Texas Chainsaw 3D: January 4

The buzz is back – this time in 3D, and we bet you can’t wait to see the titular tool comin’ at ya out of the big screen. Lionsgate opens TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D on Friday, January 4, 2013. Although the trailer presents the film as a follow-up to the 1974 original, we imagine that the distributor has “SAW”-ed the film, to make it more like their infamous bread-winner.
The script seems to have gone through at least a few drafts, with five credited writers: Adam Marcus & Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms for screenplay; Marcus & Sullivan and Stephen Susco for story. (Susco wrote the American versions of THE GRUDGE; Marcus wrote and directed JASON GOES TO HELL.) In the director’s chair is John Luessenhop (whose only previous feature film directing credit is the prison melodrama LOCKDOWN).
The cast includes Alexandra Daddrio, Dan Yeager, Trey Songz, Scott Eastwood, Tania Raymonde, Shaun Sipos, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, James MacDonald, Thom Barry, Paul Rae, Richard Riehle. Beill Moseley (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2) shows up, as do several alumni of the original: Gunnar Hansen, Marilyn Burns, and John Dugan.
Release Date: Friday, January 4, 2013.

What's Coming from Anchor Bay – New York Comic Con Special Podcast

Manga's REDLINE.
Manga's REDLINE.

We wrap up our sadly-too-brief coverage of New York Comic with a quick duck into the floor booth of Anchor Bay Entertain- ment. There, after gorging ourselves on copious free buttons and fliers (we’re all about the gimmes), we sat down with the company’s Kevin Carney and Erin Carter to find out what’s in store via their Manga anime division and live-action home video arm. Find out more about REDLINE, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and the homevid release of AMC’s eagerly awaited THE WALKING DEAD by clicking on the player.

Hatchet II review

Hatchet II posterAlthough clearly inspired by ’80s slasher movies, HATCHET had enough going for it to appeal to horror fans interested in something more than just creative kills. Sadly, HATCHET II delivers little of interest to anyone but gore-hounds. Yes, it should appeal to fans of the original- the self-proclaimed “Hatchet Army” – but HATCHET II falls prey to a problem that typically plagues sequels: it’s not just more of the same; it’s way more of the same, as if more and bloodier kills are all that were needed – forget about the clever humor and aura of mystery that made the gore in the first HATCHET feel like part of a really good, fun horror movie. “Hold on to all of your pieces,” warns the poster tagline, and it might just as well be directorial advice to the editor: HATCHET II is little more than a series of splatter effects set-pieces held together loosely, if at all, by the screenplay.
HATCHET II gets off to a decent start, picking up literally where the last frame of HATCHET  left off, as Marybeth (now played by Danielle Harris) escapes from Victor Crowley and finds shelter in the cabin of Jack Cracker (John Carl Buechler, who did the makeup in the previous film). There’s a good disgusting joke regarding a drink container that fans of the first film will recognize, and there is an equally funny bit with Jack thinking he has found the mother lode: a video camera with a “Girls Gone Wild” type recording – only to be sorely disappointed when the girls (Mercedes McNab and Joleigh Fioravanti, returning in cameos) are too busy insulting each other to disrobe.
Things go almost immediately downhill, however, when Victor Crowley predictably shows up to dispatch Jack. Killing off a returning character is an overly familiar cliche, and HATCHET II does nothing amusing or unexpected with it (unlike HATCHET, which played with our expectations that the white guy’s black buddy would be the first to go). Instead, we get an overly protracted gore scene in which Crowley disembowels Cracker, who miraculously does not die but instead runs away – until he comes to the end of his rope – er, intenstines – at which point Crowley uses said intestines to slowly pulls Cracker back across the floor before delivering the coup de grace.

Please, sir, may I have another - I'm not dead yet!
Please, sir, may I have another - I'm not dead yet!

