Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Review: Pelt

Text (c) Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2013
Images from the Internet



Pelt

Written and directed by Rowan Spiers-Floyd
11:04, 2012
www.pelt-the-film.com

A lot can be said in a film this short, especially under a skillfull hand.  Director and writer Rowan Spiers-Floyd accomplishes this goal in just over 11 minutes and three key actors. True, this is a student film (and an award-winning one at that), but it shows a masterful eye on many levels.

Self-described as a “dark fairy tale,” the story takes place in the period of the expansion of the West. We are presented with a mysterious tale of greed, fear and cowardliness.  In a wilderness fort, two men go a-huntin’ for, well, pelts on a winter’s day. The setting and effect of the film is enhanced by its locale, Fort Clatsop at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, located in Astoria, Oregon.  Seen in mostly medium shots, it has a nearly claustrophobic feel, even though much of it was filmed outdoors. The lighting and the mood is key, and Spiers-Floyd uses it to its utmost.  Whether you find the story scary or not, it’s shadowy and strange atmosphere is effective.

Davis, Newman and Eastwood
During their expedition, the two come across an animal carcass. When Fredrick (Jeffree Newman) asks Rufus (Adam Elliot Davis) if he can keep the pelt so he can afford to marry Rose (Jennifer Eastwood), the woman Rufus also desires, well, it doesn’t go well for the requestor.  Okay, let me digress here and posit that what I am stating here is in the description, so I’m not being a “spoiler.”

This is where the film takes a turn for the strange.  First Nations/Native American tales tell of creatures in the woods called a skinwalker (sometimes identified as a windigo), who were known for being able to take on other appearances. The creature is never named in the story, nor even explained, but that doesn’t matter; what is important is the flow of events that follow.

Spiers-Floyd is certainly helped by his actors, who do not either under- or overplay their roles despite the dramatic and supernatural undertones.  I also acknowledge and like the double-entrendre of the title.

The film looks beautiful, with crisp shots thanks to Page Stephenson, and clean editing that seems to take classic lengths of time rather than the staccato post-MTV method. It gives you a chance to read and feel the subject’s emotions, without telling you what you are supposed to get out of it.

I look forward to Spiers-Floyd’s output. If this is a beginning BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) project, just think what he may be able to do with a budget and the ability to work on something full-length.    

The video can be found free HERE

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Reviews: The Bloody Ape; Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2013
Images from the Internet

These two films were both directed by Kevin J. Crocker.                            

 
 
The Bloody Ape
(aka Son of Sweetback vs. Kong)
Directed by Keith J. Crocker          
Wild Eye Releasing                        
77 minutes, 1998 / 2009
www.WildEyeReleasing.com
www.MVDvisual.com

The director, Keith J. Crocker, is well known around the exploitation film scene. In his younger days, he used to publish the fanzine Exploitation Journal, and I still have a couple of copies. He knew his stuff, so it only makes sense for him to direct a film. You might say it was inevitable.

Despite being shot in the early ‘90s, he used grainy, past-expiration-date stock Super 8 film to give it that appropriate ‘70s stock look, which works like a charm. Gathering friends and family together, he made this movie. On the surface, this is a bit of a skidmark; however, apparently my opinion on this has changed dramatically. But let me continue.

Picking up where Roger Corman kinda-sorta left off with his Poe films, this is an – er – adaption of Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, where a sideshow barker releases an ape named Gorto to enact revenge on those who have mistreated him. But rather than being attractred by the chimes of a charm bracelet, this bloody ape is after supposedly exotic banana (or, in some cases, banana scented soap!), given by said Sideshow Bob, or in this case Lampini (Paul Richici).

This shmendrick the-not-so-magnificent is fed up. He’s been cheated by car repair shops, ripped off by a rabbi, and rejected by his girlfriend (Arlene Hanson, looking like she just stepped out of The Sopranos). His boiling point reached, his answer is a guy in a – well, decent gorilla suit for the almost nil budget.

Shot in parts of Long Island near Hempstead, the local accent is thick and heavy, making Joe Dellesandro sound cultured. When fellow LohnGylndeh (Commack) Rosie O’Donnell was still doing stand-up, she once said that no one would have taken Albert Einstein seriously if he had a New York accent. Well, these characters are no Einstein, but her point is made valid here. As a Bensonhurst boy, I can relate.

