TRUTH OR DARE (2013) Directed, Written by & Starring Jessica Cameron

The emergence of the culture in which anyone can gain celebrity by doing stupid things on YouTube is a primary influence on the story Scream Queen Jessica Cameron and co-writer Jonathan Scott Higgins have concocted for Cameron's directorial debut.

The Truth or Daredevils are six youngsters, led by Cameron's Jennifer, who have become an internet sensation by filming their variation of the drunken college game, only with a bizarre, violent twist. When their biggest fan Derik (Kiser) finds out they had faked their latest and most audacious video - the killing of hapless stooge Tony (Brandon Van Vliet) in a reverse Russian roulette routine - he decides to forcibly join the group and make the videos much more real. Gate crashing their next meeting, he makes them all reveal their hidden truths while making their fake dares genuinely deadly. They are made to perform extremely graphic and appalling stunts on each other, each more twisted than the last, while all the time Derik has an eye on the video hits.

Truth or Dare is an incredibly shocking film, for several reasons. There is an abundance of torture carried out toward the group by the crazed fan Derik, to the point in which the old expression 'the lucky ones died first' is actually correct. This in itself is neither surprising nor unexpected, but the level of abuse and humiliation levelled at the women was quite uncomfortable. It's even more shocking when you remember the lovely Ms Cameron co-wrote and directed the film herself. Without wanting to give spoilers, there are some moments that one would not expect a female filmmaker to want to put her fellow gender through. However, by making the viewer experience this discomfort proves what a powerhouse director Cameron has the potential to be. It goes beyond mere exploitation - frankly, had a male director put some of the atrocities seen here on the screen they would be accused of being misogynistic. 

The back stories of the crew that are revealed during the 'truth' part of the game are as shocking and disturbing as the tortuous 'dares'; which is not to say they are unbelievable, but it does highlight the point that we can never really be sure how well we know our friends. It's a credit to the entire cast that these revelations don't come across as hackneyed, and actually make us begin to care for a group who essentially are unlikable college reprobates.

By tackling the growing phenomena of those so desperate for fame on the internet and reality TV programmes that they will literally draw blood and mutilate, the film looks at how we perceive our online personas, and how easy it could be for our own skeletons to be dragged from the closet. Are we really only defined by our hit counts? 

Truth or Dare is a visceral, uncompromising and often gut-wrenching ride which may struggle to sit well with a mainstream audience, but horror fans - gorehounds particularly - should relish it, even if they may come away feeling more than a little disturbed. The claustrophobic central location - while obviously being an economical filming decision - gives a hopeless feeling of confinement. Herself a shameless self-promoter, Jessica Cameron has certainly made a strong and powerful mark for her directing debut. It will be interesting to see how she will top this in the future. 

7 out of 10

Review: Sawney: Flesh of Man (aka Lord of Darkness) 2012

The legend of Sawney Bean, and his cannibalistic family has been told for hundreds of years in his native Scotland, and the idea has been utilised  numerous times in popular fiction. Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre series drew influence in one form or another. This low budget effort is the first feature from director Ricky Wood, and - for the most part - delivers the goods.

Set in modern day Scotland, a world weary detective (Gavin Mitchell) and a young, alcoholic, reporter Hamish (Samuel Feeney) are both trying to piece together a series of murders where the only remains that turn up of the victims are the head and feet. The perpetrator, Sawney Bean (David Hayman) abducts his victims in his black cab and takes them to his family lair, a dank cave, a place of freaks, chainsaws, chickens and offal. It doesn't matter what gender you are, all that matters to Sawney is how you taste. His family don't mind either, and the hors d'oeuvres for his youngsters often include rape. Again, gender is irrelevant.

Taking the Bible quote "unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves" too literally, Sawney is a perfect bogey man. Other than his odd eye, and perpetual blood stained fingers you would pass him in the street. The family are all hooded , athletic (they inexplicably can't resist doing back-flips, even when fighting among themselves) mutant looking inbreds scurry about the cave while awaiting Sawney, who brings home the bacon. Or in this case, human for them and mother. Who they keep locked away.

Surprisingly well made, and unrelentingly visceral; the gore effects especially are well above par for a film of this budget. It doesn't shy away from throwing all manor of flesh and bones at the viewer, even when they have been ground to a slurry by the titular cannibal. The use of locations, and lack of out of place humour build the tension and atmosphere, the caves especially adding some great, claustrophobic scares. The cinematography (by the director's brother Ranald; father Rick wrote the script) certainly pays dividends on that level.

