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REVIEW – Maximum Overdrive

Christian Sellers — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:55:28 +0000

Having been the author and inspiration for such classics as Carrie, Salem’s Lot and Christine, it was inevitable that one day Stephen King would try his hand at directing. He had, after all, expressed disappointment at Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, so by 1986 the time had come for him to show what he was made of. The the soundtrack of rock legends AC/DC and featuring ‘actor of the moment’ Emilio Estevez (The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire), King’s one and only directorial attempt would be Maximum Overdrive, which would saw machine finally turn against man. Whilst this one-sentence premise may sound reminiscent of James Cameron’s classic The Terminator, the two could not be further apart.

When Earth passes through the tail of a rogue comet, all of the electrical appliances on the planet suddenly develop a life of their own and turn on their masters. After a drawbridge raises unexpectedly, causing severe damage to both cars and passengers, other machines begin to show signs of erratic behaviour: drink dispensers fire out cans like missiles, a diesel nozzle sprays an attendant in the eyes and (in a cameo from the director) an ATM calls an uptight man an ‘asshole.’ As a variety of misfits congregate at a truck stop known as The Dixie Boy, a group of survivors attempt to escape from both the danger inside and the trucks that wait for them outside.

As with 1984’s Repo Man, Estevez once again portrays a rebellious punk from the wrong side of the tracks, although this time he is promoted to the role of hero. Lacking his usual sarcastic charm, his turn as former con Bill Robinson is hardly amongst his most memorable, and sadly there are no other truly likable characters that the audience can side with. Having also taken on duties as director, it seems that King did not put as much effort into his script as he does with his books, as the story is thin on character and suspense. After watching Maximum Overdrive, it seems amusing that he would have the cheek to criticize a master filmmaker such as Kubrick.

Where the movie does score points is with its villain: a menacing truck with a Green Goblin face attached to the front, which sports a Happy Toyz Co. logo on the side (hence the playful design). The truck is truly menacing and stands alongside Cujo as one of King’s most underrated mosters. Unfortunately, the trucks are so effective that when they are not on screen the movie suffers greatly, as almost every other aspect of the film is somewhat mediocre. The special effects are mostly impressive for such a low budget horror (except the visual effects, such as in the games machine room early on in the film), although there is little gore to satisfy the hardcore fans.

Whilst some of the AC/DC songs used are up to their usual standard (released separately as Who Made Who), they often distract from the horror aspects of the movie, unintentionally ruining what should be tense moments. Some of the supporting cast are a little irritating as well, most notably Yeardley Smith (known to fans of The Simpsons as Lisa) and her on-screen husband John Short. Maximum Overdrive is far from King’s best movie and lacks any real character or suspense, but as a mid-’80s flick it is a lot of fun.

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REVIEW – Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Christian Sellers — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:34:43 +0000

Whilst claims that Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is a feminist movie seem a little inaccurate, there is no denying that exploitation king Russ Meyer loved women. Boasting big attitude and bigger cleavage, his output during the sixties and seventies help establish the nudie cuties and provide young actresses with more prominent roles. No longer were they the defenceless damsels-in-distress that cinema had them pigeonholed as for over half a century, instead they were mean, they were sexy and they were deadly. After making his directorial debut in his late twenties with a short documentary called The French Peep Show in 1950, Meyer’s first major breakthrough came with Fanny Hill fourteen years later. But, following on from the cult classic Mudhoney, Meyer became a household name with his undisputed classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, a film that celebrated women’s independence whilst still exploitation breasts and man’s desire for them.

Varla (Tura Satana), Billie (Lori Williams) and Rosie (Haji) are three sexy young vixens who work as go-go dancers in a sleazy bar. For kicks, they head out into the desert and begin drag racing, before coming across a cocky driver (Ray Barlow) and his timid girlfriend (Susan Bernard). The girls challenge him to a race before Varla pounces and kills him. They then take the girl hostage and take refuge at an isolated ranch, where they are taken in by an old man (Stuart Lancaster) and his two sons. Varla decides that they should rob their hosts but soon friction comes between the girls and men finally decide to fight back.

One of Meyer’s last efforts before changing from black and white to colour, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is a stylish and gritty exploitation flick that boasts very little in the way of plot but would still become a huge influence on independent filmmakers. Shot on a budget of just $45,000 in the Californian desert, this would prove to be the most popular movie of Meyer’s career, despite such hits as Vixen!, Cherry, Harry & Raquel! and Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens soon following. The cinematography by Walter Schenk is impressive considering the conditions that the movie was shot under and the score by Paul Sawtell (who had previously worked on The Fly and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) is very effective.