With one exception, there is no character here that is likeable, such as: the garage mechanic, (Larry Koster, who actually worked in the station in his scene) is a racist who hates everyone and bullies his way through his job (Latinos, American-Americans, Jews, you name it); the Rabbi tries to sell glass for diamonds – note that this is the second film I have seen recently where the payas was connected by a band over the head like rabbit ears – in a painfully stereotypical anti-Semitic manner with a terribly fake Hassidic accent; and the bigoted police officer, LoBianco (George Reis – who also plays Gorto most of the time – wearing incredibly fake costume store facial hair), the lead officer in charge of investigating the murders. convinced that when people are seeing an ape, that it’s actually a black guy.

The film borrows from a lot of other exploitation classics, such as 1968’s Night of the Living Dead (for example, the black hero’s character is named Duane Jones), 1969’s Night of the Bloody Apes, and 1980’s Night of the Demon (thanks to Horrorpedia for that last lead), showing that Crocker knows his stuff. He’s sort of like Tarantino without the filmmaking gene.

The gorilla rampage is a bit silly, actually, murdering women by slashing with a knife, disemboweling, while naked in the shower, or doin’ ‘em doggy style (most of those topless who are killed – i.e., nearly every female – were local strippers). There are a few men ripped apart, too. The gore is appropriately fake for the style they were going for, so it’s effective, I guess. And did I mention the ape drives a car (taking it from Crocker’s real-life then-fiancee) down a busy street without anyone noticing?

Yeah, this is a terrible film, and yet so earnest. The dialog is dreadful, the acting mostly non-existant, and the direction apeshit, but it is still amazing to watch in its dreadfulness. I’m not sure if the nearly first half which is mostly talking and no ape presence is more interesting for the WTF moments, or the second half that has lots of ape and more WTF moments.

I was a bit disturbed by the xenophobic anger by many of the characters and was turned off by that for a while, but during the lengthy featurette of 2008 interviews with the (male) cast and crew, and during the commentary, Crocker explains that the point of the nasty characters is that everyone in the film is miscommunicating and lacks the skill to relate. This actually makes sense to me, though he could be bullshittin’ about it.

There are plenty of extras thrown in, such as a commentary by the three main hubs of the film (Crocker, Reis and Richichi),the aforementioned featurette, a short and moody film by Crocker, lots of artwork and stills, and a couple of Crocker trailers (including this one).

Worth watching? That’s a tough one. If you have the tolerance to sit through the first 15 minutes and it keeps your interest, well, yeah. But if you’re used to mainstream cinema with no patience for Outsider status, just keep walkin’.

 


 Blitzkrieg: Escape from Stalag 69 – Special SS Edition
Produced, written and directed by Keith J. Crocker                   
Wild Eye Releasing                        
135 minutes, 2008 / 2009  
www.Blitzkriegthemovie.com
www.WildEyeDVD.com
www.MVDvisual.com

The death camp torture sub-genre has been around since at least the ‘60s, be it taking place in South America, Soviet Russia, or Nazi Germany. Some examples include SS Experiment Love Camp (1969), The Big Doll House (1971), The Big Bird Cage (1972), and Terminal Island (1973). Even the majors got a bit involved with The Night Porter (1974), and to some extent, Paradise Road (1997). However, the 800 lb. gorilla of this genre is the Ilsa series (Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS in 1975, Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks in 1976, Ilsa: The Wicked Warden [aka Greta the Mad Butcher] in 1977, and Ilsa: The Tigress of Siberia, also in ’77, all starring the lovely and bodacious Dyanne Thorne as the titular character).

So for his second (and so far last) full length feature, Keith Crocker bravely tackled this torture porn style. It was a brave choice, no matter what the outcome. And how did he fare? Well, this is no Spielberg, but then again, it’s not even early Romero. However, it is far more advanced than his previous effort of a decade earlier, The Bloody Ape. Thankfully he uses a better camera and in most cases, a better cast. Oh, and much more attractive women than the literal Long Island strippers from the last film.

The basic premise of this sub-genre, in a grossly generalized way, is that the (pick a nationality) in charge inflict cruelty on prisoners, mostly women but not only, and at some point they revolt and kill most of their abusers in escaping. Feel free to let me know if I’ve missed anything there.