If there's anything that lets it down, it's possibly the Feeney's acting is not as accomplished as the more veteran talent of Hayman and Mitchell; but it's not so bad as to throw you completely out of the film.

It will certainly be interesting to see what Wood comes up with next. Hopefully this will do well enough to merit a bigger budget for his future films.
(note: the film has been re-titled Lord of Darkness for US audiences)
7 out of 10

Review: Maniac (2012)

I told you not to go out tonight....

Frank (Elijah Wood) is a troubled man. Running the family business, a mannequin restoration shop, after his mother dies, he cruises the internet and the streets looking for women. Nothing altogether strange about that, he's a good looking lad. Except his outings tend to end with him going home with the ladies' scalp.

When he meets art photographer and mannequin enthusiast Ana (Nora Arnezeder) it looks like things might change, and he may well have met that soul mate even psycho killers crave. True love, of course, never runs smooth and he is naturally crushed when she casually slips into conversation she has a boyfriend. A revelation which will send him spiraling even further out of control of his diminishing mental state.

There is always going to be an outcry and some worry (and often preconceived hate) when it is announced a film, especially one which has a reputation, is being remade. Luckily, Franck Khalfoun's update of William Lustig's 1980 nasty, sleazy (but fantastic) flick is a revelation. Instead of turning in a glossy, Hollywood formulaic slasher, we get a film that gets so far under your skin you may well ingest it, staying with you for some time after. While the original had the effect of making you feel dirty, largely thanks to Joe Spinell's inspired performance and the general misogynistic tone, this version, while not completely polished, has something of a heart that is ready to be torn out.

Director Khalfoun appeared as an actor in screenwriter/producer Alexandre Aja's brilliant Haute Tension (aka Switchblade Romance, 2003) and has crafted a work of genius. Shooting the majority of the film from the point of view of our friendly neighbourhood killer is a masterstroke. This is a standard slasher trope but using it throughout instantly sucks you into his world, making you compliant with his actions, while also making you feel empathy with him, much in the same way Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) did. The casting of Wood is a masterstroke, beating his turn in Green Street and Sin City (both 2005) and certainly puts all thoughts of Middle Earth from your head.

The story stays fairly true to the path of the original, with just some minor tweaks, and as such anyone familiar with that will know how it will end and where it is going, but it manages to avoid copying set pieces (so the fabulous exploding head in the car is absent). A great shot has the original movie's artwork re-created in a reflection in a car door, and raises a smile when one of Frank's early pickups puts Q Lazzarus' Goodbye Horses on to seduce him. The junkies and prostitutes of the original are replaced by vacuous art dealers and elitist idiots. Ana's agent and boyfriend (and, we can assume, Ana herself) think Frank is gay, much to his horror. It would, however, have been more radical to have no attempt to explain why Frank is compelled to kill, rather than blaming the usual dysfunctional parent problems.  

The film does not avoid being very visceral and graphic and newcomers to the material are going to be in for a wild ride, and should be prepared to be well and truly freaked out by the end. The evocative soundtrack (credited to "Rob") is impressive too. 

This is, without doubt, a classic for the future and is genuinely terrifying, which is refreshing in this day and age. Catch it on a big screen if you get the chance.

9 out of 10

Chillerama (2011)

It's the last night of the old Kaufman drive in, and as a final bow, they are putting on a bill of rare and unseen horror films. Well, that's the best way of linking the trio of mini movies you get here. The linking story (directed by Joe Lynch) begins with Floyd (Miles Dougal) digging up his ex-wife for a bit of necro fun, only for her to wake from her eternal slumber and give him a nasty bite on the scotum "You bitch! You bit off my bean bag!!" Left ball-less and oozing a neon goo, Floyd heads to his job at the drive in. Trouble is, everywhere he goes, and everything he touches gets infected with the goo. But, enough of that for now, as Cecil B. Kaufman (Richard Riehle) is ready to roll our first feature...

"Wadzilla" Directed by Adam (Detroit Rock City) Rifkin, this 50s atomic monster spoof stars Ray (Twin Peaks) Wise as Doctor Weems who has a revolutionary cure for a low sperm count. His test subject, Miles (Rifkin) takes the drug, but the out come is not what they had hoped for. Instead of an increased sperm count, Miles now produces one enormous sperm, which is out of control and on the loose. This section sets the tone perfectly, a lot of fun with lots of gross out jokes and retro style bad SFX. Part Godzilla, part Fiend Without A Face and part American Pie. Plus Eric Roberts as General Bukkake, you know you're gonna love it!