Whilst the cast were for the most part inexperienced (Williams had enjoyed several minor roles alongside Elvis Presley), the three principals add an element of sex and danger to the proceedings. The role of Varla would transform Satana into a cult star and sex symbol and it is clear to see why, as her turn in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is intimidating and unpredictable. Although only sixteen at the time, Bernard is also impressive as the kidnap victim, often intimidated by the older women. The males on the other hand are feeble and underdeveloped, but Meyer has never expressed much interest in exploring the nature of men and these are present only to cause a conflict for the females.

If Meyer is remembered for anything it is the big breasts that populate his movies and this is evident with his three protagonists, particularly Satana, who looks in danger on several occasions of coming loose from her top. The fact that these well-endowed beauties are able to fight, hunt and kill to defend themselves from men has prompted many critics to praise their strength, often causing them to overlook the fact that, whilst they are far from the usual weak females portrayed in action movies, they are still designed in a way that is catering to the male audience’s lustful obsession with breasts.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! may not be for all tastes: it’s paper-thin plot (co-written by Jack Moran) serves little purpose except to take the girls from one action-packed set piece to another, and makes little attempt to explore any of the characters except in the most superficial way. The men are dumb and easily fooled and the women are sexy and tough as nails. But it is not Meyer’s intention to make any deep statement with the movie; it is a cheap exploitation flick full of cleavage, cars and fistfights. And for those that find this type of film entertaining then Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is tough to beat. For all its flaws, it’s a camp and sexy classic that showed a shameless filmmaker at the top of his game and introduced audiences to the siren that is Tura Satana.

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REVIEW – Killer Car

Christian Sellers — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:11:08 +0000

Along with Jesus Franco, cult French director Jean Rollin is one of the most overrated filmmakers in horror history. His movies are often banal, ridiculous, boring, incoherent and tedious, lacking any real redeeming features and serve as a reminder as to why the horror genre is given such a negative response from the majority of critics. Clearly seeing himself as something of an auteur, Rollin’s work lacks any kind of credibility or style and each of his movies have the appearance of a first-time filmmaker. Yet somehow he has built up a loyal fan base over the years and lovers of European trash cinema seem to hold him in high regard. His lack of talent even outshines Joe D’Amato, who would at least substitute his lack of style with excessive violence and nudity. Instead, Rollin’s output is childish, boring and pointless.

A strange Asian woman (Anissa Berkani-Rohmer) appears in a scrap yard and begins to take interest in one of the cars. Meanwhile, the sleazy owner is inside harassing a young girl when he notices the figure outside. He heads over to her but suddenly she begins to strip, showing him her breasts, before pulling out a gun and shooting him dead. The girl hears the shots and picks up a gun nearby, running outside and shooting at the Asian woman as she drives away in the car. Soon afterwards, the girl is at a fairground with her friends when the woman reappears and begins to shoot at them, despite the girl having no reason why. The Asian woman seems intent on killing everyone she comes across without ever giving a reason.

Avoiding giving away any kind of motive at the beginning of the film does not add any kind of interesting ambiguity but instead highlights Rollin’s lack of talent as both a storyteller and filmmaker. He never allows for his characters to be fleshed out and so each death comes with very little emotional impact. The senseless killings that open the movie fail to shock as they were intended and instead become tedious, particularly as each time one of the women fires their gun it looks like a student film where the sound effects were added afterwards and no bullet holes appear. The so-called action sequences are poorly executed and the film offers no kind of tension or intelligence.

Failing to understand that an effective horror film requires character, set up, tension, intelligence and pace Rollin fills the screen with pointless nudity (of women who really should be keeping their clothes on). His other downfall is his insistence to move from one shootout to another without properly establishing the new characters beforehand. This makes it impossible for the viewer to care about their fates and so each scene becomes monotonous and ‘filler’ until the next death. Whilst a horror movie or a thriller should not have to rely on special effects or gore, everything else about the movie is so tedious and poorly realized that at least some inventive deaths would have given the film at least one merit. Sadly, however, it lacks even that.

Rollin had become a cult favourite in his native France after a string of irritating vampire films that began with the success of Le viol du vampire (Queen of the Vampires) in 1968. For the next four decades, he has continued to subject his audiences to one disappointment after another – a string of stupid and generic horror films that managed to draw in the public due to their promises of sex and violence. Killing Car (also known as La femme dangereuse in its native country) came long after Rollin’s lucky streak had become to an end and the public had lost interest in simple sleaze (the Italian movie industry had also become to a standstill by this point), and so it almost seems that Rollin has given up even trying anymore.

It is hard to believe that Killing Car was made by a thirty year veteran of the industry. It has all the telltale signs of a first-time filmmaker or, even worse, a film student. There is nothing at all that redeems this movie: the cinematography is flat, the music is minimal and generic, both the script and direction are amateur and the acting is laughable. Rollin clearly became such a success because he appeared at a time when the French film industry needed something a little more excessive, but just how he became so popular remains a mystery. As with his Spanish counterpart Franco, he has yet to make a truly great film and instead has made a career out of producing boring movies. And that is his greatest crime – he is boring.