We meet Helmut Shultz (Charles Esser) hiding in Argentina in 1955. After escaping from the Mossad, he goes to a catholic church and confesses the sins of the past to a priest, played by The Bloody Ape’s lead, Paul Richici, unintentionally funny due to a thick New York inflection. Actually, Esser’s German accent is pretty amusing as well, as with most of the cast, to be fair).

In flashbacks we see that he was kommandant of the titled Stalag, helped by his corpulent sidekick Wolfgang (Steve Montague, who has appeared in other auteur films such as Bloody Christmas [reviewed HERE] and I Spill Your Guts, also filmed on Long Island [reviewed HERE], both in 2012), and co-run with Helmut’s lustful redheaded sister (in an equally emotionally immature Ilsa mode), Gordana Jenell, who strangely has a mild Eastern European accent (for the story; in real life, Jenell was born in Montenegro). Perhaps Crocker was figuring his audience would assume an accent is an accent? I rib rather than rub in.

Meanwhile, Helmut, an emotional man-child mad doctor-wannabe, has been doing experiments and has created a hybrid human/ape man – wait, didn’t the Nazis want to promote a superior race rather than a lower, base one? – that we never see (except in the deleted clips). For the time being, his co-ed camp gives lots of reasons for abuse of both genders.


Tatiyana Kot
The main hero of the story is Natasha, played by the extremely lovely and often full monty’d Tatyana Kot (the actor was born in Siberia!). She is a Russian freedom fighter who was captured after shooting Nazis in the woods with a machine gun, while wearing only boots, and is consequently tortured by those running the camp – and a visiting Japanese soldier – before leading the required revolt.

During both the worthwhile commentary and making of documentary/interviews, Crocker clearly states that this film is not torture porn, but rather he is trying to make the audience feel the visceral pain of the characters, be it the rack, bamboo under fingernails, castration (two of them!), and the application of what looks like a taser. I believe him and admire his conviction, but let’s face the reality here. The audience that is going to be watching this kind of film is not the Drop Dead Diva type, or even Grey’s Anatomy. Rather, they are out for a body count and not trying to save the whales, as it were. Mind you, I remember Sam Peckinpah (d. 1984) saying the same thing about his films, but what do you think of when you watch The Wild Bunch (1969)? Exactly. I am certainly not denigrating Crocker or his creed in any kind of way, as I truly feel what he believes, but I also know the demographics.

Another thing Crocker states, which I admire, is that he actually does manage to use these horrific actions as a platform to showcase the abuses of both the Nazi and Stalinist eras as a reminder of those regimes. There are lots of anachronistic moments that one needs to get through, some of which addressed in the commentary, which I thought was brave, but the point about the those time periods is presented with just a shade of lecturing, similarly to the way Romero did about consumerism in Dawn of the Dead (1979).

As with Crocker’s previous release, this one was filmed on Long Island, in both the counties of Suffolk and the western Nassau locale of Smithtown. Thanks to the area’s war reenactment groups, the cast is flushed out with soldiers in real uniforms, and there are lots of authentic WWII memorabilia floating around (though I wonder about some of the reversed swastikas). Shooting the film guerilla-style on the grounds of a closed asylum helps give the right feel of desolation needed for the story.

Again, there are a lot of extras included here, including commentary with Crocker, Kot, and others, a making of cleverly titled “Nazis Over Nassau,” the original short that Crocker made that inspired this full-length release titled “Schindler’s Lust,” stills, outtakes, trailers, and more.

If I had one real complaint about this film is that it is too long, at over two hours. From what I understand, it is already significantly cut from its pre-edit stage, but there is definitely more that could have gone, including the rest of the mostly-excised ape-man subplot, the whole bit with the mustached, hippie-like guard that wants to send a complaint to the higher-ups about the abuses, and quite a few Tarantino-eqse dialogs that went on way too long.

I’ve seen quite a bit of these type genre films (such as those listed at the beginning), and truthfully, it’s not one of my favorite styles – I’m more into straight horror than the human monster – but all things considered, this one is effective and gets the job done with a touch of humor, empathy and better cast and effects. If you like this stuff, I would happily offer this up and a choice.

