NIGHT OF OPEN SEX -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

From the title and cover art, I thought NIGHT OF OPEN SEX (Severin Films, 1983) was going to be one of Jess Franco's more experimental and largely plotless indulgences.

But sure enough, there is a plot, and a pretty passable one at that, although it has its work cut out for it competing against Franco's endless cinematic explorations of his beloved Lina Romay's bouncy naked body.

We first meet Lina (HOT NIGHTS OF LINDA, SINFONIA EROTICA, TWO FEMALE SPIES WITH FLOWERED PANTIES) as Moira, a popular local harlot who draws big, enthusiastic nightclub crowds just by writhing around onstage in various states of undress while wantonly pleasuring herself.

Naturally, she's the perfect choice for sleazo conman Vic (Miguel Aristu) to recruit in his plan to trick a dying Nazi general (Albino Graziani, MANSION OF THE LIVING DEAD) out of a hidden cache of gold by having her pose as his niece.

But first Vic and Moira must kidnap the real niece, Tina Klaus (Carla Simons), and get her to divulge the general's whereabouts in one of those scenes where Franco flirts with torture porn.

It's also a flirtation with real porn in that it contains some vaginal penetration, albeit with a hot curling iron as Moira proves she's as cruel as she is beautiful.

This early scene is brutal and rather shocking, especially since Moira is a character we're meant to like as we follow her sexual and materialistic exploits, some of which are in a humorous vein, for the remainder of the story.

The rest of the film is a series of near-hardcore sex scenes focusing on Moira flailing ecstatically with various partners including her blonde girlfriend Eva (Lorna Green, MACUMBA SEXUAL) and a moustachioed stud named Al Crosby (J.A. Mayans, CANNIBAL TERROR), who first abducts Moira and then teams up with her to search for the gold while finding time to engage in endless frantic couplings.

The aforementioned plot keeps chugging away during lulls in the sexual action and actually becomes somewhat intriguing as Moira and Al work to decipher the Nazi general's cryptic clues and make their way through lush seaside scenery where a hidden mansion awaits.

Adding to the suspense is another male-female duo on the gold hunt, and their sudden appearance during Moira and Al's climactic sexual frenzy, which is stoked to new heights by the sight of a big stack of shiny gold bars, augments the film's twisty and rather amusing finale.

Franco (COUNT DRACULA, VAMPYROS LESBOS, SHE KILLED IN ECSTASY), who makes a brief cameo appearance while tied up and gagged, is in relatively good technical form here with some steady camerawork and ideal locations. 

My favorite part is the opening, a gorgeous extended shot through the windshield of a car cruising down an oceanfront boulevard lined with lightposts beneath a dark, cloudy sunset. The entire film looks good considering the low budget and Franco's tendency to work fast and loose.

NIGHT OF OPEN SEX is neither the director's worst (so far I would nominate PAULA-PAULA) nor the best of the comparatively small number of his scores of films that I've seen. Non-Franco fans will likely find it lightweight and slow, even boring. Lina Romay fans will get a severe case of eyestrain. I found it interesting (Franco is always interesting) and fun.


Buy it at Severin Films

Scanned in 4k from the original negative

Special Features:

    In The Land Of Franco Part 2: Stephen Thrower Tours Multiple Franco Locations in Portugal
    When Donald Met Jess and Lina Part 2: Filmmaker Donald Farmer Interviews the Power Couple in 1993
    The Night of Open Jess: Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of ‘Murderous Passions & Flowers of Perversion – The Delirious Cinema of JesĂșs Franco’

NIGHT OF OPEN SEX -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

THE ODDS -- DVD Review by Porfle

Writer-director Bob Giordano (the upcoming GATES OF FLESH) isn't fooling around with his feature film debut, the nail-biting suspense thriller THE ODDS (2018).

Not counting a brief fantasy scene or two, the whole thing takes place in one dingy warehouse room with a table and two chairs, wherein a stunning contest takes place--one woman, billed as "The Player" (Abbi Butler, THE BENCHWARMERS, KILLING CHRISTIAN) competes with a number of other unseen players around the world to see who can survive a series of challenges, while the "Game Master" (James J. Fuertes, "Doom Patrol") oversees his own player while keeping track of the others' progress via an earpiece.