The scene establishes the formula that will be repeated almost without variation throughout the rest of HATCHET II: Something bloody will happen, but the victim will not die, giving Crowley time to inflict more damage, and he will take his own sweet time about it. The promotional campaign is breathlessly touting that HATCHET II is being released “uncut and unrated.” At times like these, it feels un-edited as well, as if every possible frame were included. Consequently, the rhythm of the kill scenes is off; they don’t build so much as drag on. With the victim’s fate sealed, there is no suspense, only a vague curiosity about just how long the torture will be extended – usually well past the point when all but the most hardcore horror hounds will have lost interest.

PLOT

As for the story and characters – well, there ain’t none, at least not much. There is a back story, explaining the origin of Victor Crowley, but it is delivered in an unimaginative way: a lengthy flashback with voice over. It’s a long piece of exposition that comes too early in the film, slowing things down instead of doing what a sequel can do best: hit the ground running, on the foundation laid by its predecessor.
The flashback does tie up some loose ends from HATCHET, but most of it relating to Crowley’s birth- which involves infidelity and a curse – does nothing to affect the events that follow. It also dispels some of the mystery surrounding the character. One of the interesting elements of the first film was that Crowley was the subject of conflicting legends: was he dead or a live? a serial killer, a zombie, or a ghost?

Marybeth, now played by Danielle Harris
Marybeth, now played by Danielle Harris

Once the back story is out of the way, HATCHET II finally gets started, sort of. Marybeth wants to go back into the swamp to retrieve the bodies of her dead brother and father, so she enlists the aid of Reverend Zombie (Tony Todd), who has his own reasons for wanting to be rid of Crowley (Crowley is bad for the tourism business). We get an extended sequence of the Reverend enlisting a posse of sorts to go into the swamp and take out the rampaging killer, a scene padded with shots of the camera slowly panning across anonymous faces in the crowd. (Judging from the response at the cast and crew screening, this was a chance to give cameos to everyone who worked on the film.)
Around about this time, you know that HATCHET II is in serious trouble. The script is filled with obligatory lip service dialogue to explain why characters do things we never believe they would do; we’re simply supposed to accept the behavior because how else are we going to get a dozen more victims into Crowley’s path? Marybeth will not go to the police. The victim’s from the first film will have no one else looking for them who would go to the police. Marybeth will hook up with Reverend Zombie even though he is not particularly trustworthy. Her uncle will go along for the ride against his better judgement. Reverend Zombie will hire lots of hunters because he wants safety in numbers, but when in the danger zone, he will split the group up, thus undermining the safety that comes from large numbers. Lots of other people will follow him into the swamp, hoping to claim the bounty on Crowley’s head, even though most of them don’t believe Crowley exists. (Boy, are they in for a rude awakening!)
hatchet 2
There's safety in numbers - let's split up!

Even with all the set-up, there is ultimately not much to do once the posse gets into the swamp. There is a connection between Marybeth and Crowley, but it is never exploited. Although Marybeth should be the lead character, she is sidelined while we watch the newbies killed off one by one. Reverend Zombie turns out to be the prime mover, more or less leading the lambs to slaughter, believing that when Crowley has sated his thirst for revenge, he will finally stop terrorizing the swamp.
Unfortunately, this last plot thread leads to the all-time worst twist ending. The Reverend – who knows precise details about events that took place outside his personal knowledge – is surprisingly ignorant about crucial details that should be within his personal reach (like the name of his late friend’s brother). Even worse, Marybeth, who is aware of Zombie’s error, keeps her mouth shut until it’s too late to save anybody, springing her revelation like a trump card after the damage has been done.