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REVIEW – The Hitcher

Christian Sellers — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:36:34 +0000

What Steven Spielberg’s Duel did for driving through the desert, Robert Harmon’s The Hitcher did for picking up strangers. Taking elements from road movies, slashers and even The Terminator, Rutger Hauer’s crazed antagonist was an unstoppable killing machine, intent on challenging the young hero to defend himself and defeat him. Supposedly inspired by The Doors track Riders on the Storm (which contained the lyrics ‘There’s a killer on the road, his brain is squirming like a toad, take a long holiday, let your children play, if you give this man a ride sweet family will die,’ something that is echoed during one scene when the hero finds the aftermath of Hauer’s journey with a family), The Hitcher portrayed its villain as an emotionless monster, whose motives for his violence is an attempt to make the young man fight back. During the opening scene, when he asks Hauer what he wants, his response is ‘I want you to stop me.’

Having been paid to drive a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) begins to fall asleep at the wheel. Noticing a figure thumbing for a ride in the rain, he decides the company should keep him awake. The stranger identifies himself as John Ryder (Hauer), a middle aged man who immediately intimidates Jim, even threatening to kill him. When Jim manages to kick him out of the car he thinks the ordeal is over, but the following morning he sees Ryder travelling with a family. After trying to clear his name of the murders with the police, Jim is then stalked by Ryder, who makes no attempt to kill him but instead pushes him as far as he can. But when kindhearted waitress Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) makes the mistake of helping Jim, she becomes Ryder’s only leverage against him, forcing him to finally stand up for himself.

Taking its cue from the endless slew of slasher films that had filled the drive-ins just a few years earlier, The Hitcher replaces the mask killer with one who has no identity. Hauer’s character is referred to as John Ryder but the police are unsure if that is even his real name, and no details of him past are ever revealed. In some respects, Ryder is much like the shark in Jaws, intent on catching its prey at all costs, whilst Jim tries his best to stop more innocent being slaughtered. The emptiness of the desert and the lack of police officers in the local station further emphasize how alone Jim is and how he can rely on no one but himself. He must come of age and become a man if he is to survive. Whilst he spends the majority of the movie merely running from Ryder, once Nash becomes a casualty he instead hunts down Ryder to claim his revenge. Essentially, Ryder finally gets what he asked for in the beginning and is the true winner (Davind Fincher tried something similar with his serial killer flickSe7en).

Hauer had already played a robot in Ridley Scott’s science fiction classic Blade Runner and had portrayed a variety of sleazy roles, and in many ways Ryder would be a combination of these. His relentless pursuit of Jim is reminiscent of Yul Brynner’s android gunslinger in Westworld, whilst his siege on the police station echoes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s massacre in The Terminator. Ryder is by far Hauer’s most effective role: highly intelligent yet calculating and psychotic. Without saying anything, he manages to unnerve the viewer and once he begins to talk his words are savage and to the point. Although there is little dialogue for Ryder, it is Hauer’s gift for menacing gestures and his sinister eyes that reveal his true intentions, even before he tells Jim that he is a killer.

Howell as Jim is also an interesting performance, beginning the story as an insecure and non-violent kid before being pushed by Ryder to become a monster himself. The focus of the movie is his character’s transition from hunted to hunter, with the death of Nash being the catalyst that finally makes his give into Ryder’s game and come after him. Playing the role with wide-eyed innocence and slowly transforming into the reluctant hero who picks up a gun and declares war in the name of justice, Howell managed to keep up the pace with his co-star and the two perform well together. Leigh adds likeable support as he tragic Nash, whom it is at first hinted that she would become the heroine (Sarah Connor to Howell’s Reese if The Terminator is still a comparison), before proving to be the final victim.

The Hitcher successfully avoided being a product of its time and has managed to age surprisingly well, which makes the Platinum Dunes remake all the more redundant. Without contemporary music, obvious ’80s fashion or any pop culture references, the film is not trapped in its era and thanks to Harmon’s direction the movie still looks fresh and stylish. Eric Red’s simple-yet-effective script is strong on character and pace and avoids becoming too overblown or comical, instead focusing on Hauer’s never-ending pursuit of his young victim. The Hitcher was by far one of the best thrillers of the decade, avoiding unnecessary subplots or ‘filler’ scenes and instead keeping the action coming fast. Definitely a classic!