Naturally, each round consists of an increasingly difficult and painful task that will have viewers cringing in sympathetic pain.  The Player must continue until the others either fail or drop out, in hopes of winning a million-dollar prize as gamblers wager on the results. She's doing it all for her daughter, a worthy goal which drives her on.

The Game Master, meanwhile, offers helpful advice and sympathy as he talks her through each round and gives first aid to her increasingly grievous wounds.  He's so nice, in fact, that we begin to suspect his actual intentions.

Before long we even start wondering whether or not he's lying to her about how the game is progressing elsewhere. Is he just toying with her to satisfy his own sinister sadistic impulses?

 


Giordano keeps us guessing about this and other things, but the main question that drives THE ODDS along with such edge-of-the-seat suspense is how bad will the next round be, and can she get through it?

The first, holding her hand over a candle flame until the number of players has decreased to a certain minimum, seems bad enough, but turns out to be child's play.  Before it's over, she will have put herself through perversely creative agonies that might be described as self-inflicted torture porn.

As the tasks intensify, so does the conflict between Player and Game Master until fascades fall away and true faces emerge.  The stakes are ramped up as well and the rules keep changing until she's not even sure if he's still following them or making new ones up as he goes along.

It's the classic two character, one setting conflict drama that works well on stage and is even more impressive when pulled off this deftly on the movie screen. Director Giordano succeeds in keeping things well-paced and visually interesting with creative camera angles and editing, while both lead actors are so into their roles as to be utterly convincing.

While it's hardly as unbearable as the Russian roulette sequence from THE DEER HUNTER, those who agonized their way through that will have a good idea of what they're getting into when they watch THE ODDS.  It's a harrowing and dramatically intense experience, and even manages to give us a slam-bang shoot-em-up ending to go with its final plot twist. 


Official website

PROGRAM INFORMATION
VOD: Available on Apple iTunes and other Leading Digital Providers
DVD: Available at Amazon and Walmart.com
Directed/Written by: Bob Giordano
Starring: Abbi Butler, James J. Fuertes
Producer: Alan McKenna
Distribution: 4Digital Media
Run Time: 107 Minutes
Rating: NR
Genre: Horror
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 (1.78:1)
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Surround
Language: English (no subtitles)

THE ODDS -- DVD Review by Porfle

TRAUMA -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

When it comes to horror movies, how extreme do you want to go?  With TRAUMA (2017, Artsploitation Films), Chilean writer-director Lucio A. Rojas (ZOMBIE DAWN, PERFIDY) answers that question for us in ways that will have some viewers gasping with perverse thrill and others scrambling to put as much distance between them and this movie as humanly possible.

Even the first few minutes had me feeling nasty and kind of disgusted with myself for even watching it.  The film opens with a scene of the most vile torture porn imaginable, easily earning its original NC-17 rating (and this is the unrated director's cut).

It will get, if not worse, then just as bad in different but equally horrific ways.  The first home invasion sequence, in which four young women vacationing in a secluded cabin find the world's sickest psycho (Daniel Antivilo as "Juan") and his son at their front door, almost makes I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE seem like a rom-com.

Other atrocities, including a tour of psycho dad's hellish chamber of horrors and its woefully unfortunate captives, take everything that was vile and repellant about TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and turn the dial to eleven.

And I'm saying this as someone who has been watching extreme horror movies for several decades.  This wallow in utter depravity and degradation is the kind of stuff that movie theater walkouts are made of.

Okay, there's that.  In addition to the almost invasive nature of TRAUMA's horrific images is something else that director Rojas is really good at, which is building suspense.  This is one of those movies that manages to keep us painfully on edge, not just during the torture scenes but in other ways as well.

The survivors of the initial attack must decide whether or not to make their way to Juan's secluded torture chamber in the woods to help a little girl who has been kidnapped by him.  With a near-useless young local cop as their only help, Andrea (Catalina Martin) and the others embark on a rescue attempt that will lead to prolonged, stomach-churning suspense.

Through it all, there's an underlying message about how violence and hatred are passed down from generation to generation, sickness breeds sickness, etc. which we see in flashbacks to Juan's boyhood.  The dead seriousness of the film adds to its effectiveness--there's no distancing humor or satire to make the horror more palatable.