CHARACTERS & PERFORMANCES

One of the great things about HATCHET was that the characters were engaging; even when we knew that the rules of the genre marked them as archetypal victims (e.g., the Jerk), we were sorry to see them go. As much as the film was based on a gore aesthetic, it still maintained suspense, presenting its kills in a manner designed to provoke screams of fear, not shouts of approval.
HATCHET II, conversely, gives us generic victims whose deaths never register as anything more than bodies to be battered bloody, and the cast does little to bring them to life before their unexpectedly untimely deaths. Even Parry Shen, who was so funny the first time out, seems completely stumped by his obligatory role (as the twin brother, of course), which requires him to perform a variation on his previous routine (speaking with affected accents that do not match his Asian appearance). What was funny once, provokes only exasperated sighs the second time.
Kane Hodder is back as Victor Crowley and (in flashback) Victor’s father. Although he pulled off a nice dramatic moment or two in HATCHET, here he is pushed too far by writer-director Adam Green, and the emotions start to feel forced and melodramatic – a director indulging his star at the expense of the film.
If you wonder why I’m blaming Green for Hodder’s performance, the reason is that something similar happens with Danielle Harris, when she is called upon to express grief. Harris is cute and feisty, but the script doesn’t know what to do with her: is she an emotional wreck or a righteous avenger? Also, she seems less authentic than Tamara Feldman did in HATCHET; there is something a bit too glamorous and “Hollywood” about Harris for us to accept her as the daughter of a local gator-poacher. Her presence is really a sop to the horror fans, who remember her from HALLOWEEN IV and the 2007 HALLOWEEN remake.
Tom Holland seems to be around for much the same reason: not because he used to act way back when, but because horror fans may remember him for having directed FRIGHT NIGHT. He’s given more or less the John Agar role, and he certainly makes an effort, but he comes across a bit stiff, as if uncomfortable being back in front of the camera.
6a00d8341c630a53ef0133f3710f58970b-600wiTony Todd, having made a cameo in HATCHET, is rewarded with a lead role here. A fine actor who has been poorly used by the horror genre since his memorable debut in CANDYMAN1992), Todd seems to be enjoying himself as Reverend Zombie, but his joy may come at the expense of the film. He throws in a series of exaggerated spook-show hand  gestures, suggesting that the Reverend is a charlatan, yet the scripts seems to want us to take his knowledge of the supernatural as authentic. Todd is also victimized by some awkward dialogue that sound uncharacteristic when coming from a voodoo houngan.

THE REAL PROBLEM

Ultimately, HATCHET II never makes any of its characters into anything interesting enough to hold our attention. For all the back story dumped on us in the first act, the lead characters turn out to be not much more important than the supporting victims; there is little or no dramatic tension, because the connections between characters are too tenuous.
When Trent (R. A. Mihailoff) finally comes to grips with Crowley, the scene should explode on screen, because Crowley is settling a personal score instead of targeting another random victim. (Trent was one of three kids whose Halloween prank resulted in Crowley’s death, from which he returned with a literal vengeance.) But the scene does not exploit this possibility with an exchange of closeups or even a glance of recognition. Nor does HATCHET II play with the fact that, for once, we might root for Crowley.
Instead, the only tension in the scene comes from the fact that Mihailoff played Leatherface in THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE III, a film for which Hodder acted as stunt supervisor. If you know the behind-the-scenes background, then you know why Trent is just about the only character who lays a glove on Crowley: it’s so we can see a cool fight seen between two stunt men, one who played Leatherface and the other who played Jason (Hodder wore the hockey mask in FRIDAY THE 13TH 7 through X). It’s almost a good moment – the only time when Victor Crowley seems to work up a little sweet, even seem almost vulnerable – but the end result is not half what it should have been.
Even more disappointing is the final face-off between Crowley and Reverend Zombie. The later has certainly done enough wrong so that we are happy to see Crowley sights land on him, but there is no strong personal connection. (Zombie, we are told, could have been – but was not – with Trent and his friends on the fateful night of Crowley’s death.) Considering the effort spent on establishing a back story, there should have been something in there to make the confrontation payoff on something that had happened in the past.
Also, it would have helped if Zombie had not been such an idiot – ditching his shot-gun and preferring to go hand-to-hand with Crowley. As with Mihailoff, the motivation here is less the characters than the actors: instead of Leatherface-versus-Jason, we get Candyman-versus-Jason. The script needed to give us some reason to think the Reverend might prevail, something that would put the outcome in doubt – something hat would make us sit up and take notice, instead of sit back and wait for the inevitable demise of another victim.

COUP DE GRACE

Marybeth tries to level Victor Crowley's karma.
Marybeth tries to level Victor Crowley's karma.