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REVIEW – Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

Christian Sellers — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:49:25 +0000

George Miller’s breakthrough movie Mad Max became an unexpected success when it was released in 1979 and transformed its lead actor, Mel Gibson, into a huge star. Its performance at the box office and critical reaction prompted the filmmakers to return to the character just two years later, expanding the post-apocalyptic road movie element and cyberpunk aesthetics and creating a shameless action flick that saw its protagonist fending for himself in the baron Australian wastelands, fighting off pillagers and bandits in much the same way as Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man with No Name’ had done in the old spaghetti westerns. For he was not a hero, he had no desire to save the world or even himself, he just travelled the landscape, feeding off the remains of others’ misfortunes like a vulture.

It has been some years since Max Rockatansky (Gibson) lost his family to a gang of dangerous punks and he has since become a soulless shell of a man. The world too has crumbed and decayed, with fuel being so scarce that those with automobiles are willing to kill for it. The governments had failed their citizens and law and order had ceased to be, the only justice man knows now is frontier law. After facing off against the deadly Wez (Vernon Wells), Max continues on his never-ending journey and eventually strikes up an unintentional bond with a pilot (Bruce Spence), who lead him out to an oil refinery. Soon finding himself in a makeshift city run by Papagallo (Michael Preston), Max is forced to return to the refinery in order to gather enough fuel to allow the settlers the chance to escape.

Whilst at the heart of Mad Max had been his relationship with his wife and child, proving Max to be a family man, in The Road Warrior the essence is a Sergio Leone-style western. Max has no desire to put his life at risk in order to save others and has no bonds or loyalty to any other man. Gibson portrays him as an empty vessel, who continues to run like a machine, despite his heart having long since died. The emptiness of the Australian outback is mirrored by Max himself, as both are desolate and almost devoid of life. Whilst Mad Max was a vigilante thriller, in much the same way as Death Wish or Rolling Thunder, The Road Warrior sees its ‘hero’ in the wild west of Australia, battling modern day outlaws.

The prologue to the movie is narrated by a character who had once known Max. He informs the viewer that this story takes place sometime after the breakdown of society, where man turned against man and all that remained were a few remnants of civilization. From there, the action is told from the point-of-view of a character credited as the Feral Kid (Emil Minty), a young-yet-ruthless adolescent whose narration as an adult both opens and closes the story. Whereas in the previous film Max had begun as a warm-hearted and loving husband, only for everything that he cherished to be taken away from him, The Road Warrior shows him portraying as little humanity as those so-called monsters that he fights. He has no quest now that everyone he loved has died, instead he is just killing time until he dies himself.

The villains themselves are pure punk: bleach blonde hair, Mohawks and leather. Their leader is Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson), whose features are obscured behind an old hockey-style mask (one year before Jason Voorhees donned a similar image). Like all masters, he does very little himself, instead relying on his henchmen to carry out his evil deeds. Instead, he merely sits at the back of the pack and shouts out his orders whilst his men risk their lives. They too have no real purpose, except to rape and murder their way across the country, killing for both fuel and pleasure. They are even more exaggerated than those of the first film, becoming almost cartoon-like with their flamboyant gestures and over-the-top violence.

The Road Warrior is pure exploitation, with the fast car chases and larger than life villains taking precedence over any real story or character. The action sequences are impressive, particularly for a movie that was shot on a relatively low budget. Various stunts and explosions keep the viewer from losing interest and the stunning cinematography from Dean Semler (who would later shoot the Outback horror Razorback) shows the landscape in all its deadly beauty. Gibson’s performance is subtle and broody and plays well against the more camp turns of his co-stars. Whilst it is debatable whether or not The Road Warrior is superior to Mad Max, it is one of the finest movies of its era and far more stylish and enjoyable than its follow up, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

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REVIEW – The Exterminator

Christian Sellers — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:53:30 +0000

Way back in the late 1970s and early ’80s vigilantes were all the rage. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Death Wish, Rolling Thunder and Mad Max was James Glickenhaus’ 1980 thriller The Exterminator. Starring Robert Ginty (who sadly passed away this year), Samantha Eggar and genre favourite Christopher George (City of the Living Dead), the movie became notorious for its graphic violence and gritty realism and would soon develop a cult following. In part inspired by the treatment of his friends who had returned from Vietnam only to fight a personal war at home, Glickenhaus portrayed a New York plagued by crime and poverty, the same sleazy city that had been shown in Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver and William Lustig’ Maniac. Despite being followed by a disappointing sequel (directed by Mark Buntzman, who produced the original), The Exterminator has received mixed reviews over the years but has since been re-evaluated as a classic of the genre.

John Eastland (Ginty) was witness to all kinds of atrocities in Vietnam, including being captured by the sadistic Viet Cong and being forced to watch as one of his friends was beheaded. Having survived the ordeal and returned home, John is still haunted by the memories of the war and what he had witnessed. Working at a food warehouse with Michael Jefferson (Steve James), whom he had fought alongside in Vietnam, John’s life seems empty. But when they fall foul of a local gang called the Ghetto Ghouls, Michael is severely beaten and left paralysed. After taking revenge of those responsible, John decides that he is going to clean up the streets of New York, targeting everyone from pimps to corrupt politicians. Detective James Dalton (George) is placed in charge of apprehending the vigilante before more people are killed.

In 1980, America was still recovering from the Vietnam War and those who had fought were left disturbed by what they had been forced to do. But when returning back home, many were greeted with hostility due to the graphic footage that the media had broadcast, depicting soldiers abusing innocent civilians and executing them. Those who had felt that they had done the right thing by fighting for their country suddenly felt confused, unsure of why they were sent overseas and why they have been treated like the enemy by their own neighbours. Two years before Sylvester Stallone was forced to face a similar predicament as John Rambo in First Blood, Glickenhaus explored the effects of the war with The Exterminator.

Ginty’s ‘every man’ performance as John is what keeps the movie from becoming a ridiculous parody, much like the later Rambo movie would be reduced to. Directionless and working in a menial job, his character clearly feels disillusioned by his life post-Vietnam. Along with his best friend and former army buddy, John tries to make sense of what he had experienced in the war. Instead of casting a macho action hero, Glickenhaus’ decision to give the role to an actor such as Ginty was an inspired move, as he portrays John as a working class, law-abiding citizen that is forced to revert to his killing instinct when pushed too far. Despite taking pleasure in punishing those who hurt his friend, he seems conflicted over his violent nature, much like many war veterans are.

George gives like usual likable support as the token cop assigned to bring him down. Despite lacking any real kind of range as an actor, he had a charisma that makes his characters engaging and sympathetic (he would once again play a cop in the 1982 slasher Pieces). Although the movie could hardly be described as a splatter film, there are a few money shots that are guaranteed to satisfy gore fans, most notably the decapitation that opens the flick. The special effects for that sequence were provided by legendary makeup artist Stan Winston, shortly before becoming the leading figure in his field. This scene gave the film a level of notoriety and helped to sell tickets, being released just as the slasher boom was about to commence.

Some of the acting on display is a little amateur and the movie does drag in places, unable to keep the pace after such a shocking opening. The promotional poster (which boasted a man in a motorcycle helmet, brandishing a flamethrower) helped to sell tickets but was a little misleading, as this gave the impression that The Exterminator was going to be a straightforward horror flick. Unsure of whether or not it wants to be a serious statement on the effects of the war on veterans or a simple thriller, the film never quite manages to reach its full potential. But, on the whole, The Exterminator is a curious piece and proves to be an above-average vigilante movie that serves its purpose well.

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REVIEW – Mutant

Christian Sellers — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:00:41 +0000

The arena for low budget filmmaking was so vast during the 1980s that the drive-ins became awash with countless cheap productions: some exceeding their limitations whilst others worthy of nothing more than a bargain bin. One above average was Night Shadows, also known as Mutant, which was released with little fanfare in 1984 and was lost amongst the never-ending slew of slashers and zombie flicks that populated the genre at that time. With the production value of a TV movie and a relatively talented cast (including newcomer Wings Hauser and veteran Bo Hopkins) would help lift it above many dire efforts of the era, the movie has failed to find its audience and remains a lost cult curiosity. Although it certainly wasn’t a classic and was hardly original, there is something about Mutant that makes it entertaining.

Two brothers, Josh (Hauser) and Mike Cameron (Lee Montgomery), make their way through the country when they are accosted and run off the road by a gang of abusive locals, lead by obnoxious redneck Albert (Mark Clement). Unable to start their car, they hitchhike a ride into a nearby town, where they are immediately greeted with hostility. Making their way to a bar, Mike finds a dead body but before they are able to call the police the gang reappear and order them out of town. They are saved at the last moment by Sheriff Stewart (Hopkins), who also finds the residents hostile after having moved back from the city. With Mike injured and their car in need of repairs, they are forced to spend the night at a guest house owned by Mrs. Mapes (Mary Nell Santacroce), but Mike falls foul of a strange beast on the first night and Josh wakes up to find himself alone and in danger.

Mutant was originally to have been the sophomore effort of Mark Rosman, fresh from the modest success of his cult slasher The House on Sorority Row, but for reasons unknown was eventually replaced by John ‘Bud’ Cardos, a former actor (he had appeared in the likes of Blood of Dracula’s Castle and Satan’s Sadists) who had made his directorial debut in 1970 with The Red, White, and Black. Based on a story by John C. Kruize and co-written with Peter Z. Orton (two names unfamiliar to anyone), Mutant comes across as an episode of an entertaining television show like The Twilight Zone or The X-Files. All the clichés are present and correct for a ‘fish out of water’ horror (naïve city slickers, drunken cop, violence rednecks) but are executed with relative style.

How much of the movie was actually shot by Rosman is unclear, yet for a film obviously besieged by behind-the-scenes issues, Mutant is fairly coherent. Whilst it is far from scary or original, the film is so inoffensive and eager to please that as mindless entertainment it manages to succeed. The acting is above average, with Hauser proving to be a likable lead, whilst Hopkins chews the scenery as the drunken sheriff who is forced to pull himself together if he is to save his town from some strange and seemingly unstoppable evil. Clement is suitably obnoxious as the narrow-minded thug who doesn’t take too kindly to strangers in these parts, mocking the young strangers and telling them to return to their condos in the city.

The eye candy is provided by Jody Medford, who had previously co-starred alongside Linda Blair as Blue Eyes in the women-in-chains flick Chained Heat. Santacroce provides strong support as the sweet old lady who is hiding a dark secret, whilst Montgomery’s brief role showed him to be a likeable actor. Empire regular Richard Band gives a rather generic score (he was, after all, the one responsible for the camp Psycho-stealing soundtrack to Stuart Gordon’s excellent zombie flick Re-animator), but it hits all the right notes and does not distract from the action. The basement special effects were provided by Paul Stewart, who had previously worked on the opening sequence to The Exterminator and, ironically, Twilight Zone: The Movie. Wisely, the director chooses to keep the monsters in the dark and rely more on tension than effects.

Mutant is hardly the kind of movie that commands a strong fan base – it lacks originality, plays its horror safe and fails to deliver on both gore and nudity – yet there is something likeable about it. The highlight is certainly the Assault on Precinct 13/Rio Bravo-style climax in which Hauser is fighting against an invading force as all Hell breaks loose. Both Josh and Stewart are characters that you can’t help but root for and want them to succeed, whilst Clement plays the redneck trash role to perfection. Although Cardos’ career as a director would remain relatively uneventful (a string of straight-to-video disappointments such as Outlaw of Gor and Legends of the West), Mutant remains an above-average low budget monster movie that kills ninety minutes with very few brain cells needed.

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REVIEW – Basket Case

Christian Sellers — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:38:50 +0000

The success of The Last House on the Left and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the mid-1970s convinced many young wannabe filmmakers that with just a camera, a few thousand dollars and no studio support they could produce movies that had a chance of being picked up by distributors and make a modest profit. It didn’t make long for other independents to follow and soon the exploitation market was awash with all manner of low budget affairs: ranging from the stylish and unique (Halloween, Phantasm) to the downright ludicrous and atrocious (The Dorm That Dripped Blood). Sandwiched somewhere in between was Basket Case, the grindhouse debut of New Yorker Frank Henenlotter that became something of a cult favourite upon its release in 1982.

Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck), an awkward young man, arrives in Times Square carrying nothing but a wicker basket, and checks into a sleazy motel full of pimps, hookers and dealers. Inside the basket is his hideously deformed Siamese twin Belial, who was forcibly separated from him when they were younger and cast away, allowing the ‘human’ Duane to lead normal life. Yet the bond between the two brothers is much stronger than his parents had anticipated and Belial is saved from the trash, prompting the twins to travel to New York to search for the doctors who had been responsible for the operation. One-by-one, they hunt down each doctor and Belial brutally slaughters them, but the situation becomes more complicated when Duane becomes involved with Sharon (Terri Susan Smith), one of the secretaries, causing Belial to launch into a jealous rage that threatens to expose their secret.

Basket Case portrays New York as the same kind of sleazy cesspit that previously been exploited by Martin Scorcese in Taxi Driver, William Lustig in Maniac and Romano Scavolini in Nightmare (more commonly known as Nightmare in a Damaged Brain). This is a city that has lost itself and is populated by soulless filth that drink and screw their lives away. The motel that Duane resides at is full of prostitutes (one of whom attempts to befriend our ‘hero’) and even the manager is an obnoxious and disgusting grunt. Whilst Belial is most certainly the monster, it is debatably just who is the least human: an angry deformed teenager who is frustrated at being rejected by the world, or those that could have made something of their lives but chose not to.

Due to the extremely low budget, the majority of the action takes place in a single room, with Duane and his brother arguing telepathically (the only noises that Belial makes are painful groans). Various scenes are shot around New York (including Glens Falls and several locations in and around Manhattan), but these are necessary in order for the brothers to find each doctor, whilst Duane attempts to spend some quality time alone with his new love interest, away from the prying eyes of Belial. Times Square itself is a major location, with its neon signs and sleaze adding an element to the movie that helps make the film look more interesting. The hotel itself (in reality the Welfare Hotel in Times Square) is extremely unpleasant and shows that not only are the twins alienated from society but that every other citizen are also alienated from each other.