Nor does it have any amusing technical deficiencies.  Rojas' direction is entirely effective, his script literate.  The cast, especially Catalina Martin and Daniel Antivilo, are fine.  Photography (including some sweeping aerial shots) and other technical elements are above-average.

The Blu-ray from Artsploitation Films is in 2.35:1 widescreen with 5.1 surround sound.  Spanish soundtrack with English subtitles.  A trailer is the sole extra.

Gorehounds who like to get as down, dirty, and just plain twisted as possible with their horror movies should definitely check out TRAUMA as soon as possible. Everyone else--you've been warned.  As for me, I'm a notorious "re-watcher", happily viewing my favorite films time and again over the years, but for this one, once is way more than enough.

TRAUMA -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

AGENDA: PAYBACK -- Movie Review by Porfle

Turnabout is turnabout is turnabout is fair play in AGENDA: PAYBACK, aka "Unhinged" (2018), a punishing suspense thriller in which the balance of deadly power goes back and forth more times than a badminton match played with lawn darts. 

When Peter Farrell (Eric Balfour) kidnaps unscrupulous business huckster Steve Walsh (Sean Patrick Flanery, DEADLY IMPACT, BOONDOCK SAINTS), whom he blames for ruining his life and causing the death of a loved one, he has it all planned like one of the spec movie scripts he writes.  Steve's bound to a chair in the cellar of a secluded cabin, where Peter has invited several of the people he's wronged to come and, for a price, take turns exacting brutal revenge.

This leads to a succession of unpleasant scenes with a vocally unrepentant Steve getting tortured by the likes of a drug-trafficking criminal, a crooked politician, and a crazy broad who holds a grudge against the guy for throwing her over in the romance department. 

These aren't exactly characters I care to identify with, and neither is Peter himself for that matter.  I like Eric Balfour from the TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake and HELL RIDE, but here his character comes off as a weak sort of self-pitying opportunist at first, blaming Steve for a fatal accident that was, in fact, his own fault. 

We don't have enough of a stake in Steve's sketchily-drawn character to relish seeing him suffer.  And without much of a story to keep us occupied, we're reduced to simply waiting to see who his next torturer will be and how much damage they'll do.

The upshot of this is that I started sympathizing with bad ol' Steve, who, despite being a louse, valiantly keeps up a strident stream of invective even as his scummy enemies brutally go to work on him with both fists and an array of torture implements.

Thankfully, however, this isn't the gist of the entire film as I initially feared.  When Steve manages to escape (yay!) that's when AGENDA: PAYBACK turns from a borderline torture-porn bore that I was starting to hate into an involving suspense flick with some unexpected twists and a few wickedly intriguing situations.

We get to see what happens with Steve suddenly in charge of things and Peter on the receiving end of a little pain and terror himself.  And then it all switches back again, and then again.  And then another of Steve's vengeful enemies shows up for his appointment, and he's the worst one, and that's when things really hit the fan.

By now, my initial negative response to this film had shifted much like the numerous power shifts between its lead characters.  Still, it does turn into a bit of a shaggy dog story near the end and things tend to drag a bit.  

Through it all, despite Peter's sob stories about how the bad man did him wrong, my main source of interest here is Sean Patrick Flanery as horrible old Steve, who somehow comes off as perversely heroic (or at least tolerable) in his fierce defiance and improbable resourcefulness. 

That's what makes AGENDA: PAYBACK interesting--it doesn't give us a villain who's easy to hate, or a supposed hero who's noble or even right.  And the ending blurs things even more, making this one of those movies you might feel ambivalent about even as you can't stop thinking about it after the fadeout.


www.smokehammer.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/smokehammermedia/
Twitter:@Theurbanedge
Instagram: Smokehammermedia

AGENDA: PAYBACK -- Movie Review by Porfle

The Trap is Set with "JIGSAW" - On 4K, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital TODAY! See the Trailer Here

The Trap Is Set When "JIGSAW" Returns on Digital January 9 and 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD on January 23 from Lionsgate

4K Ultra HD™ to include both Dolby Vision™ and Dolby Atmos®

SANTA MONICA, CA (December 12, 2017) –The Jigsaw Killer is back and taking his signature brand of twisted scenarios to the next level when Jigsaw arrives on Digital January 9 and on 4K Ultra HD (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand January 23 from Lionsgate.

