Review: Cut - 2000

There’s a low budget horror movie being made. At least until the film’s director get killed. She’s murdered on the set and the actor playing the killer also dies. After this the film seems to be cursed and every time someone tries to finish it someone dies. Now a group of students are about to give it another try. They convince the original films star to once again appear in the film and goes to the original location for their completion shots. It doesn’t take too long before people starts to die… Writing the above made me think a bit of A Return to Horror High even if the comparison is truly unjust. I also get vibes from one of the Urban Legend films, can’t remember which though, probably the second one. I think this is supposed to be silly though, it’s a comedy first and a horror/thriller after that. It works but it’s no masterpiece. Kylie Minogue is in it and that’s about as fun as it gets. Yeah, and Molly Ringwald does a real diva bitching part too!

4/10

Review: Unspeakable - 2000

Unspeakable

Director: Chad Ferrin

2000

Horror

James and Alice doesn’t have a great relationship and it doesn’t get better when they’re in a car accident, leaving her crippled and their daughter dead. James grief has no end and Alice, well… she’s more or less a vegetable. That doesn’t mean that she’s not sexually molested by her nurse – she is! In the worst possible way! James on the other hand goes out and meets up with some hookers to take out his frustration on. Soon we learn that he had a more than normal relationship with the daughter and that it might be the reason for the lousy relationship with Alice.

This might very well be the most demented film I’ve ever seen! The character clearly do unspeakable things to shock us and the script is so twisted it’s hard to believe that it wasn’t written by a lunatic imprisoned in the quiet room. It’s Chad Ferrins first feature film. Whom I have reviewed once before – Easter Bunny Kill! Kill! which was made after this. They have a lot in common and the development as a filmmaker is obvious.

The actors are awful. Well, most of them anyway. Some of the smaller parts are in fact decent but what does that help when the main actors suck? But I can live with that, the main thing about it is the sickness and the madness the main character goes through. You could say it’s more of a portrait of metal sickness than a horror movie. But there are lots of death scenes where people die violently and the dementia helps to make this a very wicked film.

To fill things up besides the main story there is also a part of the film about a pimp and drug dealer. He loses some of his girls which turn up murdered (by James). But that’s just a minor thing. The main story about James is more in the style of Driller Killer or so where the murderer really snaps and can’t deal with reality anymore!

As I said it’s very demented and I could have left the review saying that since it’s the most describing word for the entire film! But is it entertaining? Well, I wouldn’t see it again in quite a while. There’s quite a lot of blood but the feel of it is a bit to amateurish for me at this time. Yet I can’t let go of it, my thoughts keep returning to it and I ask myself what’s really attracting with it. Beats me… Strange feeling. But it is dirty and the title really says it all – it’s unspeakable!

Images: © 2000 Crappy World Films © 2011 Cine du Monde (UK Licence)

Review: 7 Days to Live - 2000

This is a rather effective suspenseful horror flick. It reminds me of classics like The Shining, Poltergeist and perhaps The Amityville Horror too. Amanda Plummer does a good job in one of the leading parts, especially when she characterizes insanity. Because it’s not certain that it’s about insanity at all but many classic details are part of the story. A lost child, a new place, a relationship about to break down and attempts to start over again despite the hard times are all parts of the story. It can just as well be a ghost story and what’s charming about it is that you can’t really say until it’s over. Pretty exciting! Sean Pertwee as the husband is equally good and when they act together and shows the relationship and the trouble within the film is at its best. The characters are believable and I don’t think that’s very common where flicks about haunted houses is concerned.

7/10

Review: Scrapbook - 2000

Scrapbook
Director: Eric Stanze

2000
Drama/Horror

Written by: Linda Snöberg

Translation: Tommy Söderberg

A woman’s shocking experiences of torture under the firm hand of a man leads into a state of mind that may never let her go. Carla (Emily Haack) is a young woman and gets kidnapped by this violent psychopath Leonard (Tommy Biondo). He has done the same thing for quite a while with other women and his modus operandi is to finally kill his victims. But from the victims point of view this is really a release from the torture and a path that’s favorable. Carla’s no different, she gets treated like everybody else: humiliated, raped and both physical and psychological abused. He forces her to write about the torture in his scrapbook. There are all kind of details from former victims there, bits of clothing, hair and a lot of pictures of mutilated bodies. Carla tries to escape multiple times, which only leads to more humiliation and torture. Finally she understands that the only way she’s going to escape alive is if she can figure out just how he’s thinking. She reads his scrapbook thoroughly to figure out his weaknesses, if he has any…

2004-11-12

Yesterday, when we were going to bed I asked my boyfriend to pick a flick to see in the bedroom but I didn’t think he could pick such a superb one! He usually picks obscure and weird films but not this time. Apparently he got struck by genius and chose this one. Great choice Tommy.

The story is told in a brilliant way with very good acting from both Tommy and Emily. In particular Emily who pays the part of the victim. She’s ill-fated for sure but her resourcefulness is second to none. She needs to use every bit of instinct to survive here degeneration to hell. It’s a refreshing, non stoppable and claustrophobic journey to the very bottom of a woman’s worst nightmare. I think it’ll take a long time before someone writes a story that even comes close to this masterpiece! It’s a cold, brutal and horrifying insight in the life of a psychopath.

During the film you can see some logic. For example a scene where Carla tries to open a door multiple times to escape. Finally she manages to open the look from the inside, but just to find that Leonard has foreseen her move and put additional locks on it.

Sure, she could have made more resistance, but after being raped multiple times, humiliated, beaten, abused, violated and psychologically torn to shreds would any of you really have the strength, energy or even the courage to stand up and keep on fighting?

A great thing is that the woman doesn’t talk at all until the last 30 minutes or so. There are some words at the very beginning but then she keeps her mouth shut. It’s a hugely impressive performance by Emily Haack. Her facial expression says much more than any words could possibly do… It’s amazingly realistic with an original touch. The initial scene where you here the woman sobbing in despair and all we see is darkness is great! It brings the strongest feelings along and awakes questions. Why is it dark? Where is she? Why is she so scared?

This is a movie that makes you think, not so much on what you THINK you should have done in a similar situation, but what you really SHOULD have done. I think I need to warn sensitive viewers for it though; it’s very brutal and does not leave you unaffected!