The trailer from The Bloody Ape was taken down from YouTube; you can find it HERE.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YrjIC32sQg

 

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Review: Unsolved

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2013
Images from the Internet

                            

Unsolved
Directed by Lance McDaniel         
Lost Empire Films
Oklahoma City University Productions (OCU)               
88 minutes, 2009 / 2012 / 2013
www.lostempirefilms.com
www.MVDvisual.com

The DVD cover states: From the Director of Children of the Corn. I’m not sure that’s something that would necessarily draw me in, having seen that film. And yet, throughout this film’s credits, I see no mentioning of any director of the permutations of CotC associated with this film. But anyway…

I am going to take a stab here (pun intended) and make an assumption with no ego on whether I am right or wrong: this film is made by Oklahoma City University Productions, nearly all of it shot on the campus of Oklahoma City University, and some cast members were attending the Oklahoma City University at the time, so my guess is that this is a student project, possibly for a degree. Hey, that’s the way the likes of Coppola and Scorsese started. But then again, OCU is no NYU.

There are some fine moments here, such as when the protagonist’s actions mirror almost exactly that of the first victim (I’m not giving away anything really). There are also a few clever shots here and there. All in all, though, this felt very much like a Lifetime Movie of the Week with bloodlust.

It actually took me about 10 minutes after the opening credits to narrow the field of possible suspects down to two or three, and I had it nailed within half an hour. Now, mind you, I watch a bit of mystery shows on TV and usually get it pretty quick. While there are some imaginative bits throughout, story-wise this is a pretty standard thriller with about as much blood as there is in an average CSI, but less gore than that program.

During the prologue, which takes place in the ‘90s (aka 15 years before the rest of the film), a coed named Heather is brutally stabbed to death on the steps of her dorm after being manhandled by a couple of jerk jocks, She’s white and her boyfriend is not, so naturally he gets the blame, but is let off for lack of evidence. Again, this is the opening scene, so I’m not giving anything salient away. Flash forward to the present (or approximately 2008), and we are joined in a university class that specializes in unsolved crimes (do I need to say what school?). Our central characters, Amanda and her boyfriend Nick, manage to get the cold case of, well, Heather, surprise-surprise. From there things get tricky and dangerous, with a decent body count in the long run.

Most of the acting in this film is about high school level. The line readings are either too flat or overly effervescent. Well, in most cases, such as with Josh Shideler, who plays Nick. True, his character is totally unlikeable as a pretty-boy hothead jock, but it’s more the stilted way he reads the dialog that is troublesome for me. And, again, this could be totally wrong, and I apologize if that is so, he really sets off my gaydar.


Jane Bunting
A shining light, however, is Jane Bunting, who plays Amanda. I want to say to her, however, “who does your hair? Find someone else!” Jane has a very cute pouty lip and a mousey/nerdy appeal, but more importantly, she comes across as someone who can actually act, thankfully. There are lots of moments where she could have just gone off the scale, but she reigns it in at the right ticks, and is just the appropriate shade of expressive at high drama situations (e.g., the mandatory chase-and-hide).

What I found kind of interesting, and I’m not sure if it’s my overly-sensitive filter, but there is a certain level of misogyny (the jealous ex-girlfriend, for example) and racist undercurrent, such as stereotypical patterns (“Yo, girl!” and eye-rolling). Now, to be fair, some of the strongest characters are African-American, and there is even an interracial element, but within that framework there are still a few “oy” moments.

There are other questions I have that need explaining (why doesn’t she take off the wig, for example…see, I’m being vague not to give up too much), and the occasional chase clichés are definitely present. Despite all of this – and I know it’s a lot – this wasn’t a bad film, and it kept me interested throughout, even though I said “Really?” more than once. Again, it is Lifetime meets CSI, and I’m not sorry I saw it. It was entertaining on some levels, and that makes a nice evening.

 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Review: ThanksKilling 3

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films Blog, 2013
Images from the Internet

                            
ThanksKilling 3
Directed by Jordan Downey
MVD Visual                      
99 minutes, 2013
www.Facebook.com/thankskillingmovies
www.thankskillingmovies.com
www.MVDvisual.com

The original comedy-horror ThanksKilling (2009) grows on you, if you are inclined to extreme low-budget horror, like me. You might even find yourself using its catch phrase, “Gobble-gobble, motherfucker!” Its premise was that a killer talking/cursing turkey named Turkie was conjured by some angry Native Americans to kill the Pilgrims, and then resurrected by some 30-year-old high school students to raise havoc in modern times [reviewed HERE].