Renowned genre directors Michael and Peter Spierig (Daybreakers, Undead) and writers Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger reinvigorate one of the most successful horror franchises of all time with their latest installment starring Tobin Bell (Manson Family Vacation, The Firm, The SAW franchise), Laura Vandervoot (TV’s “Smallville” and “V”), Callum Keith Rennie (TV’s “The Man in the High Castle,” “Californication,” Memento), Brittany Allen (It Stains the Sands Red), Matt Passmore (TV’s “The Glades”), and Hannah Emily Anderson (TV’s “Lizzy Borden Took an Ax”).

In the latest terrifying installment of the legendary SAW series, law enforcement find itself chasing the ghost of a man dead for over a decade, embroiled in a diabolical new game that’s only just begun.  Has John Kramer, the infamous Jigsaw Killer, returned from the dead to commit a series of murders and remind the world to be grateful for the gift of life?  Or is this a trap set by a different killer with designs of their own?

Immerse yourself within Jigsaw’s world with the release’s extensive Special Features, including an all-new 7-Part Documentary, an Audio Commentary with Producers Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Peter Block, and “The Choice is Yours: Exploring the Props” featurette. The 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray versions feature Dolby Atmos audio mixed specifically for the home, to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray also features Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR), growing Lionsgate’s library of titles featuring both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Dolby Vision transforms the TV experience in the home by delivering greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colors. Together with the captivating sound of Dolby Atmos, consumers will experience both cutting-edge imaging and state-of-the-art sound technology for a fully immersive entertainment experience.

The must-see Jigsaw will be available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD for the suggested retail price of $42.99, $39.99, and $29.95, respectively.

4K UHD / BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
⦁ Audio Commentary with Producers Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Peter Block
⦁ “I Speak for the Dead: The Legacy of Jigsaw” 7-Part Documentary
⦁ “A New Game”
⦁ “You Know His Name”
⦁ “Survival of the Fittest”
⦁ “Death by Design”
⦁ “Blood Sacrifice”
⦁ “The Source of Fear”
⦁ “The Truth Will Set You Free”
⦁ “The Choice is Yours: Exploring the Props” Featurette

DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES
⦁ “I Speak for the Dead: The Legacy of Jigsaw” 7-Part Documentary
⦁ “A New Game”
⦁ “You Know His Name”
⦁ “Survival of the Fittest”
⦁ “Death by Design”
⦁ “Blood Sacrifice”
⦁ “The Source of Fear”
⦁ “The Truth Will Set You Free”
⦁ “The Choice is Yours: Exploring the Props” Featurette

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
⦁ Audio Commentary with Producers Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Peter Block
⦁ “The Choice is Yours: Exploring the Props” Featurette

WATCH THE TRAILER:

Facebook: @Saw
Instagram: @Saw
Twitter: @SawMovie
#JigsawMovie

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production:  2017
Title Copyright: Jigsaw © 2017, Artwork & Supplementary Materials © 2018 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and for language
Genre: Horror
Closed-Captioned: N/A
Subtitles: Spanish, English SDH
Feature Run Time: 91 minutes
4K Ultra HD™ Format: Dolby Vision, 2160p Ultra High Definition 16x9 Widescreen 2.40:1 Presentation
BD Format: 1080p High Definition 16x9 Widescreen 2.40:1 Presentation
DVD Format: 16x9 Widescreen 2.40:1 Presentation
4K Ultra HD™ Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio Optimized for Late-Night Listening, English Descriptive Audio 
BD Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late-Night Listening, English Descriptive Audio 
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 

ABOUT LIONSGATE
The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate is a global content platform whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world.  In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, gaming, virtual reality and other new entertainment technologies.  Lionsgate’s content initiatives are backed by a 16,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global licensing infrastructure.  The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the Company’s worldwide consumer base. 

The Trap is Set with "JIGSAW" - On 4K, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital TODAY! See the Trailer Here

"TALON FALLS" Brings Halloween Terror from a Real Life Screampark this October 13th

Scream Park Fun Turns into Deadly Horror in this Trailer and Poster for...

