than dub the Lugosi version. Though the Mexican Dracula lacked any real menace the director’s use of the camera was almost revolutionary and it’s this level of comparison that Bloodlust! should hold itself up to. Unfortunately it doesn’t come close as the cinematography in Brooke’s homage to classical horror is heavy and reluctant to be actively mobile. It does add a certain something to the film though as it gives it a genuine feeling of life before Orson Welles.

Wilton Graff (as Dr. Balleau) puts in a shift and a half, yes he acts with a capital A and it thunderously theatrical but he’s a mad Doctor is there any other kid of mad Doctor other than the thunderously theatrical kind? His performance is one of assurance, confidence and class that comes from having worked with Alfred Hitchcock (on his TV series) and Orson Welles (Compulsion) and is genuinely faultless and in period the entire time. The scene in which he shows the group of stranded friends his trophy room is incredibly haunting, especially when you consider that this is a film that’s 50 years old attempting to look and feel like a film that’s 70-80 years old. The trophy room’s depiction is like a grotesque version of the National History Museum and must have had some sort of impact of Writer/Director Eli Roth as not only does the theme of his Hostel trilogy bare resemblance to Bloodlust! and Connell’s short story but the trophy room looks a lot like that of the trophy room we are shown in the opening moments of Hostel: Part II. Robert Reed (as Johnny) and Walter Brooke (Dean) both give strong performances but are unable to keep the lid on it in the face of Hurricane Graff. The only performance, for my money, able to come close to Graff is that of Troy Patterson who plays Captain Tony. He’s a genuine duplicitous Shakespearian character and is handled with a level of skill in the hands of Patterson that most people overlook.

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 featured Bloodlust! during the sixth season and in doing so brought what must be considered a timeless horror film to an entirely new generation. Some have immediately and impatiently dismissed it as irrelevant and old fashioned but what they haven’t seen is the films ability to bridge a generational gap between the contemporary horror films that were about to explore out of Hollywood, Halloween, Poltergeist and Friday the 13^th to name but a few and the foundations of horror, the Weimar movement in Germany, the Universal Studios output and even offerings from RKO. Bloodlust! isn’t just a good film it’s an important film. Tragically we'll never know what affect Ralph Brooke might have had on the cinematic landscape of horror.

Competition Winner

2012-02-16T00:32:00.000Z

The competition is closed and the winner has been drawn. If you missed out then sorry about that but you can still make a difference by supporting Splash Area right [here]. It'll cost you very little to help make a big difference to Independent film production.

Congratulations to Brian!

John Baxter

Hostel : Part III

2012-02-15T18:07:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 88 mins

Director: Scott Spiegel

Starring: Brian Hallisay, John Hensley, Kip Pardue, Thomas Kretschmann

Genre: Horror

Format: DVD

Country: United States

The revelation that Scott Spiegel was to take the wheel for the third (and presumably final) instalment in the Hostel franchise brought back a lot of resentment, frustration and wariness. In 1999 Spiegel directed the sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s excellent From Dusk Till Dawn and doing so created probably one of the worst films ever made in From Dusk Till Dawn 2 : Texas Blood Money. The most unbelievable and terrible incarnation to celluloid that simply didn’t know how to construct itself as a film…terrible. So it was with much trepidation and pre-packed disappointment that was brought to Hostel: Part III.

Best-man-to-be Carter (Kip Pardue) whisks groom Scott (Hallisay), Justin (Hensley) and Mike (Skyler Stone) off to Las Vegas to partake in the ultimate one night of freedom for his friend in Sin City. Things, obviously, take a turn for the worse with the presence of one of the Elite Hunting Club’s “outlets”.

Before another syllable is scribed it has to be said that yes From Dusk Till Dawn : Texas Blood Money was terrible, yes Spiegel's name has been responsible for a lot of entries into the swear jar for the last decade but within a couple of minutes into Hostel: Part III the film genuinely surprised me. It’s understanding of the codes, conventions and expectations established in the first two chapters of the franchise and playing on this instantly makes you sit and take notice that this could be a sequel worth watching in it’s own right.

Kip Pardue (Carter McMullen) gives a real two speed bike performance, likewise Hallisay (Scott) with the real surprises coming out of John Hensley who was so one tone in Teeth yet as Justin he is extremely well rounded character with real moments of humanity and sympathy. Similarly Skyler Stone is hugely enjoyable, though for different reasons, as he offers up the loud and potty mouthed friend that we all have (or maybe we are them). As a fan of 24 it was a real thrill to see Thomas Kretschmann in another sinister and suited performance but unfortunately most of his scenes fall flat due to it being for the purposes of exposition only, though why the film needs exposition is beyond anyone as we all know what it’s able, we all know how the narrative is going to be given…would it kill them to let him shine?

The thing that divides a lot of the horror audience with regards to where they stand with regards to the Hostel franchise is the torture scenes. Now all things being equal I much prefer the intellectual horror, the torture porn subgenre pierces the surface but when the lights go down there’s nothing to worry about but Hostel (and Part II) is what it is and in it being what it is the margins of critique should be adjusted accordingly. The torture of Hostel: Part III is weak, amateurish and unchallenging it’s almost saddening to watch the deaths of these characters, not because we particularly care about any of them but because it’s sad to see a film that’s lacking in anything that resembles balls. Justin’s death for example should really be one full of emotion and the more brutal the depiction of his demise the most emotional the audience are likely to get due to the fact that it’s unwarranted but in the hands of Spiegel it’s nothing more than frustrating. The Hostel franchise is not an intellectual horror, it doesn’t rely on the weaving of a masterful tale that challenges the audience it’s a franchise of brutalization, violence and destruction for the pleasure and gratification of the viewing audience. The absence of this effectively neuters the film rendering it rather pointless. Another issue with the film is the relocation, outside of the Slovakian location the EHC has been given a face lift, some technological upgrades and has been sanitized to the point of getting a family rating and a queue to enter like Disneyland. The use of Vegas’ biggest earner is an interesting take on the films’ use of the deaths of innocents as sport for those who can afford it though the gambling aspect was handled better in The Tournament and used the motifs almost as a character.

The rest of the film, narrative, camerawork and score are unobjectionable but it’s as flat as my feet. The film is unremarkable but by Spiegel’s standards is down right worthy of a standard ovation but it is a little sad that Roth’s baby was handed over to be gently smothered rather than hacked to bits.

Live-In Fear - Casting Announcement II!

2012-02-14T17:21:00.000Z

Brandon Scullion’s so-cool-it’s-frozen horror feature Live-In Fear announces the casting of one of its pivotal supporting roles!!

Myles Cranford, who has known since he was seven years old that he wanted to be an actor but who has only recently devoted himself full time to his craft, has been cast as Ferry, the axe and shotgun-wielding recluse with a bloody past.

Over the last few years, Cranford has become a familiar face to those immersed in the cult-movie world due mostly to his appearances in epic adventure/adventure-horror productions like Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, Titanic II and Mega Piranha. Cranford also has his share of television credits, which include guest stars on series like Law & Order: LA and Awake. Cranford is, furthermore, a past-master of the delicate art of short film acting – just like short stories are more difficult to craft than novels, so short films can be more of a challenge to craft then features – and his credits in the horror short genre alone include Pearblossom and Demon’s Dilemma.

It was, in fact, on set for the short thriller-cum-horror Sin by Silence – based on the true tale of the murder of Kitty Genovese – that Cranford met Maria Olsen, who is now co-producer of Scullion’s Live-In Fear. Olsen, who is best known for her role as Mrs Dodds/Alecto the Fury in Fox’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and for her bewitching cameo in Paranormal Activity 3, is looking forward to working once again with Cranford, who describes his epic journey to Hollywood in the following terms:

“Myles Cranford, actor and voiceover artist, was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, and currently resides in the Arts District. He has been homeless, but never without a home, lonely, but never alone, a survivor, but never a victim. Acting is his passion, and his career. Acting is not his dream, it is his reality. He can be best described as tremendously talented, extremely skilled, impeccably professional, and very easy to work with. He is single, and enjoys filmmaking, music, and meaningful communication with all things living--first people, then animals, and plant life.”

Those wanting to learn more about Scullion’s Lovecraftian horror Live-In Fear can read more about the project, watch the trailer and even become a part of this ambitious feature film here: http://www.indiegogo.com/liveinfearmovie.

If you have missed the previous casting announcement from Monsterworks66 it's accessible [here].

Hostel: Part II

2012-02-13T21:35:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 93 mins

Director: Eli Roth

Starring: Lauren German, Roger Bart, Richard Burgi, Bijou Phillips

Genre: Horror

Format: DVD

Country: United States

The success of the 2005 Hostel meant that a Part II was as inevitable as a high employment turnover in the cleaning department of the Elite Hunting Club. The trick for writer/director is one that affects all sequels and plagues all horror sequels which is one of reinvention within the spirit and themes expected.

Hostel: Part II picks up a short time after Paxton’s escape from Slovakia and once dispensing with unfinished business refocuses of three American girls backpacking through Europe as they are targeted by the employees of the EHC.

What Roth does well, as writer, is understand the pitfalls of the sequel and in doing so knows that success comes from offering the audience (who have come along with their own expectations) more of the same but from a relatively different angle. The focusing on three female central characters changes the connotations from the first film, it feels a lot more predatory and brutal which is reinforced wonderfully through the characters Stuart (Bart) and Todd (Burgi). The decision to focus some of the narrative on the members of the EHC is a smart one, where previously there were unseen butchers we’re able to connect to them. Rather than serve to humanize them it actually works towards making them more frightening and unnerving. It’s easy to see them as monstrous and inhumane but when you see their interactions with one another, their anticipation and excitement with regards to murder you realize they are not faceless monsters, there are human beings albeit human beings with psycho-sexual issues that have left unresolved to the point of psychosis. It also gives the audience a sense of scope. In Hostel the whole organization had a well organized but small feel to them.