This Part 3 is “the first movie to skip its own sequel,” according to the DVD cover and publicity. Well, that’s only partly true. Perhaps this is confusing and out of context, but in this one, which is totally different in tone and plot, starts with a sci-fi scene from the DVD ThanksKilling 2 (brilliant catch phrase: “In space, no one can hear you baste”). We then learn that all copies of that second film have been burned, sans one.

We are then re-introduced to Turkie, who is now living a suburban life with a turkey hen wife (with curlers in her comb!) and little tom. Of course, all of them are puppets, as Turkie was in the first (and razed second) film. When he learns about the destruction of the first sequel he knows he must set off to fetch the one copy to be able to control the world (che?).

Before I go on, I should state at this point that many of the characters in this film are puppets (unlike the first where it was only Turkie), including human and galactic characters. Sure this isn’t the first puppet horror/fantasy piece of cinema, such as The Dark Crystal (1982), Meet the Feebles (1989), or even the more recent Monster Puppet Massacre (2010; reviewed HERE), but it plays well into the genre. Besides, it’s that many less actors to pay and/or feed on a small budget.

But the plot is only starting. We still have to meet all the other main characters, such as a hippie-type little girl being from another planet named Yomi (a puppet who looks like an escapee from Fraggle Rock) who is literally looking for her mind, Uncle Donny (Daniel Usaj), who created an infomercial product, dreams of opening his own amusement center called, what else, ThanksgivingLand, and wears a white British wig (as opposed to Whig, I suppose). His brother, Jefferson (Joe Hartzler, who is arguably the most natural actor of the bunch) also wears a wig and wants a long pike (rather than a butter knife taped to a stick) so he can be security at the Park. Their wheelchair-bound granny (a life-sized puppet that looks like the anti-Israel Helen Thomas [d. 2013], who was a former and long-time member of the White House Press Corps) is a foul-mouthed rapper named Flowis. Then there is the robot guardian named Muff and his mustached bisexual puppet worm that sits on his shoulder (and is actually in charge of the two) named Rhonda, who makes bad worm puns. Plus there is a wizened and wise old turkey that’s a mixture of Obi Wan and Gandalf.

Much like The Lord of the Ring, the film consists of the search – or actually the possession – of the fictional second part of the film. There’s lots of elements of gore and horror, as well as light fantasy, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and a substantial amount comedy, most of it groaners. There will be loss and there will be redemption, but at what cost? C’mon, no one cares, because this is actually a joy ride where we expect more candy than tofu.

Does it deliver? Well, I do admit I liked the more down to earth original better, which is saying something since that one cost $3500, and this one was $100,000 raised through a Kickstarter campaign. I have to posit that part of me wishes this was a totally different film than a Turkie one, but I also understand that building on an existing fan base is important when starting out.

Technically, it really is a much better film. The sets are better designed, the lighting and editing sharper, and Turkie looks more menacing. There are plenty of WTF moments, such as when you see from a fly’s point of view, or sudden cartoons popping up, as with the first one, but it feels like there’s something missing. Don’t get me wrong, I do recommend this and especially the original if this kind of broad and raucous film is your speed, It’s just a bit too, I don’t know, linearly challenged. There is too much going on, perhaps. In the first, even though it was bizarre, the story of a turkey killing kids had a strong thread (including when someone didn’t recognize that Turkie was not her father because he was wearing the dad's hat and a Groucho mask). Now there are shorter and esoteric set pieces rather than a punsters dream.

Oh, there is still puns abound, that’s for certain. In fact, built into the viewing is a drinking game, where you are suggested to have a shot or a drink of beer when certain events happen, such as Turkie’s one liners, Rhonda’s worm word games, or when Flowis sniffs her fingers.

There are lots of extras, such as two commentary tracks by the two creators of the series (one on planning that is interesting in parts, and one on the more technical aspects of the creation of sets, puppets, lighting, and staging which was a bit more interesting. I would have liked a third that talked about the story more. Other extras include the full length infomercial that we see in the film, a Flowis rap video called “Sprinkle of Wrinkle,” a stills gallery, the rules of the drinking game, a long making-off documentary which is essentially the building of the miniaturized set of Turkie’s home at the opening, and two of the film’s trailers.

I would especially recommend this to those who have seen part one, but honestly, I am going to make an assumption that most of who will watch this already have. So enjoy, and if you’re impressed, watch out for the new Kickstarter campaign that’s bound to crop up.