"TALON FALLS"

LOS ANGELES (October 9th, 2017) - It's Halloween month and Terror Films is prepped to release the ominous TALON FALLS onto digital platforms on Friday, October 13th! The genre distributor is pleased to be unveiling the official poster and trailer for this intense indie horror film, right here.

This sinister tale follows a group of teenagers as they visit a Halloween Horror Theme Park, featuring gruesome exhibits, whose hosts are dressed to the 'horror nines.' The friends soon discover that the hyper realistic staged scares they are witnessing are very real and being performed on innocent victims, by a clan of murderous lunatics that inhabit the park.  They must quickly figure a way out before they become the next live torture attraction.

The movie, which stars Morgan Wiggins, Ryan Rudolph, Jordyn Rudolph and Brad Bell, was written and directed by Joshua Shreve and produced by: Shreve, Jeff Steinborn and Leslie Mills. The film was executive produced by Todd Ferren and Kent Hammond.  The film was a co-production with the well-known Talon Falls Screampark located in Melber, Kentucky - where the movie was also shot.

In their ongoing effort to bring the best and most diverse indie horror content to the masses, Terror Films will be releasing TALON FALLS in the North American markets across multiple digital platforms. Digital platforms include: iTunes, Amazon Instant/Prime, Vudu, Google Play/You Tube, X-Box Live and many others.

As part of a special promotion, Talon Falls Screampark will be giving away Free iTunes Digital Downloads of the film to 50 lucky park-goers.

WATCH THE TRAILER:

An official TALON FALLS Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/talonfallsmovie/

For more information on Terror Films, visit: www.terrorfilms.net
Or: www.facebook.com/TerrorFilmsLLC/
For more info’ on the Talon Falls Screampark: www.talonfallsscreampark.com
And: www.facebook.com/talonfalls/

"TALON FALLS" Brings Halloween Terror from a Real Life Screampark this October 13th

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SNUFF -- Movie Review by Porfle

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SNUFF (2016) is like comedy-revenge porn for all the poor, hapless victims--especially the pretty girls--who were snuffed in torture porn flicks over the years.  The catch: the killers are just pretending this time, but the victim doesn't know that.  And when she gets away...

The pretend-killers are aspiring (and perspiring) actors Dresden and Dominic, brothers from the sticks who just can't catch a break in Hollywood.  In desperation, the less stable one, Dresden (Joey Kern, SUPER TROOPERS, ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE UNDEAD), hatches a plan in which they hold a fake casting call, kidnap the most promising actress in the bunch, and film a fake snuff film that will (in Dresden's clouded mind) win first prize in a film contest and make them famous.

All they have to do, he figures, is to take it to the brink and then reveal that it's all fake to the actress, who will then thank them for the opportunity for fame.  Weak-willed brother Dominic (Luke Edwards, MOTHER'S BOYS, AMERICAN PIE 2) protests at first but eventually agrees, and all goes according to plan...until Dresden starts to take it all a little too seriously, and before Dominic knows it, he--and their unwilling actress--are caught up in an honest-to-goodness real snuff film.

 

Naturally, this would be horrible if we took it seriously for a second, but it's practically a live-action cartoon, so that's not really a problem.  (Not at first, anyway.)  There are some very amusing setpieces such as the actress audition montage ("Could you do that again, only this time do it as though you were a good actress?")

Naturally, the last one is THE one, and is she ever--Jennifer (Bree Williamson, "One Life to Live", "General Hospital") is the perfect gorgeous, self-confident, outgoing babe to help elevate these guys' piece-of-crap film project into something at least marginally watchable.  BEGINNER'S GUIDE itself isn't a laugh riot, but it doesn't really try to be. It's just a consistently smart and amusing spoof that's sharply-done and fun to watch.

But that's the first half.  The thing is, once they actually kidnap Jennifer and their whole plan is put into motion, things start to get real.  Maybe even too real to be funny, depending on your tolerance level.

 

It's hard to maintain a premise like this as a funny ha-ha joke when we're seeing a couple of psychotic-acting guys (and let's face it, Dresden really is a psycho, while Dominic's insipid acquiescence to him is bad enough in itself) and a terrified girl whom we've learned to like. 