The change of narrative focus in Hostel: Part II shows you the panoramic view of the Elite Hunting Club and their operations in the troubled regions of Eastern Europe. Narratively it offers the sequel a much needed new direction but it also serves up an interesting critique on the American media’s glorification of violence. The conversations between Stuart and Todd are some of the most loaded and tellingly loaded with notions of fantasy and self actualization. The difference between Americas ‘idea’ of violence and their ‘experience’ is most acutely different than when Todd steps foot into his kill room. The glorification of violence by those who have been sheltered from it works extremely well against the backdrop of the troubled Eastern block.

Heather Matazazzo (Lorna) is a surprise piece of casting, the women of Hostel have a particular siren look about them so the casting of Welcome to the Dollhouse’s Dawn Wiener (Wiener Dog) adds a comedic awkwardness that off sets the predatory feel of the film which is, almost exclusively, preying on women. Her delivery is in an entirely different league, she’s so good she’s almost distracting. Bijou Phillips (Whitney) performs adequately but her role is similar to that of Oli in the first film in that it’s under written and serves the narrative as driver of the plot and proprietor of exposition and her end is as equally as bloody. Lauren German makes a wonderful leading lady, she oozes the sexuality of the predatory EHC women and is equal match for Vera Jordanova (Axelle) and like the greatest women in Exploitation cinema carries the physical side of the role with all the pose and believability of a Judith Brown, Pam Grier or Marlene Clark.

Horror films have been solid exporters of the tough female lead, German’s Beth is one that has all the traits of a horror leading lady plus a level of emotional control that’s usually attributed to male characters, which Stuart discovers to his cost. Roger Bart (as Stuart) is strong, his transformation from timid and uncertain to blood thirsty is an interesting one and his scenes alongside German (leading up to the day he’s been waiting for) are loaded and tense. Hands down man of the match is Richard Burgi. His physical stature and roles in 24 and Cellular reinforce an expectation from him based on his size but Roth plays on and against well and he’s rarely been as good.

The violence, as expected, is heavy, lingering and bloody but has something else to it as well. There are traces of gratification that, obviously, weren’t present in Hostel but can’t be gotten away from here. Matarazzo’s death sequence, for instance, has her suspended upside down over a naked woman and ultimately a bloodbath. The imagery here can’t help but carry a level of the ‘sexual’, Roth’s decision to have a woman committing the crime is an interesting one as it show’s the EHC as asexual (which it hasn’t been before) but it also lessens the death. Whether it works will ultimately be decided on where you stand on the debate regarding the gender of physical violence. Whitney’s kill room is highly sexualized yet her killer, who has been shown to have no interest in sex earlier in the film, is unable to perform as she is heavily sexualized in pink underwear and stockings.

The cinematography has a strong gothic feel to it and the inside of the EHC borrows heavily from Weimar cinema (though it has been toned down to be accessible). The use of muted tones gives the film a real bleakness and contrasts rather well with the claret that’s spilt in the name of money, fantasy and escapism.

Hostel: Part II feels less like the films that inspired their inception, it benefits from a wider look at the whole in which the Elite Hunting Club inhabits and is in many ways a superior film to the first.

Hostel

2012-02-12T17:12:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 94 mins

Director: Eli Roth

Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Rick Hoffman

Genre: Horror

Format: DVD

Country: United States

Eli Roth’s homage to the Exploitation subgenre of ‘Torture Porn’ offers up his take on a genre made famous by Hideshi Hino’s Flower of Flesh and Blood and laid the ground work for a resurgence that would include Koji Shiraishi’s Grotesque against the backdrop of a troubled Eastern European country. Three backpacking friends find themselves tempted by beautiful women and the promise of sexual fantasies to

Slovakia

where they’re about to check into the most costly hostel in the world.

In true torture porn fashion Roth has developed a simple and rather terrifying premise but like Cabin Fever before it he hasn’t been given enough credit for the underlying complexity he has sown throughout the screenplay. On the surface this is the tale of horny students, exotic women and brutally disturbing acts of violence for violence sake. However what Roth taps into is something primal. One of Maslow’s basic human needs is that of safety. Safety in one’s own home, this is why the ‘House Invasion’ genre is so terrifying. As a race we must entrust this basic need into the hands of others when we reside in hotels (and in this case hostels) and it’s also why we truly can not fully relax until we have assured ourselves that the place we are staying is safe. We check adjoining doors, we make sure balconies are locked, that are valuables are safe and that our key card has properly looked the door to the room. The true terror of the Hostel screenplay isn’t the acts being portrayed on screen, even though they are horrific, but the fact that a place like this can exist and you can voluntarily place yourself in harms way without knowing it until it’s too late. You take this instinctive human fear and add together the general uneasiness that most American’s seem to feel about travelling abroad (latest statistics have the number of passport holders at 37%) coupled with the fact that Slovakia is a country of unknowns, after all it spent most of the twentieth century behind the iron curtain, and you have the most fear inducing stimulus that mankind has dealt with. The fear of the unknown. On top of that you have a carefully crafted mystery, not so much a ‘who done it’ but more of a ‘what’s going on’…providing you haven’t over-watched the trailers, read the synopsis or have indulged with other forms of media.

For a relatively unknown director in 2005 it was a brave, and right, choice to cast of equally unknown performers (with the exception of Takeshi Miike who’s a welcome cameo). Actors, especially Hollywood actors, come with baggage and that brings a level of expectations and often gives the audience an ‘out’ with regards to who lives or dies. With a cast of unknown actors you don’t have that luxury and it’s this lack of safe areas for the audiences imaginations to hide is what Roth skillfully plays with as he picks the characters off one at a time. Derek Richardson and Eythor Gudjonsson (Josh and Oli respectively) are both likable and broadly drawn enough that anyone who’s spent time backpacking or hostel hopping will be able to relate to the characters. This is another wonderful little touch from Roth, at first glance it looks like the construction of generic characters yet what it actually does is allow the audience to relate and in turn place themselves in the familiar hostel surroundings with the familiar backpacking friends. The ladies of the film are somewhere between pornographic ideals of the youth and the femme fatale of the traditional mystery/noir. I was a little unsure about Jay Hernandez (Paxton), as for the first thirty minutes of the film he seemed a little wooded and out of his depth but it’s after the escape attempt that he really comes into his own, firstly with the termination of his torturer, then his interaction with Rick Hoffman (who serves up a remarkably overchatty and annoying guest spot) before attending to Yuki’s eye. At the time this scene was said to be tough for many to watch but given some of the cinematic offerings of late (Grotesque¸ The Human Centipede [First] & [Full Sequence], A Serbian Film plus Slaughtered Vomit Dolls) it’s relatively timid…ish and goes to show Roth’s dark leanings when it comes to humour.

Roth’s direction is tight, the shot framings in the hostel, in business rooms of the Elite Hunting Club and on the streets of Slovakia show the audience enough to keep the mystery alive and the maze sequence as Josh and Paxton follow someone they think is Oli is an example of how to construct a slow moving chase all the while keeping the tension and suspense levels high. The death sequences are showy, bloody, grueling yet at the same time never really push it into the realm of glorification and therefore manage to keep the suspense levels high.

Mandinga

2012-02-08T19:22:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 86 mins

Director: Mario Pinzauti

Starring: Antonio Gismondo, Serafino Profumo, Maria Rosaria Riuzzi

Genre: Drama/Hixploitation

Country: Italy/USA

It’s the old South, old values, plantations and slaves and in the hands of Mario Pinzauti a world away from the respectable realm of James Mason…this is Mandinga and it “goes beyond Mandingo…the lust of slave owners for Black flesh!!”

There’s little room for misinterpretation here, Pinzauti was never renowned for subtly, he is however renowned for everything else and in his interpretation of the Old Southern Plantation owner lusting after his female slaves that’s exactly what he offers up. Pinzauti would make (the following year) Black Emanuelle, White Emanuelle which should give you a significant heads up the ground he intends to thread on. As everything and anything goes in the Italians idea of Louisiana. There are a few positive facets about Mandinga but to get to them it’s necessary to weigh through the problems with the film…as you would imagine with a low budget Exploitation film directed by Pinzauti there are many of these.

The first is the script, it’s no secret/surprise that Mandinga is essentially the Exploitation equivalent of Mandingo but the script lacks any resemblance of story telling. It sets up a basic premise, that of abusive land owner and sexual slavery, but rather than use it to progress an ambitious narrative it uses it as a device to get from one sex scene to another as seemingly all cast members take it in turns to make the beast with two backs with all the other cast members including at one point, on screen brother and sister. What makes this scene even more disturbing is the romanticism that the sequence is shot with. It’s a refreshing change to not see a glamourised assault when dealing with incest but the erotic fusion that Pinzauti attempts to inject into the scene leaves you in no doubt what his intentions are. Mandinga is going to strive to arose genitalia rather than discussion.

Antonio Gismondo and Serafino Profumo give interesting performances as estranged father and son (Clarence and Richard Hunter). While the senior (Profumo) plays the role of lustful lord of the manor and legacy builder with sufficient mania that even the most ludicrous scenes penned by Tecla Romanelli are believable the younger is confused and conflicted. Pulled between what he sees as his eroding birth right (due to the increasing amount of bastard heirs being produced), the love for his sister and if that’s not enough the fact that, seemingly, he and his father are in direct competition for the affections of the same slave. The rest of the cast have so broadly drawn characters that they are barely worth discussing, with the exception of Jacqueline Luce and Maria Rosaria Riuzzi (Mary) who seems to have accidentally transformed her role and therefore the parts of the film involving her into something that borders erotic Shakespeare which is odd, interesting and extremely alluring.

The films use of torture is extremely problematic. Exploitation cinema has a long standing relationship with torture sequences all you have to do is to look at the early American features in the Philippines to see this. The problem (with Mandinga) lies in the fact that these scenes are given a connotation of sexual gratification through the cinematography but the fact that they go without retribution. The torture of the female inmates in The Big Doll House, The Big Bird Cage and The Hot Box are palatable because of the course of events that exist after the torture scenes in which the victims turn the tables on their torturers. This reversal does not exist in Mandinga and again, like the incest scene, the human body is treated by Pinzauti as a vessel for his pleasure. It all just smacks of sleaze and leaves you feeling dirty…very dirty. This is not, in my opinion, a true Exploitation film. I’ve stated before what I feel makes an Exploitation film and in turn what makes Exploitation cinema (in general) great and Mandinga doesn’t attempt any of this. It’s closer in ethos to Pleasures of a Woman and the general erotica subgenre, though it does have more going for it narratively than some of these titles.

It’s a real shame as Mandinga had the opportunity to look at issues like abuse, the landscape of rape in family histories, violence and how that could (pseudo genetically) be passed on through the generations and what this means for the population of the locations inhabitants, America and the human race in general. Unfortunately each time one of these ideas seemed to bubble to the surface of the film it was as an opportunity to introduce another sexual encounter.

The positives are coming…the film has a visual look to it that is beautiful and romantic and showcases the softness of memory, as it can be viewed as romantic recollection by someone down the lineage. The score is also wonderful, it’s indicative of everything that was cool about being an Exploitation film maker in this era. Simplistic, iconic and most important audibly pleasing the soundtrack is a true joy.

Mandinga is worth watching as it’s the perfect example of a missed opportunity in film making, it’s why I always return to it as I find it beautifully frustrating. Some of the shots in the film are beautiful, soft focus, hazy and dreamlike yet narratively and morally it’s lacking in the same softness and plays on the baser instincts of its audience. The film it could have been is so close but yet regardless of the amount of times you watch it is never going to be obtained. There's just too much going for the film in the wrong direction to really deserve a higher score. It’s unfortunately for Exploitation cinema, in general, that it seems to roll around in some of the shadier aspects of the genre though never with the same level of intent to offend as some of it’s peers.

Being Elmo : A Puppeteer's Journey

2012-02-06T21:14:00.000Z

Certificate: TBC

Running time: 80 mins

Director: Constance Marks, Philip Shane

Starring: Kevin Clash, Frank Oz, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Henson

Genre: Documentary

Country:

USA

With the entire world awaiting the cinematic return of The Muppets it was the perfect opportunity to stop and take a look at a warm hearted success story that typifies the American dream. Being Elmo : A Puppeteer’s Journey is the story of Kevin Clash (The Muppets Executive Producer, Director and talent behind Elmo) and how it all came about that he, a working class kid from Baltimore, would capture the hearts of millions of children worldwide.

There’s a lot going on in Being Elmo and it’s easy to overlook most of it. The film has Whoopi Goldberg narrating after all and some beautifully nostalgic home footage from Kevin’s teenage years and his early encounters with mentor/friend Kermit Love and behind the scenes footage from such lovable shows as Captain Kangaroo and

Sesame Street. Probably the most amazing thing about the origins story of Clash is how remarkably supportive his parents were. Using the standard documentary device of talking heads, still photography and archive footage the Clash family recall the occasion when a young Kevin cut up his mother’s fur coat to make a monkey puppet. In any other family the documentary’s good feeling would probably end there and the resulting destruction with severe discipline but in the Clash household, a household that financially could not afford to replace the item, it’s little more than a blip on the radar with his father stating “next time just ask”. The significance of this reaction and the endless support both parents show Kevin will not become apparent to the world for years to come.

The scenes, presumably recorded for Channel 2 Baltimore, in which Kevin first meets Kermit Love have a sweetness to them that’s enhanced years later when Kevin takes on the mantel of Kermit and workshops with a young puppeteer. There’s something in a world that’s filled with so many wars, famines and failings of the human condition that reassures you there’s a chance it could all be alright when you see someone who’s at the top of their profession taking time out to help fan the flame of the aspiring next generation. Similarly the interview footage of Jim Henson and Kevin Clash draw some remarkable, and unintentional parallels that will leave fans of The Muppets filled with euphoria that their beloved institution is in safe hands post Henson.

One criticism of Being Elmo : A Puppeteer’s Journey is the lack of signage. The film has is in the fortunate position that it has an abundance of stock footage to rely on rather than just talking heads but you never really have a sense of what year you are in and as there’s no on screen indication it can be a little distracting.

Where Being Elmo really comes into it’s own is when Kevin reaches Sesame Street and is given a puppet another performer simply can’t establish a connection with. Kevin’s puppet making ability, up to this point, is well documented and some of his creations are hugely entertaining so it’s actually rather poetic that the one puppet he will have a true bond with comes from another creator. It’s actually more of a love connection than anything as Kevin connects with this difficult puppet and in searching for it’s identity hits on something that’s helped him achieve his goals. Kevin’s presence on Sesame Street is down to the love and support of his parents, the unconditional bond between family and it’s this that he channels into Elmo. The rest of the film sees how Kevin’s rise through the organisation runs parallel with that of Elmo (not just through the puppet cast of the show but also in the affections of the world’s youth). With the most poignant moments showing Elmo comforting a dying child on the set of Sesame Street while he (Kevin) misses another hallmark occasion with his own daughter.

It’s Elmo’s emotional connection with the worldwide audience and Kevin’s insistence on being the only operator of Elmo that leads to his divorce, the tragedy only goes to add another level to his story and to the remarkable bond he has with the little guy.

Being Elmo : A Puppeteer’s Journey is an extremely emotional story of how one man’s dream can have a positive and lasting effect on the world. It’s not the most important story, it’s not the biggest story and the structure of the documentary is no different from any other you’ll watch but what it has is beauty. At the films core is how love can make things better and who can criticise that? A must for all fans of all things Henson and if you get the chance the perfect film to watch alongside The Muppets.

Live-In Fear - Casting Announcement!

2012-02-04T13:21:00.000Z

Brandon Scullion’s so-cool-it’s-frozen horror feature Live-In Fear announces the casting of one of its four leading roles!!

David Lautman, who is equally at home on stage and screen in Los Angeles, has booked the coveted role of Seth in Live-In Fear. Seth is an intense and disturbed young man who is party to an extremely suspect relationship with his mother, Sue, played by the film’s co-producer Maria Olsen. Olsen is most well known for her roles in Chris Columbus’ epic YA fantasy Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity 3 and has also turned up in the top 25 of an IMDB list of the most prolific USA horror actresses/scream queens.

This isn’t Lautman’s first time working with either Olsen or Scullion, and the three also teamed up at the start of 2011 to shoot Scullion’s short horror, The Black Guitar. Lautman is also no stranger to television and has worked on such popular shows as 90210 and CSI: Crime Scene Investigaton, and he has this to say about his adventures in Hollywoodland:

“Lautman’s most recent credits include: Gideon in “Chaya’s Violin”, Marlon Brando’s Waiter in “Brando Unauthorized” and Franklin in Brandon Scullion’s “The Black Guitar”. He can also be seen in some commercial spots for: Samsung, WebiTap, Brami’s Pizza, Paraiso Kebab and others. He has also been involved in Theatre and is presently reprising his role in the 3rd run of "Pulp Shakespeare" - directed by Jordan Monsell - at Theatre Asylum (Hollywood). If you’re in Los Angeles, why not catch a performance before the production moves out of town! www.pulpshakespeare.com”

Those interested in finding out more about Live-In Fear can both watch the trailer and find out how they can become involved in the project here: http://www.indiegogo.com/liveinfearmovie

Live-In Fear is being co-produced by Scullion’s company, Iodine Sky Productions, and Olsen’s production liaison company, MOnsterworks66, and should premiere in late 2012 or early 2013.

Movie Bar - On Demand

2012-02-02T17:16:00.000Z

It's Extreme Makeover but better as the Movie Bar O.D goes all surgical on numerous asses. First up on the SURGERY! double bill is Joseph Green's mad doctor movie that most certainly inspired the wonderful Frank Henenlotter. It's non other than...

The Brain That Wouldn't Die

A doctor experimenting with transplant techniques keeps his girlfriend's head alive when she is decapitated in a car crash, then goes hunting for a new body.

If the prospect of crazy head surgery isn't enough to satisfy the hunger that E.R has left behind then the second film will most certainly put you over the edge. Director Gerardo de Leon was the Godfather of Filipino exploitation cinema and influenced directors like Eddie Romero and Eddie Nicart. In 1959 the film was released in the U.S under the title The Mad Doctor of Blood Island and carried the gimmick of having cinema goers drink a green concoction to prevent the "fear" from killing them. It worked, the fear didn't but whatever the green substance was nearly did. The film is non other than the amazing...

Terror is a Man

A mad scientist transforms a panther into a man-like creature that escapes and goes on a murderous rampage.

Click [here] to watch these two great movies for FREE and don't forget to follow the instructions at the bottom of the page for the best results.

Want more FREE films? Why not enter the Yellow Fever DVD giveaway!

Little Laura and Big John

2012-02-01T19:05:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 95 mins

Director: Luke Moberly

Starring: Fabian Forte, Karen Black, Paul Gleason, Ivy Thayer

Genre: Drama/Crime

Format: DVD

Country: United States

A change of pace in the weekly Hixploitation deliverance as we leave the swamps of Louisiana behind and travel to Florida for a reworking on the story of Clyde Chestnut Barrow and Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and the only film directed by Luke Moberly.

Fabian Forte plays John to Karen Black’s Laura as lifelong friends, lovers and partners in crime as they strive to make a life for themselves by any means possible, much to the annoyance of the town Sheriff (Gleason). The films narrative follows a rather loose history of Bonnie and Clyde, hitting the essential bases where necessary and taking creative license in the action and sexual set pieces, two of the Exploitation five-a-day.

The use of Laura’s mother (Ivy Thayer) as a narrative device telling the story to the audience and therefore breaking the fourth wall (not the fourth wall!) is extremely awkward. Her delivery is clumpy and forced and the “duties” that Moberly has given her to perform to make the scenes feel natural (hanging laundry, making dinner etc) actually serves to highlight just how artificial and wrong the whole device. It’s distracting…very distracting. The rest of the film is made up of the conventional shots and structure and is competently put together and in several scenes is actually so simple in their construction that they actually border on genius. One such scene after John escapes from Raiford prison and leads the guards and hounds on cat and mouse chase through the forest landscape plays perfectly on the films low budget.

The rest of the film is situated in close quarters or on clearly staged swamp and brush land that doesn’t help to lend the film a constructed reality as you’re all too often award of the artificiality of the film.

Fabian Forte (as John) is an ok piece of casting, he’s physically strong and classically handsome in the Warren Beatty mold of actor but he is, on occasion, rather wooden though there are moments of wonder that he does manage to create that will fascinate the audience. Black’s look is certainly striking, her characterization and gesturality are both exceptionally strong yet there’s something ever so slightly crazy about her. There’s something that lives inside the eyes which initially is unsettling but the further the story progresses the more it actually adds to the film and by the end of the film, when Laura is sitting on the floor of their motel room, is somewhere between heartbreaking and unnerving. The weakest link in the performance stakes is surprisingly Paul Gleason (as the Sheriff). He would grow to become The Breakfast Club’s ass hole Head Master but in Little Laura and Big John he’s awkward, clumsy and generally a distraction.

The soundtrack to the film is a mixed bag of excellence. Whether it’s the iconic sound of Hixploitation (5 string banjo) or something that feels a little more urban and soulful it all works to craft a feeling of the era in which the film was made and is a genuine delight to listen to. Even the two songs they have about Raiford and Jacksonville while the gang are in Raiford and Jacksonville feel like supercool travel videos. What’s not to like there? The visual motifs, with the exception of the use of Laura’s mother, are also great. The sepia and black screens that showcase the newspaper headlines, the hunt for John & Laura and the bounty for their heads… “Dead or Alive!”

There are many problems with Little Laura and Big John yet no matter how much you’ll want to criticize it you’ll find it difficult, like bullying a small child. The bottom line is that the film has a lot of heart which almost makes up for what it doesn’t have.

Catch Yellow Fever! A DVD Giveaway

2012-02-01T00:00:00.001Z

George Clarke is the Belfast based film maker who has shown that it's entirely possible to not only make your film but to get it out there. George is the writer, director, actor and the founder of Yellow Fever Productions, Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival and the Yellow Fever distribution label that's released not just his films but films from like minded film makers from across the world.

In the summer of 2011 the London riots devastated Yellow Fever Productions as their warehouse was destroyed in a fire. Undeterred George and co have pushed on and are in the midst of financing their fifth project Splash Area.

SPLASH AREA

A night filled with fancy dress costumes, candy, screams and blood.

And then there’s the ‘trick-or-treaters’…

With five killer clowns on the loose in the leafy suburbs of East Belfast, a trio of friends step up to take revenge for the killings of their neighbours and friend in a David and Goliath style battle of wits, shits, guts and giggles.

After following the lunatic comedy killers back to an old hospital, Mike, Alex and Tony are guided by curiosity to find out more. Once inside, they realise their decision was wrong and try to escape while trying to survive.

Messy, funny, sick and gore filled, Splash Area is every clown haters worst nightmare…

Splash Area's finance campaign is on Indiegogo and can be supported by clicking [here]. To celebrate the project going back into production, as it was put on hold on in favour of The Knackery, we have a massive giveaway courtesy of George Clarke.

WIN A COPY OF THE YELLOW FEVER BACK CATALOGUE!

Battle of the Bone

When two opposing sides face-off in one of Belfast's worst ever riots, fate casts a nasty spell as an army of drug-crazed zombies descend on the capital forcing the enemies to join as one, and stop this new threat from taking over the city! Caught in the middle, are three friends trying to escape to the East, only to find themselves surrounded by bigoted thugs, burning bridges and high testosterone!

The Knackery

Set in the very near future, The Knackery is the latest hard hitting feature film from Belfast's leading independent production house, Yellow Fever Productions (makers of the award winning Battle Of The Bone). All is not as it seems on the country's most watched family game-show... Reality television has taken things to the extreme and given the public, The Knackery, a show where six contestants fight for the grand prize of 'one million pounds'. To liven things up, the producers of the show release a horde of genetically modified zombies which puts a little bit more pressure on the fighters, in this Big Brother style beat-em-up.

Shadowland

A taut reinvention of vampire lore in modern day North America, where construction workers uncover an old stone cross and what appears to be a wooden stake. They remove the stake from the ground, allowing Laura (Caitlin McIntosh), a slumbering vampire, to revive and rise from the earth. Beaten and weak, Laura is unable to speak, remember who she is, or even the fact that she is a vampire!

Experiment 7

Dr. Felix Copper is a doctor of Biological Sciences and is on a quest to find a solution to purifying radiation from water in the year 2022, ten years after the fall of humankind. He has to travel to the far outreaches of every city known, trying to make his way to the coveted underground lab, if the Mutants don't get him first.

and if that's not enough we'll even throw in a copy of the hugely entertaining Boredom for all the comic fans out there!

Here's the T&C's for the competition:

The competition will run from February 1st 2012 to midnight on February 15th 2012. To enter the giveaway you must follow the blog and then leave a comment, the comment will count for one entry. There is no maximum amount of comments you can leave, so go nuts!

Don't forget to leave an email address so you can claim your spoils should you win. Competition winner will be picked at random using random.com.

The Ladies who are more nitty-gritty than Sex and the City

2012-01-30T17:56:00.000Z

Like all good guests it's important to know when to turn up, how much to talk and when to leave. I guested on Inanity and the Girl on the topic of exploitation cinema and how Hollywood sees Women.

It's called The ladies who are more nitty-gritty than Sex and the City

If you’re reading this blog, over the age of thirteen years of age and a female then in the eyes of Hollywood executives you are considered a niche market. It’s actually amazing that in a city which is all about beauty and fashion and all things cosmetic (…all things) the primary export doesn’t even consider you to be within their marketing crosshairs. That’s why if you’re a bloke there’s any number of genres out there which are marketed towards you…even when you’re neck high to a grass hopper and not even old enough to purchase your own ticket. If you’re a woman and of birthing age then you’re on your own…I mean sure every once and a while they’ll placate you by offering up a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson…honestly it doesn’t even matter who it stars it’s the same movie they’ve just changed the names (like the F.B.I files). [Click here to read the full post]

Desperate Living

2012-01-28T16:49:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 90 mins

Director: John Waters

Starring: Liz Renay, Mink Stole, Susan Lowe, Edith Massey

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy

Country:

USA

Whether you love him or hate him, the review of Pink Flamingos should indicate my leanings, John Waters has to be credited with making films like nobody else. Case in point Desperate Living.

When housewife Peggy Gravel (Stole) enlists her maid Grizelda Brown (Jean Hill) to help murder her husband the two flee Baltimore, and in an effort to escape the law, take refuse in Mortville; a totalitarian Queendom built in the city dump for hobos and ruled over by Queen Carlotta (Massey).

John Waters’ screenplays always come with a degree of fantasy in them. Whether it’s the catwalk model Divine of Female Trouble, the psychotic Stepford of Kathleen Turner in Serial Mom or Cavalcade of Perversions of Multiple Maniacs he always laces the mundane and trashy of impoverished Baltimore with something either vaudevillian or grotesque. Narratively you will not find a better example of this mixture of soiled reality with downbeat fantasy than Desperate Living. It has on one level the simplistic shapings of a crime gone wrong drama, a fish out of water tale and a demented Disney fairytale yet layer one a top of the other they’re a lot more complex, entertaining and filthy. The lesbian tryst between Stole and Hill that leads to her husband’s murder is scripted with Waters’ trademark ear for dialogue. If you can imagine a Raymond Chandler novel that been punctuated with segments of an interview with a Tourettes sufferer on LSD and you’ll understand the beauty that is the spoken word according to Waters. Similarly the creation of a fantasy land within the city dump is a work of genius. Not only does it lend itself to Waters’ lending towards dirty narratives but it also speaks of the mental health issues a lot of the impoverished have and how they have been overlooked by the American Government. The story of the film is one of two parts, each of them rather simplistic. Firstly, a love triangle that leads to the death of a spouse and little choice but to go evade justice. There has been countless versions of this narrative but none (at this point) that involved two women and it would stay that way until Thelma and Louise some 14 years later. The second is the wicked Queen narrative, this is something that Disney have made billions on. An injust ruler of a foreign land who’s power is threatened internally (usually by a blood relative) and is ultimately toppled when external bodies lead to an internal uprising. This too is well covered ground cinematically but never has the foreign land been that of a dump and the castle been made of cardboard boxes and newspaper. You can’t help but think that Terry Gilliam was taking notes at this point as it works remarkably well and against all expectations. Fans of Waters might be forgiven for not recognising their hero so far but fear not there’s a sufficient amount of trademark Waters to insure you leave either entertained or disgusted depending on your references with special mention to the panty thief Police Officer and Mole McHenry’s (Susan Lowe) added appendage which we’ll cover later.