 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Review: Bath Salt Zombies

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films Blog, 2013
Images from the Internet

                            
Bath Salt Zombies
Directed, shot, edited and scored by Dustin Wayde Mills
MVD Visual                      
90 minutes, 2012 / 2013
www.Facebook.com/DustinMillsProductions
www.Aggronautix.com
www.MVDvisual.com

Am I a bit tetched in the haid because I enjoy films directed by Dustin Mills [HERE, HERE, and HERE]?  They tend to be cartoony, about goofy characters doing absolutely ridiculous things, with lots of unrealistic gore, but from beginning to end, they tend to be an enjoyable ride through the land of giving up a level of disbelief.

The plot revolves around a junkie named Ritchie (Mills’ stalwart actor / muse / partner Brandon Salkil) who becomes addicted to “military grade” bath salts, which is explained to be a designer drug that looks like bath salts, hence the name. I’m sure this also has relative relevance to an apparent new real trend of getting “high” by inhaling Epsom salts (how stupid and desperate is that?; as moronic as swallowing a dry teaspoon of cinnamon, another new trend…but I digress…)

However, this particular “bath salt” is extremely addicting (once is enough), and has a propensity to make its user not just hyper, but insane, stronger, feel no pain, and, of course, hungry for human flesh to be ripped by teeth or hands.

The government, who is on to this situation, shown in total by Josh Eal (who also co-starred with Salkil in 2012’s Zombie A-Hole), playing a G-man agent. Eal is great in a straight-man, “serious” as-is-possible character role here. He almost always has his sunglasses on, even while in a major fight and getting punched in the face. Again, suspension of disbelief is called for in buckets, but worth it. He plays his personality pretty flat, but in a good way, kind of like Eastwood or Bronson (d. 2003), rather than the blandness of Steven Segal or van Damme. Being just shy of a black belt when this was filmed (he has since achieved it, if I understood correctly), he choreographed the fight scenes, which often involved him and Salkil and Salkil and Salkil, etc. (will explain shortly).

Of course, as Ritchie’s use progresses, so do the effects of the drug, until his overdose turns him into a raving and deformed maniac (see the cover artwork). Now, let me talk about Salkil a minute here, as he has the most screen time, in many different ways. In a previous review, I mentioned how much he reminds me of Bruce Campbell in his role as Ash Williams (if you need to ask who that is, you probably need to see more horror cinema). In this film, he brings to mind more of a Jim Carrey vibe, with the rubbery way he moves his body and face. Also, as in Zombie A-hole (2012), in a way he plays twin characters. There is the everyday, pathetic-yet-sympathetic junkie, and then there is charged up Ritchie, the bath salt “zombie” (of course, technically, he’s not a zombie, but rather just a live flesh-eater… we need a new term for a living flesh foodie, such as in 28 Days Later… but I digress again). He apparently finds it pretty fluid to go from straight, to manic, to maniac, and it works. I can see him on a hit sit-com at some point.

Amusingly, with one exception, every masked character is embodied by Salkil, including all of both the drug gang and the SWAT team. Ya gotta love being able to overlay images; it gives me an ache when I think of what Cronenberg had to go through just to get two Jeremy Irons in 1988’s Dead Ringers. In one scene, Salkil kills a bunch of himself in the form of the SWATers.

Playing Ritchie’s girlfriend Rita, much as she did in Night of the Tentacles (2013), is Jackie McGowan, a tattooed and pierced everygirl (meant complimentary), albeit a junkie. She is both fierce and kinda brittle, and plays that well as it seems to be her specialty in Mills’ releases. Also joining in as Ritchie and Rita’s friend is Mr. (Dave) Parka, who is better known for his video review vlogs [HERE].

Through the connections of the producer, Clint Weiler, there is a killer soundtrack with nationally known punk acts like the Murder Junkies (sans GG Allin, of course), the Dwarves, Antiseen, the Meatmen and the Gaggers.

One aspect of Mills I truly enjoy as a filmmaker is that he runs the gamut to simple cheezy puppets, to some highly stylized visuals. With each progressive film, and he is quite prolific, his technical ability improves. I hope he doesn’t lose much of the kitsch factor the way some have, like Cronenberg and Craven.

When you watch this, you may just say, hunh, lemme see this again with my buddies. Not exactly a date movie (unless you’re with the coolest girl in the world who loves these kinds of films!), but definitely a safer high than, well, bath salts.

 


Unrelated bonus video: