Sammy_Sam_Sam

Sometimes you'll see an uncut version of a horror or exploitation flick and completely out of nowhere, there will be some hardcore porn. It seems out of place and sure enough, quite often it will have been added at a later stage, usually to sell to a different market. Conversely, there are also adult movies that released in a softer form with large sections cut out, again to sell to a specific market. This falls into the latter, as it was I believe primarily intended to be an adult movie, but one which had other elements. With that said, it isn't particularly erotic due to the fact the story revolves around mental illness and murder! I decided to watch the softer version because personally, I like horror to be horror and porn to be porn. I won't give away too much about the storyline, other than to say it isn't particularly complicated. What I can say however is that it's quite well shot, has a lovely score and is reasonably well acted. With better actors and a bit more gore, I think this could've been a really great movie, but it's by no means a bad film, particularly when you consider the small team who made it. I did flick through the full uncut version afterwards and sure enough, it is highly explicit. I'd seen Michael Gaunt in 'Intrusion' the night before, so it was interesting to see him in another role (also there was an interview with him on the Blu Ray, presumably filmed at the same time as his interview for Intrusion). Another interesting person to make a (brief) appearance is Robert Kerman (or R Bolla). To me he'll always be Professor Monroe from Cannibal Holocaust, but he crops up in quite a few adult movies. On the soft version he can be heard discussing Fellini at a cocktail party - mildly interesting given his acting roles in Italian cinema. I believe on the strength of other performances, he and Gaunt could have been solid actors in more mainstream films, but I suppose once you get your name known as an adult film star then it can be difficult to get other roles.

I would certainly recommend the soft version to anyone interested in proto-slashers and horror, but just bear in mind there's nothing particularly memorable in terms of the kills. Considering the small team behind it and the fact the star apparently ran off from set before the movie had been finished, I think they did a pretty good job bringing it all together into a watchable film.

Here we have a film not dissimilar to Taxi Driver or Bad Lieutenant, but the most obvious difference is that it features explicit adult material. Essentially a 'roughie', it's a mixture I suppose of exploitation and hardcore porn, however it does neither of these things particularly well and I don't really know to who I could recommend the film. On the one hand, the pornographic sections don't make for pleasant viewing. The actresses have heavy tan lines and on the Vinegar Syndrome Blu Ray the blemishes, spots and everything else were all very clear to see. I couldn't imagine anyone finding anything in this film particularly erotic. On the other hand, the storyline just wasn't enough due to the incredibly long sex scenes, so I can't really recommend it on that basis either. The acting was actually pretty good, particularly the male lead, and the music was also great (I had the theme stuck in my head for a few hours after viewing). All in all though, I think this would only appeal to those who seek out extreme cinema and for me, there's nothing here to warrant a second viewing, but in a funny kind of way I'm still glad that I saw it. You'll certainly need a shower after watching this one!

My deepest fear would be sitting through this film again! The back cover of the DVD presents this film as a thriller, with three of the four pictures clearly showing action shots. 'Fear' and 'Terror' get a mention on the case. In reality, so little happens in so few locations that this could very easily be made into a play. But not a good play. Not the sort of play you would want to actually sit through. Halfway through the film a spider ran across our floor and I had to remove it - to give you some idea, that was a highlight!

I didn't expect that much from Casper 'Rico' Van Dien, as the last thing I saw him in was an episode of Monk and he hardly set the world alight with that performance. Judd Nelson on the other hand is usually good value for money, but he doesn't even appear until nearly an hour into the film. He probably gets five minutes of screen time, despite his name appearing on the front of the box. When he does appear, he mumbles his lines incoherently and doesn't seem at all bothered, which I'm guessing he wasn't. He looks good for 60 years old, but this wasn't the Judd Nelson we know from Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Cabin by the Lake, Relentless etc..

I'm trying to think of something positive to say about the film, as I can usually find something (I've been watching the Andy Milligan box set this week, so my tolerance for poorly made films is very high indeed). In truth, there are no redeeming features. At 87 minutes including credits, you couldn't even say it was mercifully short, because an incredibly simple premise is drawn out to easily twice the amount of time it should've been. This could very well have been a 25 minute Tales From the Crypt episode, were it not for the lack of gore.

This film is abominable - AVOID.