And yet, as the film gets more violent, I begin to realize that director Mitchell Altieri is messing with me and my expectations big-time.  Is it a harmless gore-movie spoof?  Is it a funny (but in a really sick way) torture porn flick?  Does it really even know what it is?  My final answer: all of the above.

After the initial "Dresden goes too far" sequence, the movie doesn't really lighten up again until Jennifer gets away (I'm only revealing what the trailer already shows, so no spoiler here) and turns the tables on her captors in a big, bloody way.  Which, by this time, is uncomfortable in a traditional torture-porn kind of way but with an off-kilter premise that keeps twisting one way and then the other.

 

Technically, it's a mix of conventional photography and "found footage" style which works pretty well most of the time.  Performances are outstanding, totally manic and intense, with Bree Williamson a very dynamic Jennifer and Joey Kern giving us a Dresden who grows more despicably unhinged and narcissistic by the minute. 

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SNUFF wants to keep us off-balance, uncomfortable, and wondering what the hell we're watching, and in that respect, it succeeds.  I think gorehounds and torture porn aficionados will especially enjoy it, as well as those who prefer their humor dark and demented.  I had mixed feelings at the end, but was glad I watched it because it's definitely a trip. 


Tech Specs
Runtime: 87mins
Format: 1:78 HD
Sound: Dolby SR
Country: USA
Language: English
Website: www.IndicanPictures.com
Genre: Horror


Release Date: June 23, 2017 (Theatrical, Los Angeles) & July 11th, 2017 (VOD, DVD)

The film’s official trailer

More details on the film are available at Indican Pictures:

Read our original coverage

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SNUFF -- Movie Review by Porfle

MODEL HUNGER -- DVD Review by Porfle

There are those movies that appeal to a really wide range of people and can be enjoyed by just about anybody.  And then there's MODEL HUNGER (2016), a stomach-churning horror comedy that certain people will find perversely delightful just as others are wishing they could Drano all traces of its memory from their brains. 

Whether or not you like BLOOD FEAST is a good indicator here, because scream queen and first-time director Debbie Rochon (THE THEATER BIZARRE, RETURN TO NUKE 'EM HIGH VOL. 1, CAESAR & OTTO'S PARANORMAL HALLOWEEN) is definitely channeling Herschell Gordon Lewis in some of the film's more horrifying forays into unrestrained torture-porn gore and depravity.

While we're waiting for such scenes to occur (as they often do), the story focuses on former nudie model Ginny Reilly (Lynn Lowry, THE CRAZIES, THE THEATER BIZARRE, CAT PEOPLE, SHIVERS), who was forced out of the business when skinny models began to replace the more full-figured gals such as herself and who now spends her days as a bitter old crazy lady living alone in a house that doubles as a torture chamber and cannibalistic kitchen for the unsuspecting victims she draws into her evil clutches.

Meanwhile, Debbie Lombardo (fellow scream queen Tiffany Shepis, BONNIE & CLYDE VS. DRACULA, DARK REEL, and LIVE EVIL) and her chubby hubby Sal have moved in next door to Ginny, and in no time Debbie begins to suspect the creepy old lady of being up to no good.  Shepis, who's usually a knockout in her various film roles, seems to enjoy playing a rather non-glamorous part this time and comes off well as the emotionally troubled wife with a little too much time on her hands. 

The supporting cast is dotted with quirky and entertaining characters such as Arnold Winters (Michael Thurber), a strangely birdlike neighbor with a thing for Ginny; a couple of ditzy cheerleaders who make the mistake of being invited into Ginny's lair for tea; Ginny's auto mechanic friend Colin, who also makes the mistake of venturing where he shouldn't; and a hapless door-to-door girl evangelist whose chipper virginity drives Ginny to some of her most unspeakably heinous acts of cackling sadism.

There's also a whole extra element of interest in Ginny's favorite shopping-network show, "Suzi's Secret", which is always on her television.  Suzi (Suzi Lorraine of SCAVENGER KILLERS in an obvious fat suit) extolls overweight women to revel in their largeness and buy her exclusive line of roomy lingerie, while plus-size models such as the grotesque Babette Bombshell (a caricature of Divine, if such a thing is possible) writhes provocatively. 