The acting ranges from average to amateur, but Henenlotter regular Van Hentenryck manages to carry the film as the deranged protagonist, a role he would not only reprise in both sequels but also for a cameo in Henenlotter’s 1988 flick Brain Damage. Another actor to regularly collaborate with the director was Beverly Bonner, who would not only co-star in the aforementioned films but also his 1990 splatter comedy Frankenhooker. The remaining cast consists largely of first-timers who would opt not to continue with their acting career afterwards, with Henenlotter even taking an uncredited cameo as a customer in the theatre. Although shot with little money, the director was helped by cinematographer Bruce Torbet, who had previously filmed the 1967 documentary Superartist about cult artist Andy Warhol. Torbet would later appear in the outrageous flick Street Trash, which marked the only directing credit for renowned steadicam operator J. Michael Muro (who acted as a sound assistant here).

The special effects are mostly impressive, with Belial being an inspired and well-realised creation. The majority of the effects were created by John Caglione Jr. (Friday the 13th Part 2) and Kevin Haney, both of who would later collaborate on the likes of Amityville 3-D, C.H.U.D. and Poltergeist III. Whilst the stop motion is less effective than the prosthetics (which, thankfully, is used sparingly), the creature still has more character than most CGI creations. Basket Case is far from perfect – it is uneven, a little dated and even drags at times – yet its restrictions sometimes work in its favour. Whilst the sequels would be on a much larger scope, it’s the isolation of this movie that makes it work, with Duane mostly locked away in a small room. Although there was certainly room for improvement, Basket Case is an entertaining little film that belongs in any horror fan’s collection.

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REVIEW – Shogun Assassin

Christian Sellers — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:44:56 +0000

The existence of Japanese samurai movies broke into western pop culture during the 1970s but it was the release of 1980’s Shogun Assassin that they enjoyed mainstream success. Having starred as Bobby, the innocent city slicker forced to turn into a monster to defend himself from a clan of inbred cannibals, in Wes Craven’s low budget shocker The Hills Have Eyes, Robert Houston soon joined forces with former Andy Warhol collaborator David Weisman on Shugun Assassin, a condensed version of two Japenese classics aimed at the American market. Having obtained the rights from Toho Studios, the pair had decided to take footage from two movies – Kozure ?kami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru (Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance) and Kozure ?kami: Sanzu no kawa no ubaguruma (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx) – and assemble them together to create a brand new Samari feature. Shogun Assassin would not only become a cult classic but would also become banned in several countries due to its excessive violence and gore.

With the Shogun having grown increasingly paranoid by the talents of his most trusted executioner, Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama), he orders the murder of his wife. With Ogami betrayed and having lost his love one, he sets out on a path of vengeance. Allowing his son, Daigoro (Masahiro Tomikawa), the choice of either accompanying him on his journey or lying down his with mother, Ogami swears that he will hunt down the Shogun and kill him where he stands. With the seemingly innocent Daigoro in what appears to be nothing more than a child’s cart, what their enemy do not know is that it is loaded with weapons as well as razor-sharp blades that stick out of the wheels, slicing off the feet of their opponents. Nothing will stop Ogami and Daigoro from claiming their revenge.

Shogun Assassin works more as a greatest hits of Lone Wolf and Cub franchise, taking footage from two of the movies and adapting them into a feature aimed at the western market. To this end, perhaps it is unfair to credit Houston as the director, as his job was more as the editor, combining the most impressive footage from Kenji Misumi’s Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx to create a fast paced revenge flick that Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 clearly owed a debt to. The story is minimal and instead the film jumps from one sword fight to another, with Wakayama slicing his way through a succession of ninjas and soldiers. The films in which Shogun Assassin takes its material from were based on a series of illustrated books entitled Kozure ?kami (Lone Wolf and Cub) by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima that was first published in 1970, with the first movie following two years later.

As ‘Lone Wolf, Assassin With Son,’ Wakayama gives a suitably empty performance, with the death of his wife resulting in him being an emotionless killing machine, working as an assassin-for-hire as he continues his quest to destroy the shogun. The action sequences are well orchestrated, with Wakayama’s physical performance making up for his lack of personality. His moves during the sword fights are extremely quick and without hesitation, proving him to be almost unstoppable. In some ways, the movie plays out like a western, with Wakayama being the antihero cowboy on his quest to claim revenge from the evil landowner. Throughout his quest, he must constantly fight renegade cowboys who have been sent out to claim the bounty, although with the case of this movie they are ninjas.

With Houston and Weisman having taken the footage, condensed it and adapted it into their own narrative, they have forged a story that is low on character, dialogue and exposition but high on body count, blood and action. Brief eye candy is provided by Kayo Matsuo (whose character in Baby Cart at the River Styx was called Yagyu Sayaka), who appears as the Supreme Ninja whom the assassin must duel. The most memorable (and celebrated) aspect of the movie, however, is the sequence in which Wakayama pushes his child’s pram down a hill as blades appear from the wheels, slicing off the feet of their enemies. It is an original and gruesome touch that gives the film some style and keeps the blood-thirsty viewers entertained.