Culturally we have come to be a generation of sanitizers. We no longer find rolls of undeveloped film pondering what’s on them only to develop and discover a night out amongst the test shots that we had forgotten. Each image is carefully framed shot, reviewed and if not liked either touched up with editing software or deleted leaving us with a safe rendering of our existence. The same can be said of independent cinema. Though it’s a great thing that anyone with the desire can make a film that will have the production value of a respectably funded Richard Linklater production there’s something to be said for warts and all. Visually Desperate Living has the warts and all in abundance as it’s apparent that Waters is implementing every ‘hand me down’ technique for cutting together a film with limited resources. A finer example is his earlier piece Multiple Maniacs but Desperate Living like all the works before it has the look and the feel of a far from perfect but beautifully and passionately cared for piece of cinema and you can’t help but love the amount of actual work (not Final Cut pro) that went into rendering this film ready for screening. The evolution of the camerawork of John Waters is apparent here as there’s significantly more movement than in Mondo Trasho or Hag in a Black Leather Jacket yet his framing and shot duration isn’t as precise as that of Pecker or A Dirty Shame, that could be largely due to budgetary restrictions as much as experience though. The same can be said for the sound editing (with lessening degrees of success) as the film will jump from relative silence to the middle of a track that was, no doubt, one of the favourites of Waters and his crew at the time. The change in levels does prove distracting in parts and isn’t helped but you being able to hear the moment when audio overlap was stopped as the jolt takes you out of the film momentarily. Waters was always more masterful with visual than audio and long time followers of the director will be used to it.

Mink Stole (Peggy Gravel) feels somewhat miscast. In Pink Flamingos she was brilliant and a large proportion of that brilliance comes from the fact that she’s ever so slightly deranged. In Desperate Living she has to play it relatively straight (as straight as they come in John Waters films) for maximum effect in the crazy land of Mortville. You can’t help but think that she may have gotten on better if she and Mary Vivian Pierce (Princess Coo-Coo) had switched roles. Pierce with the angelic face capable of mischief and Stole playing a slightly psychotic Princess to a completely psychotic Queen might have added something to the film. As it is Stole has some scenes in which she is absolutely brilliant. The murder scene and subsequent stopping by the panty thief Cop are both brilliant and her partnership with Jean Hill is little more than a female Laurel and Hardy but with gratuitous nudity and outlandish dialogue. Mary Vivian Pierce plays the damsel Princess extremely well but she is outshone in so many of her scenes by Edith Massey (Queen Carlotta) who is absolutely brilliant. Edith is always brilliant, her broken clock timing is something that can only exist in a realm of its own. “I sentence you to be gang raped and infected with rabies” is a line of dialogue that’s pretty loaded yet in the hands of Massey it gets a remarkable belly laugh every time. Liz Renay as Muffy St. Jacques is a real addition to a cast that is missing Divine. She has a genuine screen presence that’s difficult to upstage, it would be interesting to see how she would have faired on screen against Divine or even Mr. David. Her screen chemistry with Susan Lowe (Mole) is filled with tension and flirtatiousness and it’s this, along with Waters’ lingering camerawork, that brings one of the most grotesque yet hilarious scenes in the JW arsenal as Lowe, who’s character has had a penis grafted on to her so she can keep Muffy satisfied, removes her manhood with several rough hacks and a couple of tugs. Lowe, along with Massey, stands out in Desperate Living as the star of the piece as her character, though underdeveloped (as always), is clearly psychologically unstable and constantly rocking on the edge of a jealous rage as she struggles to keep a woman who’s interest lies elsewhere. It’s a tragic character for so many reasons, even more so that we not only like them but find humour in the tragedy.

The best character of the film, which largely goes without praise, is set design itself. In a film made by a different director or with a bigger budget you might not see the imperfections, the fragility of the castle, the fact that houses are made from toilet and newspaper in equal measure and you would losing a wealth of connotations. The shortcomings of the set act as a way of underlining the mental shortcomings and fragilities of all those who inhabit it and delivers as much or as little as you wish to read into it. It’s beautiful charming yet sadly depressing and strikes the right chord in this sanitized world.

Gator Bait II : Cajun Justice

2012-01-25T19:17:00.001Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 95 mins

Director: Beverly Sebastian, Ferd Sebastian

Starring: Tray Loren, Jan MacKenzie, Brad Kepnick, Paul Muzzcat

Genre: Action, Thriller, Hixploitation

Format: DVD

Country: USA

The death of Claudia Jennings (Desiree in Gator Bait) in a car accident in October of 1979 shocked much of the cinematic world and no more than friends Beverly and Ferd Sebastian who directed her on a couple of occasions. Therefore it was a bit of a surprise to see a sequel to the “Cajun Swamp Rat” nine years after her death.

It’s been fourteen years since we last saw Big T (Desiree’s little brother) and he’s all grown up and recast with Tray Loren taking over from Tracy Sebastian. Having met and fallen for big city girl Angelique (MacKenzie) we join them at their wedding and subsequent reception which is crashed by the Bracken boys. Slipping off by boat Big T and Angelique head back to their new home in the swamp only for the brothers to decide today is the day to get some revenge and a little something else from the big city girl.

It was a brave choice for the Sebastians to go back to swamp having lost their star but their decision to refocus rather than recast is a sign of their love for Claudia and an understanding of the pitfalls of sequels and rehashing old ground (once again I point a hate filled finger at The Hangover Part II).

The story is again one of revenge, having left Leroy to die in the swamp (at the end of Gator Bait) it’s apparent that the feud between the two Louisiana families has gone unresolved for years and with the departure of their figureheads (Desiree and T.J are both mentioned as dead) it has let the dogs off their respective leashes. The almost Shakespearian undertones of the narrative works against the film in parts, there’s no real characterisation, it’s been fourteen years since we have seen Leroy and Big T yet they seem to have not changed a bit and the relationship between Big T and Angelique isn’t always that believable. The look of the film is significantly different to that of Gator Bait. Where almost none of the first film took place indoors there are several scenes in Cajun Justice that take place in houses and shacks and it is these scenes that lessen the visual strength of the film. Where originally the Sebastians were able to take advantage of the natural beauty of Louisiana to craft a visually rich piece of Exploitation cinema the interior scenes not only age the film but showcase the financial shortcomings of the film. There are two scenes which when put side by side showcase this perfectly. The first in after Angelique has taken her bath and is confronted by Leroy and his friends in her new home the threat of sexual assault should create tension and fear in the audience. After all we can all relate to the idea of home invasion and assault, the scene however falls flat and is surprisingly lifeless, but for Joe Boy (Jerry Armstrong) the mentally disabled brother of Leroy and probable child of incest who’s demand for sex is unnerving. Compare this with the scene later in the film in the ruins and the atmosphere is completely different and handled with pure taste and intelligence by the directors.

Jan MacKenzie is a revelation, her transformation from 'fish out of water' 'big city girl' to animalistic survivor is fluid and handled superbly. Her stillness and silence during her assaults bring a real emotional connection to the surface between the film and the audience and is genuinely touching. Likewise the vigour and joy in her performance during the motorboat chase (which is tense and marvellously constructed) might seem odd but contains a great pay off for her character and the cheering audience. Paul Muzzcat (as Leroy) is an excellent addition to the cast, having taken over the role from Douglas Dirkson he’s been smart enough to build on the character created and has taken several leads from Dirkson. His role is no great stretch but he performances it well. Jerry Armstrong provides the true menace though, as younger brother and mentally lacking in reason he takes his lead from older brother Leroy and the normalcy in which he goes about committing some truly terrible acts is frightening. The film lacks a level of authority, the first film had it with Sherriff Joe Bob and T.J and were relying on Tray Loren (Big T) to bring that stabilising force to the proceding but Loren is out of his depth and not the screen presence the film requires.

As a stand alone film it fails as much as it succeeds, though the stripped back use of banjo to denote menace is a lovely device. The true strength of the film is that it’s extremely sensitive to the loss of Claudia and rounds out the realm of the “Cajun Swamp Rat” quite well. It’s worth pondering what it would have been had Claudia not died at the age of 29 or if it would have happened at all. Nevertheless there are several key set pieces that are genuinely enjoyable and well crafted revenge thriller that introduced the excellent Jan MacKenzie who amazingly only ever worked again the following year (again with the Sebastians) which is the greatest surprise of them all.

Basket Case

2012-01-24T18:00:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 91 mins

Director: Frank Henenlotter

Starring: Kevin Van Hentenryck, Terri Susan Smith, Diana Browne

Genre: Horror/Comedy/Exploitation

Country:

USA

Call him a horror director at your peril, Frank Henenlotter prefers to see his cinematic offerings as Exploitation films in the vein of The Mad Doctor of Blood Island or The Twilight People. His 1982 Siamese slasher (made for $35,000) Basket Case is a prime example of the man’s ethos.

Duane Bradley (Van Hentenryck) arrives in New York with a laundry basket under his arm and an agenda. When he was a child he underwent surgery to remove his Siamese twin who was subsequently left for dead. Now in his twenties Duane and his physically stunted super strong mass of flesh of bone brother are on a mission of revenge against the doctors responsible for their separation.

Most people have certain expectations of acting quality for low budget movies let alone low budget horror movies from the 1980’s but the truth of the matter is that there is a lot of quality in the performances here, a lot more than most multi million dollar movies. Anyone who’s tried to sit through any of the Transformers films will know what I’m saying. Kevin Van Hentenryck has moments were he looks a little startled and wooden but for the most part his rabbit meets headlights expressions work perfectly as he plays the role of Duane somewhere between sociopathic frat boy and abused spouse. His interactions with his ‘little bro’ are always enjoyable and at times hilarious. His first encounter with Terri Susan Smith (Sharon) is one of an actor with great comedic timing and is, alongside the drunk scene with Beverly Bonner (Casey), one of the performing high points of the film. Smith herself is excellent as love interest Sharon, she has a sweetness coupled with an underlying sexuality with a hint of naivety that’s wonderful (she’d need to be a little inexperienced and naïve to keep coming back to one so odd). Smith is also a bona fide trooper as she plays out one of the most difficult to watch, distasteful yet brilliant sex scenes committed to cinema let alone committed to horror cinema. Beverly Bonner is hilarious in the nosey neighbour / hooker with a heart of gold who’s down on her luck, her delivery and capital 'A' performance has all the love and hallmarks of some of John Waters’ nearest and dearest actors from his crazy guerrilla film making days in Baltimore.

The effects of the film have aged greatly but rather than detracting from the film it adds a new element in the way of (not just more comedy) a love of invention in film making. It’s obvious that Henenlotter didn’t have a lot of money of assistance when making Basket Case and his Ray Harryhausen-esque effects, though crude, are heart warming. Other effect based sequences are marvellous and work wonderfully well, the attack on Dr. Kutter (Diana Browne) for instance looks as gruelling as the day it was released and has been replicated by directors over the thirty years since.

The true star of the film, like most Frank Henenlotter films, is Frank Henenlotter. His direction is one of knowledge as he instinctively knows how to construct a film. His use of the camera, editing and general framing / construction of scene are wonderful and create a level of tension (at times) that are far superior to the films budget. Likewise his script is solid, he has one premise and some careful exposition to drive the characters with everything serving the premise of the narrative. The best thing about Henenlotter is that even though his films are genre pieces that live comfortably within their codes and conventions he’s a fearless writer and director. If you look at his oeuvre you will see a steady succession of set pieces that are extremely risky and disturbing that other directors might shy away from, these are the moments that Henenlotter drives straight into and (much like John Waters) has built a reputation for being able to do so with a real sense of humour. Recently when he was asked by a Studio executive to make a film “more like Saw” Frank did the only thing he could do and walked from the project which is a real shame as he’s a genuine talent with an original and disturbing way of looking at things.

5x5 Grindhouse Style

2012-01-22T20:08:00.000Z

Sid Haig

Tall and beardy Sid Haig has been around and around the block for many years and everytime he's handed someone their teeth. He has one of the most distinctive screen presences in cinematic history. Here is Sid's five 5 star films.

1. The Big Bird Cage

Haig co-stars alongside the always excellent Pam Grier as Django, a lazy revolutionary who is going to overturn a dictatorship by breaking into a prison and releasing the female inmates to 'man' his revolution.

2. Wonder Women

Sid appears as supporting cast alongside Nancy Kwan who commands an all female sexy army. Ross Hagen also stars.

3. Foxy Brown

It's Haig and Grier again for the win as Foxy takes a job as a prostitute in an attend to uncover who killed her boyfriend. Surely Sid can't be on the receiving end of the Grier wrath again?

4. The Big Doll House

Yup Haig and Grier again, only this time they are accompanied by the amazing Judy Brown as female prisoners in the Philippines rise up against the evil prison wardens who are torturing them for their own gratification.

5. The Aftermath

Early 80's Sci-Fi can be more addictive than crack, when two astronauts return to Earth they are amazed to discover the world they once knew has been destroyed by nuclear conflict.

Haig's following is only on the rise with the release of Creatures this year (same can't be said for the rest of the cast/film), let alone his cameo appearance in Jackie Brown and House of 1000 Corpses. Fans of the man will appreciate the vast amount of work he has had over some five decades in cinema and, more often than not, in the supporting role or getting shot by Pam Grier.

Next up...

< Judith Brown

Star Wars Charity Screening in Belfast

2012-01-19T16:18:00.003Z

By now the news of George Lucas' impending retirement has caused thousands of £'s / $'s worth of damage to toy lightsabre's and has shook parental basements/bachelor pads to their foundations.

To celebrate or commiserate the news here's a chance to make a difference if you're in the Belfast area. Natalie Creighton is organising a screening of Star Wars - Episode 1 The Phantom Menace at the fantastic Strand Cinema on the Belmont Road in East Belfast and not just for any ol' reason. Natalie is in the middle of her fundraising campaign for her trek to Peru in support of Oxfam. In a world where we could all do a little bit more Natalie is not only showcasing the Neeson/MacGregor odd couple in space extravaganza but has also arranged themed drinks for all attending beforehand.

Sunday 12th February 2012 from 7:15PM

Tickets can be bought by clicking [here] if you have general questions you can do it [here].

Gator Bait

2012-01-18T19:49:00.000Z

I try not to bring the real world on here too often, after all it's a blog for film and film, by definition, is a form of escapism but to celebrate my wonderful Christmas present from my better half (a beautiful Rosewood banjo) and the ten week class that accompanied it I'll be tipping my hat to Hixploitation cinema until the semester is over. First up Claudia Jennings, who we lost far too soon...

Certificate: 18

Running time: 88 mins

Director: Beverly Sebastian, Ferd Sebastian

Starring: Claudia Jennings, Bill Thurman, Tracy Sebastian

Genre: Action, Thriller, Hixploitation

Format: DVD

Country: USA

Husband and wife combo Beverly and Ferd Sebastian have clocked up some eleven films together as co-directors, sadly none since 1993 and with Ferd now being a minister it’s unlikely there’ll be a twelfth. The most iconic being the 1974 Hixploitation Gator Bait starring Claudia Jennings.

Desiree Thibodeau (Jennings) provides for her sister and brother by poaching alligators from the swamp. On one fateful day Deputy Billy (Clyde Ventura) and Ben lay in wait in the hope of catching her red handed and, with being faced with arrest and prosecution, providing them with some sexual release. When Desiree puts up a fight Billy accidentally kills his friend. Faced with dealing with his Sherriff Dad (Thurman) and Ben’s blood thirsty family he points the finger of blame at Desiree and in doing so makes her family a target.

Having cast Claudia Jennings in The Single Girls the decisions of the Sebastians to team up with her again in Gator Bait is a stroke of absolute genius. Jennings always had a look that in the urban sprawl would seem unquantifiable but in the Louisiana swamp it becomes apparent what it is. Jennings has a physicality that almost doesn’t belong to a woman of her beauty, it’s extremely animalistic and is necessary for the role. Jennings has a lot of film to carry and it’s to her credit that she’s not only able to demand the same amount of on screen menace that the ten men combined who are hunting her but she actually has the presence of action stars twice her size. Bill Thurman (as Sherriff Joe Bob) is great, he has the authoritative manner of a man who handles the wild redneck dogs that are the Bracken clan on a daily basis and though it goes unsaid he clearly deals with their misdemeanours the 'small town way'. Leroy Bracken (Douglas Dirkson), for example, is a complete psychopath. If it’s not apparent when he attempts to rape his own sister it highlighted and underlined during a delicately handled scene involving the Bracken brothers and Julie Thibodeau (Janit Baldwin). Having endured a couple of sexual assaults by the brothers it’s Leroy’s turn who opts for the shotgun over his own member. It’s to the credit of the directors that it’s handled sensitively and without any possible glorification. There have been a few issues with glorified rape in Exploitation but the sensibilities of the Sebastians allow the audience to traverse the difficult narrative terrain. Sam Gilman is arguably the finest piece of casting the film has. As T.J (the Father of the Bracken boys) he has the toughest task cinematically as he needs to be the antagonist in the sense that he’s hunting Desiree yet at the same time he is the only man that can keep them (his sons) on a leash as his word is law and the Sherriff is little more than a way of legitimising their actions. He also needs to be a match for Desiree in order to construct enough tension to propel the story forward. This is something he has in abundance and is equally as animalistic as Jennings, though in different ways. His large untamed red beard not only gives him the physical appearance of a beast but also is a representation of his character. He too is self styled, untamed and wild.

The film is actually rather striking to watch, the Sebastians use the naturalistic surroundings of the swamp to sculpt the look of their film. The use of reflective light on the water, the shadows and tree coverage all work towards creating the idea of catching someone out of the corner of your eye, something which the Bracken’s would no doubt experience throughout their hunt for Desiree. The use of flares in the film is extremely intelligent and a lot more advanced than most people give Exploitation cinema credit for. It goes without saying that the score is brilliant, it’s obvious that I love it as it’s heavy on banjo which is a must for Hixploitation and as a lifelong fan of the instrument it makes a real and deep emotional connection with me.

The story is a wonderfully simple one which is delivered extremely affectively and uses every second of tension it crafts. The most remarkable thing about Gator Bait is the lasting impression it has made on cinema that it hasn’t been credited for. It actually has a lot to say about sexual violence, prejudice and the stereotypical idea of the incestuous Southerners. Visually and narratively there’s several large similarities between Gator Bait and First Blood¸ which would come out some eight years later and cement Sylvester Stallone’s position as one of the biggest action heroes to emerge out of Hollywood. It’s been almost forty years since the film was made and it still has all of the emotional strength, tension and complexity it was made with. A reminder, if you needed one, not to annoy the yocals in Gator country.

The Code

2012-01-17T20:10:00.000Z

Running time: 6 mins

Director: Mark Blitch

Starring: Tamara Voss, Taylor James Brandt, Todd Terry

Genre: Short/Comedy/Horror

Country:

USA

Clearing up eleven awards at Houston’s Splatterfest like a macabre Henry Hoover is an impressive feat for any film. Even more impressive when the film takes one fifth of the amount of time it takes to oven a pie.

While on first date a shy retiring blonde and her pornstar suitor become under siege by a horde of Zombies (and thanks to a scheduling conflict), a serial killer and more. The premise of The Code is wonderfully conceived as all of folklore’s bumps in the night converge on two hapless victims before they argue and haggle over who’s gotten the schedule wrong… “did you check the Google calendar?!” It feels of the glory days of ironic comedy horror and plays out on screen in the same vein as the best of Joss Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The pack of Zombie, led by Brandt, give off a genuine menace and are reminiscent of early Romero, credit to all involved in capturing the make-up effects. The back and forth between Brandt and Terry (the serial killer) is delightfully clipped and beautifully bureaucratic as the pair thrash out their differences regarding the awkward double booking and is further complicated by the emergence from the shadows of a couple of our other favourite monsters as the scenario goes from awkward to Whose Line is it Anyway? level of absurd…yet it works extremely well.

Blitch’s direction is unaware yet in keeping with all the genres which The Code passes through as the camera sits lingering and longing during the romantic comedy start, low and crawling as the tension builds and then still and awkward as the comedy of administrative errors clock up all the while with a level of assurance that doesn’t have you aware of the films construction, which isn’t always achieved regardless of length or budget.

The action sequences and very well choreographed and the death and destruction is, what it should be in any short horror, ambitious. One of the reasons I love Exploitation cinema is it’s ambition as it’s never afraid to try something, whether of not to succeeds is open to interpretation but the ambitions of Blitch, Brandt and co with The Code as the film racks up some ambitious, inventive and award winning kills.

The Code feels like the opening sequence or more to come and hopefully that is what it will become, whether it’s the opening sequence of a longer short film or feature or the opening sequence of a group of film makers who are ambitious enough to continue to try new things, either way it achieves what it sets out to do and makes a thoroughly enjoyable and funny film that's very well made and well worth watching.

The Code can be viewed by clicking [here]

Live-In Fear with Brandon and Maria

2012-01-14T20:18:00.000Z

Live-In Fear is a success story before even a reel of film has been shot, having completed three successful campaigns on Indiegogo it's begun its fourth and final finance campaign. Brendan Scullion (director) and Maria Olsen (producer) go into production on Wednesday 22nd February in picturesque Brian Head Utah. In the run up I was able to pick the brains of the duo and why we should all be living in fear.

Q: You’ve referenced The Evil Dead II in your blog regarding the film and the synopsis has a certain Tarkovsky ala Solaris feel to it. Who would you cite as the heaviest influences in your cinematic style?

BRANDON: It would be fair to say Sam Raimi circa the 80's has had quite a heavy influence on my filmmaking sensibilities. I would also say Darren Aronofsky's work has had a big influence, and I can't forget to mention Kubrick.

Q: The film seems to be setting its stall out to be an introverted horror, how difficult have you found it to translate that inward glance towards protagonist’s fears on to the screen?

BRANDON: Not all that difficult. Most of my films tend to focus inwardly on people with some level of emotional baggage, and the stories tend to act as a way for them to, one way or another, resolve their issues, so, I'm kind of used to it. I had to find a balance, though, between making the fears and scares too obvious and giving the audience just enough information for them to figure out what that is on their own. Live-In Fear lies somewhere in the middle of that.

Q: There’s a disclaimer stating “This is not a found footage movie”, the premise has the feel of another film that was (and still is) THE found footage movie. What can we expect that will combat those comparisons?

BRANDON: To be compared to one of the greatest horror films ever would be a huge compliment. Found Footage is very popular now - there's no denying it - but to me it seems like a gimmick. I like to see films where shots are composed and some thought was put into camera placement, and with found footage, you don't seem to have that same amount of detail. They sure do make a lot of money though...

Q: How have you found the Indiegogo funding experience? It gives film makers a chance to interact with their audiences before there’s a product. Have you found that it’s altered your initial concept?

BRANDON: Indiegogo has been great. My expectations of how much money we wanted to raise and the actual amount we raised so far are pretty radical. We're on our third campaign which you can conveniently find [here]

Q: Maria, having worked inside the Hollywood framework how does this experience differ?

MARIA: This experience differs from, say, my experience on Fox’s Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief because it’s so much more personal. With Live-In Fear, I’m getting involved with almost every aspect of the creative and administrative process, and I’m learning so much more about this business through this “total immersion” than I would by just acting in a film. I’ll be forever grateful to Brandon for his inviting me onto Live-In Fear’s production team.

Q: Why Utah?

BRANDON: The script was written with the knowledge that this condo that's been in my family for something like 20 years was available so that's what I did. Plus it keeps the budget relatively low, and it looks pretty. It pays to take advantage of free things when budget is a concern.

Q: Brandon, you worked with The Asylum recently, how was that?

BRANDON: I must say that my involvement with Asylum was in a very limited capacity, but it was great: All very professional and really nice people. I'm looking forward to seeing Zombies At The Center Of The Earth.

Q: A cast of four is rather intimate so it’s even more important to get the right actors. Was there a lot of debating over the final four?

BRANDON: Absolutely. I was torn between so many great performances but ultimately had to make a choice and in the end I think the cast is perfect.

Q: There’s a real resurgence in Independent horror, any advice for someone contemplating making that jump from dreamer to director?

BRANDON: You just have to do it. If you want to make movies, you have to be self motivated. Nobody is going to hand you a script and a sack of money and say, “Hey go make this into a movie.” That's not gonna happen. But that's okay. All it takes is a little creativity and a camera, both of which are very easy to come by.

Q: If you could pick one film for Live-In Fear to be screened alongside what film would you pick?

BRANDON: I could list so many, but I think Live-In Fear would screen very nicely with Another Earth.

Q: All the best horrors inevitably spawn sequels, how open has the door been left?

BRANDON: The end of the film finds the characters coming face to face with this new world they have been left with, and I think it would be interesting to see how they deal with it and what it means to the rest of the planet.

For those of you who haven't encountered Live-In Fear before the teaser trailer is available to provide an atmospheric glimpse into the stylings of Scullion to come.

If, like me, you're a fan of independent cinema and would like to show your support then you can contribute [here] and with Maria Olsen having offered up 61 projects to the cinematic world since 2008 then it's safe to say that the future of Independent horror is not just in the hands of the film makers but also in the audience who believe in them.

Maria was kind enough to offer up her experience and opinion during the Review of the Year. To read what she had to say click [here].

Nude Nuns with Big Guns

2012-01-12T19:30:00.000Z

Certificate: 18

Running time: 90 mins

Director: Joseph Guzman

Starring: Asun Ortega, David Castro, Aycil Yeltan, Xango Henry

Genre: Action, Exploitation, Thriller

Format: DVD

Country: USA

Director Joseph Guzman returned for his sophomore offering hot on the heels of Run! Bitch Run! with a cocktail of exploitation subgenres (nunsploitation and bikerploitation). The Nunsploitation, like Naziploitation, wears the uncomfortable crown of being one of the more difficult exploitation realms to defend against critics as anyone who has ever tried to protect the honour of Walerian Borowczyk or Bruno Mattei will know all too well. The bikerploitation has offerings that can be claimed which are highly acclaimed, Easy Rider and Hell’s Angels for instance, but for the most part has been littered with films that are as equally acquired tastes as Behind Convent Walls and Killer Nun but for completely different reasons. It’s worth pointing out before we go too much further that I’m a fan of both subgenres, though admittedly more favourably lending towards the biker flicks like Werewolves on Wheels, Motorpsycho and Roger Corman’s Naked Angels.

It’s no surprise that the child of a Nunsploitation and Bikerploitation is going to be extremely polarising and with a title like Nude Nuns with Big Guns is really only going to attract the more salty of cinematic audiences.

Aboard a reclaimed school bus in what is being billed as Northern Mexico three nuns and two priests are stopped in the middle of nowhere by members of the Los Muertos Motorcycle Club. What we presume to be a hijacking is actually a drop off as the local church has been indoctrinated into the gangs primary business (the manufacturing and distribution of heroin). When the delivery is a package light the M.C’s President Chavo (Castro) kills two of the nuns and is given the third (Sister Sarah) for his “trouble”. Put to work as a prostitute Sarah is kept high and is only allowed to come down after she has been beaten and sexually assaulted. It is here, during Sarah’s detox, she hears God speak to her and she sets out to kill all who have committed evil against her and in God’s name.