 

It's Lynn Lowry as Ginny, however, that gives MODEL HUNGER its own special top-shelf spot in the annals of recent horror.  She has a field day as the wilted Southern flower whose veneer of curdled gentility hides an inner psycho just bursting to crack skulls and wreak vengeance upon women, whose youth and beauty she resentfully envies, and men, whom she blames for--well--everything else.

Lowry is nothing less than amazing here, delivering a performance that's literally Oscar-worthy (even though she's got about as much chance of being nominated for it as I do).  The more horrific the scene, the more she seems to draw some terrible kind of energy to transform into one of the most gleefully deranged crazy women the screen has ever seen.

Director Debbie Rochon likewise has no reservations about giving fans of extreme sadism and gore plenty of raw meat to gorge themselves on.   The film isn't always particularly polished but has a rough-hewn, no-holds-barred appeal for anyone who likes undiluted horror exploitation with a twisted sense of humor, and is directed with confidence and a measure of style.

The DVD from WildEye Releasing is in widescreen with 2.0 sound.  No subtitles.  Extras include a director commentary, trailer, a music video, a self-interview by co-star Aurelio Voltaire, a supremely nauseating Babette Bombshell video called "Nasty Nibblin'", deleted scenes with Rochon and Troma honcho Lloyd Kaufman, and an Easter egg featuring an isolated music track by Harry Manfredini of FRIDAY THE 13TH fame.

MODEL HUNGER jumps feet first into the deep end of the super-sicko sadism pool, wallows around to its black heart's content, and entertains us while doing so.  Some of us, that is--others, as previously warned, should stay as far away from Ginny's house as humanly possible or risk fainting dead away like Scarlett O'Hara on a balmy August afternoon. 

Buy it at Amazon.com

 

MODEL HUNGER -- DVD Review by Porfle

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010) -- DVD review by porfle

As with Meir Zarchi's 1978 original, the 2010 remake of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE tells the simple story of a woman named Jennifer Hills who gets savagely gang-raped at her summer home in the country and then goes on a brutal revenge spree against her attackers.  I found the new version somewhat less satisfying as a film, but as an eyeballs-deep wallow in utter, sadistic depravity, it takes the bloody brass ring.

Judging from the "Dukes of Hazzard" accents, the location seems to have been switched from Yankie Land to somewhere way down South, where most of the demented yokels of moviedom seem to live these days.  (Naturally, one of them wears a Confederate flag bandana on his head.)  Another big difference is that Zarchi's film took the time to establish a deceptively tranquil mood before shattering it, with Jennifer's sense of security and well-being robbed along with everything else. 

Here, the music sets an ominous tone right off the bat, and Jennifer (Sarah Butler) is edgy and uncomfortable with her surroundings as soon as she arrives in the remote community.  Johnny the gas pump jockey (Jeff Branson) reveals his crudeness immediately rather than deceiving her with a folksy fascade (which this version of the character would be incapable of doing anyway) and the two start off on bad terms.


In addition to the interchangeable Stanley and Andy characters, the slow-witted Matthew (Chad Lindberg) returns as a plumber who fixes Jennifer's toilet and goes ga-ga when she gives him a friendly peck.  Johnny and company find such provocative behavior intolerable and, as they drool over Stanley's peeping-Tom videos of her, resolve to teach the uppity city gal a lesson while helping their mentally-challenged mascot lose his virginity.

What follows is the nocturnal home invasion which becomes the basis for Jennifer's inevitable revenge, with writer Stuart Morse pulling out all the stops to make these guys as unforgivably reprehensible as possible.  As with Zarchi's film, the sequence is designed to justify the filmmakers' indulgence in extreme violence against the rapists later on.  Still, it lacks the lingering impact and immediacy of the original (not to mention Camille Keaton's searingly realistic performance) and seems almost by-the-numbers, as though the film can't wait to get it over with and fast-forward to the juicy revenge stuff. 