 

"I Was A Teenage Werebear", by Tim Sullivan follows, and is a throw back to the 60s beach movies. It's even a musical, dammit! Ricky (Sean Paul Lockhart, infamous for being under age when he appeared in gay porn films!) is a clean cut, college kid who is distracted by the leather clad bad boys, led by Talon (Anton Troy). Turns out Talon and his gang are Werebears, homosexual predators who are out to pay back those who haven't accepted them. The wonderful Lin Shaye pops up for a second time (she plays a hobo lady in Wadzilla) as the gypsy Nurse Maleva, who gives Ricky advice and recites an old saying that might be a little familiar.. well sort of..
"Even a boy who thinks he's straight, yet shaves his balls by night, may become a werebear when the hormones age, and the latent urge takes flight"

The thing with this section is it doesn't resort to making fun of the gays and playing it camp, despite them being the 'monsters', it actually handles the whole 'coming to terms with your sexuality' bit well. It did remind me, however that I must watch "Curse Of The Queerwolf" sometime soon...

Next up, after another linking thread with the neon goo spreading like wild fire and seeming turning everyone into mindless zombies.. "The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein". Adam (Hatchet) Green's contribution is a black and white, German language historical piece. Well, almost. The language and the subtitles become more and more madcap as the film goes on, but for the best, and it's a complete riot. Anne has found a book that belong to her Grandfather, who just so happened to be the mad scientist Frankenstein! "That is why we had to shorten our name.."

Hitler (Joel David Moore) finds the family, and the book and sets about creating a creature that will help him in his conquest. The monster (Kane Hodder) has a very Hasidic look, however, and refuses to kill for the Fuhrer. Taking a leaf from the Mel Brooks school of offensive film making, Green manages to make an hilarious section, even if we've seen most of the gags done before. (stunt men change colour, subtitles don't match the dialogue, the monster even passes around the side of the sets like they used to do in It's Garry Shadling's Show). Very entertaining though.
Just as we are about to be 'treated' to our next feature, Deathecation, directed and introduced by the mythical Fernando Phagabeefy (which may be for the best, since this movie is said to make the audience simultaneously open their bowels), the theatre is over run with zombies, all frantically copulating with what ever they can find. Can our heroes escape?

Chillerama is a film I've been looking forward to for a while, being a fan of Creepshow and the Amicus films,  and fortunately it didn't disappoint. Much more of a comedy than horror (we don't really care if our heroes escape) and full of OTT splatter effects, it's kind of like The Kentucky Fried Creepshow, if you like. Packed full of in-jokes ("what would Simon Pegg do?") and quick, throw away gags that will make you want to watch it all over again. So a success, then? Well, partly. I can imagine you could re-watch it in a boozy group many times, but if you're a lone viewer, you may fast forward to your favourite bits after you've seen it once. That said, it is very funny and is full of the kind of loving pastiches that horror geeks will love.
At least it wasn't a complete let down like The Theatre Bizarre was. Boy, was that a sorry mess!

Hopefully Chillerama will be unleashed  in the UK soon, until then, import the DVD/Blu ray - If you don't mind getting dirty and sticky - you won't regret it!
8 out of 10

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011)

"Stop them tears - you're just making daddy's willy harder"

When the BBFC announced a few months ago that they were refusing a certificate to Tom Six's sequel to his original hit, the interweb was buzzing with outrage. Firstly, that anything should be banned in this day and age, and secondly, as they gave their reasons in a very graphic spoiler laden write up, it made the film to sound unacceptably sick and totally unappealing.

Now we have the chance to see what the fuss was about (albeit minus 32 separate cuts amounting to just over 2 and a half minutes). To be honest, after reading the BBFC blurb I didn't particularly WANT to see it. I wasn't a big fan of the first one for a start, I found it quite over rated (yes, people DID rave about it). Then came the first proper trailer (not the rubbish audience reaction one). It actually looked intriguing. The BBFC failed to tell you it was in black and white. Not that it makes it instantly "arty" although that may have been the intention. It was just the main character, Martin (Lawrence R. Harvey - who is brilliant) was SO damn strange and scary to start with, that I felt I should see it. 

Martin is obsessed with the first film. He watches it continuously while at work as a security guard in an underground car park and keeps a nicely bound scrapbook of the film which he lovingly illustrates. He has an uncaring, overbearing, unhinged mother (Viven Bridson) and has obviously suffered some abuse as a child (hence the opening quote - a jaw dropping piece of dialogue voiced by Harvey himself, the only time we get to hear his voice) for which he is urged to see the equally strange and perverted psychiatrist Dr. Sebring (Bill Hutchins). 

you see, this is more scary than any ass to mouth!

Martin has other plans, though. He is taking a leaf from the first film's 100% medically accurate book and plans to make his own 12 man (and woman) centipede. Only without any medical know how or instruments. Staple gun and gaffa tape ok for you? Another major drawback for the odd little chap is he seems to be unable to do anything without almost collapsing from an asthma attack (as a sufferer myself, I should be outraged and offended by this, but I found it amusing).

look closer, it's his foot.. not what you were thinking...

The problem with the film is the whole meta aspect. To show a guy SO obsessed with a work of fiction that he wants to commit the atrocities is pandering to the argument that people who want to ban always use. 

It would have been a much more effective film just having Martin as a sicko fantasising about doing sick things rather than emulating a film. Having one of the original actress from the first film play herself (duped into coming to Martin thinking she is up for a Quentin Tarrantino role) was a pretty good stroke, though.

On the plus sides, Martin is one creepy guy, and the fact he doesn't utter a word (aside from a few grunts) and yet he obviously does in reality (his mother mentions several times "is this that sick film you keep going on about?". He is the ultimate film monster. In looks and deeds. It's a shame it's the usual abused upbringing that's used as a reason for him being like that. That said, watching the mother and son relationship reminded me of David and Maureen Sowerbutts in the wonderful Psychoville TV series.

The black and white photography makes it watchable, too, although you do get the feeling that Six was trying too hard to make the film have the same feel as Eraserhead (1977) or Pi (1998) but falling far short of the brilliance of those classics, but nice try, and it is one of the film's redeeming features. 

The cuts don't seem to have harmed the film from what I can see, it still makes you squirm and is very sick, with more than enough to keep the 'gore is better than story' bunch happy. it just lacks the tension build up to make the shocks work as more than just gross out moments. Just think yourself lucky Six didn't film in 3D. Wait until the 'digestion' scenes to find out why! 

One can only think Six is rubbing his hands together at the publicity the film has received thanks to the BBFC (although their decision to release it with cuts may have hurt their "banned in the UK" US publicity), as the film would have probably just had a small core audience without it. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the first film went straight to DVD and was screening on the UK Sci-Fi channel (sorry refuse to call it SyFy or whatever the silly name is now) pretty much straight after it's release, with only word of mouth (or was that word of mouth to anus?) giving it it's publicity?

In conclusion, the film is not as bad as people are making out, nor as bad as I feared it would be, but I don't think I'll be rushing to see it again. 5 out of 10. (would have been higher if it hadn't been for the whole meta-centipede angle)

UPDATE : I have (despite saying I wasn't going to rush and see it again) now purchased the uncut US Blu-ray, and re-watching the film found it a much more satisfying and enjoyable experience (even if it was still horrific and uncomfortable - if that makes sense?) I still stand by my dislike of the meta-aspect in principal - purely because it garnered too much negative press and bias. I have, however decided the rating should be

8 out of 10. 

The Taint (2010) - hold on to your wangs!

Imagine Bad Taste, Street Trash and all the Troma films you can think of being put in a cinematic blender with a parody porn movie... and you still wouldn't get anything as "out there" as The Taint.

 

An experimental fluid, meant to have the same effect as viagra, only stronger has gotten into the water supply causing all the males (and their members) to become very angry and very violent. Can our hero, Paddy O' Ginny (co director Drew Bolduc), himself a misogynistic wimp and the lovely Misandra (Colleen Walsh) save the day from the marauding,  head smashing, jizz spurting morons who have become tainted?

 

While most low (no) budget films rely on their gross out effects and eagerness of their female cast members to disrobe to entertain, The Taint spends large chunks of its brief 70min running time on back story and plot. But don't worry, the gore is back sooner than you think! The effects here are nothing short of superb, regardless of the budget - although the constant fake penises are a little too, well, fake (the adult shop must have sold out of dildos while these guys were making this, that many get destroyed!)

The thing with this film is, it's actually very well made. The guys have managed to make a no budget film that uses it's lack of budget to it's advantage. The characters have that throw back to the 80s look with the wigs, etc.. (remember the Beastie Boys' Sabotage promo shot by Spike Jonze?) and the dialogue is suitably over the top, but the winner here, as I say is the effects. It's the sort of film Bill Zebub wishes he could make, but keeps missing out on. 

What's even better is the price of the film. You can get it from the guys themselves for less than £10 UK delivered. ($12 in the US). They are also selling it on good old retro VHS and with other packages that are worth looking at. This is a cult classic just waiting to be discovered, and devoured, the perfect film to watch with a few mates and a few beers . Go and discover people...
8 out of 10