To celebrate or criticize Shogun Assassin, equal praise should be given to Misumi’s series of movies, which are the backbone to Houston’s story. The screenplay may lack depth and fail to really expand its themes but the visuals keep the action flowing. It is no surprise that the film was banned in the United Kingdom during the era of the ‘video nasties’ (although it would not be considered one itself) due to the excessive violence on display. With a brief running time of eighty minutes, the film is smart enough not to outstay its welcome (condensing two stories that ran at a total of one hundred and sixty four) and keeps the sections in between the action as brief as possible. Fans of samurai and splatter will find plenty to enjoy with Shogun Assassin.

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REVIEW – Assault on Precinct 13

Christian Sellers — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:53:20 +0000

Before introducing the world to Michael Myers and Snake Plissken, cult filmmaker John Carpenter had first entered the film industry with his student sci-fi spoof Dark Star. For his studio debut, he reworked Howard Hawks’ western classic Rio Bravo into an urban thriller that would first showcase his obsession with the John Wayne-style antihero. Predating Escape from New York’s Plissken, Big Trouble in Little China’s Jack Burton and They Live’s Nada by a decade, Carpenter’s first example of a likeable villain came in the form of Darwin Joston’s Napoleon Wilson; a dangerous convict on his way a maximum security prison, who is forced to team up with an inexperienced cop (Austin Stoker) when a police station comes under fire from a crazed street gang. Many of Carpenter’s most successful features have their roots somewhere in Assault on Precinct 13 and over three decades later it has still remained a favourite amongst fans.

After a brutal shootout between the LAPD and members of Street Thunder results in the gang being slaughtered, their comrades take to the streets out of South Central to take vengeance against the city. After the senseless shooting of a child, the father manages to kill the gunman before taking refuge at a police station that is hours away from being closed down. Further trouble occurs when a truck taking prisoners to jail is forced to make an unscheduled stop when one of the inmates falls ill. But when the gang wage war against the father and everyone else in the building, Lieutenant Bishop (Stoker) attempts to lead the crew of cops and crooks (including the infamous Wilson) against the invading force.

So many themes and ideas that would later become staples of a ‘John Carpenter’ film first originated with Assault on Precinct 13. Here we had the ultimate Hawks antihero with Joston’s Wilson, a cool-as-ice rugged villain who, despite all his flaws, still lives by a set of morals and understands the true meaning of loyalty and friendship. His constant request of ‘Got a smoke?’ is later echoed by Plissken in Escape from New York, whose performance also resembles a mix between John Wayne and Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man with no name.’ Wilson himself would later become the template for Ice Cube’s Desolation Williams in Carpenter’s semi-remake Ghosts of Mars almost thirty years later.

Wilson’s opposition is Bishop, a decent and hardworking cop who has been relocated to Precinct 9, Division 13 to oversee the closure of the station. Following in the footsteps of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, Carpenter presents us with a strong black hero who avoids the usual racial clichés and proves to be a more than capable hero. Together, Bishop and Wilson form an unlikely bond that becomes the heart of the movie, along with the assistance of levelheaded secretary Leigh (Laurie Zimmer), who manages to hold her own against two macho males. Sadly, the remaining central female character, portrayed by Halloween’s Nancy Loomis, lacks any kind of depth or courage and proves to be the generic hysterical damsel-in-distress.

Assault on Precinct 13 (originally shot under the title Siege) would showcase Carpenter’s multitalented charms, ranging from writing and directing to composing the score. Eventually becoming a cult classic in its own right, the soundtrack was an atmospheric electronic piece that, whilst adding to the charm of the movie, would become too repetitive and overused by the final credits. Douglas Knapp’s cinematography (who had also worked with the director on Dark Star) would add a gritty realism to the look of the film and help raise the movie above its meager $150,000 budget. Carpenter would also choose to edit the movie himself, although he would credit himself under the alias John T. Chance (after Wayne’s character in Rio Bravo).

It is amazing how well Assault on Precinct 13 has aged in the thirty-three years since its release. Proving to be as mindlessly entertaining as Escape from New York and as suspenseful as Halloween, Carpenter’s official debut still stands as one of his finest movies and runs circles around the bid budget remake with ease. Whilst it shows a filmmaker still learning the ropes and discovering his own talents, it is an amazing piece of cinema and an enjoyable slice of 1970s exploitation, in much the same way as Walter Hill’s The Warriors would be several years later. Whilst the following decade would prove to be his most successful, there was something about Carpenter’s early work that seemed fresh, fun and adventurous.

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