At this point, the remake starts to throw in some new wrinkles, such as the introduction of a not-so-helpful sheriff (Andrew Howard), which makes it easier to judge on its own terms.  In fact, once Jennifer disappears from the film for what turns out to be quite a spell (which, unfortunately, means that we're not nearly as engaged with her character this time around), it's almost a completely different story.  When she finally returns, she has become a hardcore killing machine who stalks and dispatches her prey like a cross between Jason Voorhees and Rube Goldberg.

 
The second half of the original movie is positively sedate compared to this one, which is pretty much a torture porn free-for-all.  The filmmakers go all out to surpass the 1978 version by taking it to a new level that's beyond gratuitous.  "What are the most ghastly things you could do to a guy?" they seem to be thinking.  "Whatever they are, we get to show them, hee-hee, because by gum, these scumbags raped Jennifer!"  As such, the execution scenes are diabolically elaborate and profoundly depraved--so much so, in fact, that you might even start feeling sorry for these guys after awhile.

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.  Subtitles are in English and Spanish.  Extras include a director-producer commentary, a "making of" featurette, deleted scenes, trailers, and a radio spot.

Whether you're rooting for Jennifer or just turned on by this kind of stuff, the cumulative payoff is pretty intense.  If you fit into neither category, then you're probably watching the way wrong movie.  Hard to believe that anything could make the 1978 I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE look like a model of restraint in comparison, but the no-holds-barred (and, let's face it, repulsive) remake manages to do so.  While it fails to surpass the original in some ways, fans of brutal cinematic sadism and extreme gore definitely won't be disappointed. 


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I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010) -- DVD review by porfle

THE BUTCHER -- DVD review by porfle

While watching the 2008 Korean gorefest THE BUTCHER (perhaps "enduring" would be a better word) it kept occuring to me that to enjoy or even tolerate the existence of this film may be a symptom of mental illness. In fact, I'm a little worried about myself just for being able to sit through it.

The goal of director Kim Jin-Won is to approximate as closely as possible the making, and viewing, of an actual snuff film. All of the action, which takes place mostly in an abandoned slaughterhouse, is seen BLAIR WITCH-style through various video cameras that are either wielded by the three homicidal maniacs or mounted on headgear worn by their hapless victims. Most of it is from the POV of Jae hyun, who has been captured along with his wife, Jung yeon, giving us endless panning-around shots of the ceiling, his feet, his wife, etc., as he awaits their fate.

When the first two victims are dragged away to their doom, we watch the hallway for several minutes as we hear them being dispatched with a chainsaw. Then a nondescript middle-aged man who refers to himself as "The Director" and his deranged toady Bong-sik return covered in blood and sit around discussing the artistic merits and marketability of the movie they're making. Eventually Jae hyun and Jung yeon are beaten with hammers and then moved into the killing room for one of the most unbearably horrifying and sadistic sequences imaginable.

As an exercise in cinema verite', THE BUTCHER is crude but effective--we feel as though we're really going through this ordeal along with Jae hyun. Several shots play for minutes at a time as though they're actually happening, the result of what must have been much pre-planning and rehearsal. "The Director" and Bong-sik don't overplay their roles and are convincing, obviously improvising much of their profanity-packed dialogue, and the victims are equally well-portrayed. The main concession to slasher-flick tradition, a hulking brute wearing a pig's head mask and slinging a chainsaw, is a frightening presence.

With its realistic, non-cinematic look and no-holds-barred indulgence in utter depravity, this is torture porn in its purest form. Victims are beaten and raped, fingers are sawed off, entrails are strewn, and, in surely the most sickening shot of the whole movie, a screaming woman's eyeball is gouged out in blood-drenched closeup. All the while, the soundtrack assails the viewer with deafening shrieks and pitiful pleas for mercy along with the roar of the chainsaw.

The DVD from Palisades Tartan Asian Extreme is in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 and a Korean soundtrack with English subtitles. Bonus features include an alternate ending, behind the scenes photos, storyboards, and a trailer.

Does this film succeed in its goal to shock and horrify on a level rarely achieved? Definitely. On the whole, however, THE BUTCHER is without a doubt one of the most unremittingly rancid things I've ever experienced. I can't imagine being entertained by it. Those desperately seeking nothing more than gobs of graphic gore for its own sake may be susceptible to its charms--others beware. James Whale this ain't.

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THE BUTCHER -- DVD review by porfle