The opening fifteen minutes of Nude Nuns with Big Guns are truly excellent. Director Guzman and Cinematographer Edwin M. Figueroa must be praised for their use of the natural landscape that the Californian desert has to offer. Several shots echo the wider cinematic world and legendary films like Once Upon A Time in the West and remarkably even The Great Silence as the white washed sand looks almost snow-like against the sky and the black of the nun habits and the biker cuts. The use of the red filter and black and white create a stylistic choice that Guzman will operate through the course of the film and unlike Guy Ritchie (for example) doesn’t overuse it. It reminds the audience of Oliver Stone’s use of colour to represented altered mental states in Natural Born Killers. The religious stylings in the film, the crucifix swipe between scenes and the blessing execution give the film a sense of humour that’s much needed in order for an exploitation film in these subgenres to work. This was the biggest problem with the European offerings during the 1970’s and is something that Guzman sets his stall out to avoid. In his effort to create the visual style of the film Guzman has, unfortunately, forgotten some of the fundamental basics of film making. With the exception of the initial sequence there is no establishing shots in the film to help map out the geography of the film for the audience it also serves the purpose of making the film look small, cheap and unprofessional which is a real shame as the rest of the camerawork is highly accomplished and doesn’t deserve to be undermined by either a lack of funds or lack of preparation.

The script is rather simplistic, the set up and resulting story arches are all untaxing. This is not a criticism of the script (Guzman & Robert James Hayes II), on the contrary, all the best revenge movies have a simple premise and if you look at a film like Coffy you’ll see how a simple set up can benefit the overall film. Sadly, like the cinematography there’s some problems here. Guzman has clearly been influenced by Quentin Tarantino and he’s unable to pass up the opportunity to tip his hat towards him on a couple of occasions, the first being lifting dialogue for Chavo straight out of Pulp Fiction and the second naming his M.C’s main hangout The Titty Flicker which is remarkably similar to The Titty Twister (seen in the Tarantino scripted From Dusk Til Dawn). Personally, Tarantino gets more than enough credit for his work as large chunks of his glittering career have been lifted straight out of Exploitation cinema and passed off as his own genius. These moments cheapen any kind of appreciation that was forming towards Nude Nuns with Big Guns. There are other problems with the film, which ideally you would leave until after the positives but as they feed into the script it makes sense that they’re dealt with now.

Run! Bitch Run! takes a pass at being what you would call a traditional ‘Rape and Revenge’ Exploitation film, a genre I have never had much love for as so many of the films in this genre treat the sexual assault as another form of excitement and therefore try to justify the act. It’s the same reason I’ve never liked Straw Dogs. Nude Nuns with Big Guns has four sexual assaults which for a film that’s 90 minutes long is a ridiculous amount of time dedicated to such an appalling act and worse still we get to see all four. These scenes can be dealt with delicately, they can be implied (which is always a lot more disturbing as the audience draws their own image) but in NNWBG not only are they drawn out but they’re heavily stylised in a way that lessened the impact of the act and almost try to make it acceptable. For a film that’s so enjoyable in parts and showcases some of the best qualities that Exploitation cinema has to offer it’s sad that it also contains some of the thematics and motifs that give the genre such a bad name. The ugly side of Exploitation is the face that most people are familiar with, we don’t need another film basking in that.

Asun Ortega (Sister Sarah) is perfect casting, again credit to Guzman as he served as Casting Director. She has the most fragile and beautifully expressive face that manages to convey softness and the tough unflinching steel of a woman wronged. Her delivery is excellent and her screen presence puts pay to any comparisons to Ms. 45. Perry D’Marco as Father Carlito gives the film a level of theatricality you genuinely don’t expect to see and his decision to play some of the scenes like they’re from a Mexican Soap Opera is astonishingly perfect. Having spent months chowing down on breakfast burritos on La Brea I am pleased to say I know my way around a Mexican Soap and his contribution was much appreciated. David Castro (Chavo) plays the role of President and chief antagonist very well, his character is there to be hated so you know not to expect too much character range. He is undoubtedly a psychopath and the way in which he dominates the screen with men twice his size is impressive. The rest of the supporting cast give performances that range from alright to out of sight, with the main exporter of brilliance being Xango Henry (Kickstand). Xango is given some of the worst scenes to portray on screen, the sexual assault of a nun who has taken a vow of silence in order to get information out of her being probably the low point but it is when he’s interacting with the M.C that we see just how dominant and powerful a presence he has on screen. His relaxed nature to his work also gives us, if needed, an on screen definition of the differences between a psychopath and a sociopath as Kickstand is indeed a sociopath.

It’s a genuine shame how uneven Nude Nuns with Big Guns is as a film as it had the real potential to be a modern Exploitation film you could enjoy and a Nunsploitation you didn’t have to feel guilty about owning. The multiple sexual assaults jar with the rest of the films aesthetic and this, coupled with the fact that the finale of the film seems all too easy to accomplish for Sister Sarah means the film runs out of steam with twenty minutes to spare. The true test for an Exploitation is whether it has grand aspirations. The best Exploitation films attempt to be more than what they are, whether they succeed is inconsequential, the pleasure is in the effort and the clear love of cinema that the film makers have. Exploitation cinema will never offer you up the same old tired scenario against a different backdrop and expect you to see it as newer and therefore better (The Hangover Part II I’m talking about you and how lazy and terrible you are!). Nude Nuns with Big Guns is 40% of the way towards being a brilliant Exploitation film and there are some really beautiful shots in it. Sarah walking away from the burning church should become iconic but the visual and written shortcomings hamper the film and the fixation on sexual violence is another reminder that the mistakes of Cesare Canevari have not been learned from by everyone.

Familiar

2012-01-09T20:08:00.000Z

Certificate: Unrated

Running time: 24 mins

Director: Richard Powell

Starring: Robert Nolan, Astrida Auza, Cathryn Hostick

Genre: Horror

Format: DVD

Country: Canada

In 2008 Richard Powell and producer Zach Green delivered their atmospheric horror Consumption which deals with the unique and difficult subject of voluntary cannibalism. Two years later they offer up the first half of the disturbed Dodd brothers (Geoffrey) played by Robert Nolan who is a gentle and quiet high school teacher with something dark and malevolent rotting inside of him. Familiar sees Geoffrey’s brother John (also played by Robert Nolan) as he survives a suburban existence with wife Charlotte (Auza) and daughter Jordan (Hostick) which he has come to detest. With an increasingly forceful voice inside his head demanding he breaks free from this life he slowly comes to suspect that the voice is not his own. It’s only after a series of traumatic events at home that John comes face to face with his conflict.

One of the most amazing things about Familiar is the cinematography, rarely do you see an independent film, let alone a short film with such a high caliber look to it. The slow, stillness of the camera allows the audience to ease their way into the film. It connotes the almost stationary suburban world which we have come to know in North American cinema but it is also a stylistic visual representation of John’s ‘psychosis’ as it slowly sneaks up on him in a non confrontational way. It’s only later in the film, the final third, that the cinematography takes on more of an offensive edge and visually attacks the audience. The use of the camera to represent the unrepresented is not a new device in cinema, it has been used for as long as cinema has existed. When adapted to literature it can be compared to the structuring of the sentence in showing just how old and affective tool this style is. That should take nothing away from Powell’s eye as it’s actually an incredibly difficult stylistic to achieve as left to the wrong director it can appear as showy and forced. The subtly of the camera is beautiful.

Powell’s script is also perfectly balanced. The initial encounter of John shows him in a particularly dislikeable light yet at the same time you can relate to his disillusionment and though not condone his attitude to his family can at least understand…to a point. It is only with his wife’s loss that your allegiances are truly tested. Credit must be given to Powell for his ability to write human characters. So many horror films have believable and complex antagonists and monsters but all too often where they fall down is the writing of the ordinary decent protagonist. Powell has crafted not just a family in crisis but a family that is, excuse the pun, 'familiar'. There is enough in the quiet moments that will allow the audience to fill in the blanks with their experiences rather than the usual clunky horror exposition. It is this confidence, not just in the writing and the cast but also in the audience is a breath of fresh air for those of us that have been all too often been talked down to by horror films through the use of plodding dialogue and manipulative music.

Robert Nolan is perfect in the role of John. He has a quiet, almost broken, surface presence of a man that has drifted through the recent years of his life but it is behind the eyes that you can see the cogs of Nolan crafting what you think at first is rage and anger but soon becomes conflict between him and the voice. His interaction with Auza is one of a man that doesn’t know his own emotions and is both tragic and menacing and gives the film an unbelievable tension that can’t be scripted or forced.

*Spoiler Alert*

The effects in the final third of the film are what set Familiar apart from the vast majority of short films. It has the vision of an early David Cronenberg or Brian Yuzna. The initial emergence of the ‘parasite’ is like a blistering tumor that pulses with John’s heart, as the conflict advances it takes on the aesthetic of scar tissue as its burns deeper and deeper into his being in an attempt to break his will and gain full control and in the final scene, once trapped by John, creates the presumed texture of rock as it takes its last stand against a father, a husband, determined to win. The shooting of the extraction is beautifully constructed as the audience is presented with enough gore to kick start their imagination but not enough to come across as low brow or horror porn. It’s sat this point I’d love to heap more praise on aspects of the film but there’s been enough given away so I won’t.

*Safe again*

There have been few horror cinematic pleasures of late that come even close to watching Familiar. Powell and Green have achieved what all great horror films strive to do, it has tapped into real and common human issues and in doing so have molded them into an alternative (and frightening) manifestation of the fears we all have. Familiar is a deeply atmospheric body shocker that will get under your skin. You’ll claw your own flesh away trying to overcome the affect the film will have on you.