It must be said that, for all its failings, HATCHET II ends on a wonderful note, one that works brilliantly by setting up an overused cliche and then overturning it. SPOILER For once, at least, a final girl does what we have always wanted her to do to make sure that her apparently unkillable opponent does not rise one final time before the fadeout. END SPOILER
In a film plagued by sequel cliches, it is nice to see that setting up the next installment in the franchise was not a concern that was allowed to ruin the ending of this film. If there ever is a HATCHET III, one hopes it takes its cue from this moment and tries to do something subversive with the slasher formula, instead of simply offering up more lambs to the slaughter.
HATCHET II (Dark Sky Films, October 1, 2010). Written and directed by Adam Green. Cast: Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Parry Shen, Tom Holland, R.A. Mihailoff, A.J. Bowen, Alexis Peters, Ed Ackerman, David Foy, Rick McCallum, John Carl Buechler, Kathryn Fiore, Mercedes McNab.
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Sense of Wonder: Hatchet II & Horror Movie-Going as Tribal Identifier

Hatche II (2010)

Back in a review of VAMPIRES SUCK, I noted that we are in the era of movie-going as tribal identifiers. Purchasing a ticket is less a matter less of seeking entertainment than of supporting the group with which you self-identify. The problem manifest in this approach is clear: bad STAR WARS prequels, indifferent HARRY POTTER adaptations, and insipid TWILIGHT films attract huge audiences regardless of their actual quality, because fans feel obligated to prove their loyalty to the franchise – a bit like high school students who show up at the football game to support the home team, no matter how badly they lose.
The horror genre is no stranger to this phenomena, as I was reminded on Tuesday night when I attended the Los Angeles premiere of HATCHET II. This was quite a high-energy event: fans mingled with members of the press and the cast and crew, eagerly awaiting the sequel to HATCHET (2006), which had breathed some welcome life into the moribund slasher formula a while back.
Writer-director Adam Green was understandably giddy with delight. HATCHET had taken a tortuous path to the screen: There was trouble finding backers because it was “not a remake, not a sequel, and not based on a Japanese one” (these words, from a rejection letter, became the poster tagline during the film’s festival run). After the film was made, few distributors were interested. When HATCHET did get released theatrically, there was little or no promotional support, and the film was heavily re-edited to earn an R-rating from the MPAA.
In spite of all these travails, HATCHET somehow found an audience, who dubbed themselves the “Hatchet Army” and supported the film, turning it into a hit on video. Consequently, there mere existence of HATCHET II is a triumph – a vindication of the effort Green put into making the original.
The problem with this kind of success story is that it creates a narrative that overwhelms the film, as those who enjoyed it become emotionally invested in the success of the franchise and want to show their support. Yes, it’s great that the first HATCHET turned a profit. And it’s great that Dark Sky Films has the nerve to release HATCHET II unrated. And it would be really wonderful if this set a precedent, proving that unrated releases are viable, allowing filmmakers to bypass the MPAA so that viewers could see their work uncensored on the movie screen.
But here’s the catch: the film itself has to deliver; we should not have to support it just because we are good tribe members swept up in the triumphant narrative, whose satisfying conclusion demands a huge success for HATCHET II. What if the film, on its own merits, does not deserve success?
I will leave that question for a separate review. My point here is not to criticize HATCHET II; it is to note the extent to which the filmmakers and their supporters are trying to exploit movie-going as a tribal identifier. On Tuesday night, Green exhorted fans in the audience to go and pay to see the movie again on opening weekend, in order to raise the per-screen average and send a message to Hollywood. Uncle Creepy, of Dread Central, introduced the evening by announcing his excitement over helping to promote a film that could change the course of horror filmmaking. Publicists are currently sending out press releases advising me and others to support unrated horror.
The underlying message in all of this is: we’re all part of the tribe, and we want our tribe to win, even if that means turning a blind eye toward the film in question. Green can be given a pass for supporting his baby after all the work he put into it. But what about the fans and the genre press? Is it really their job to push a movie just because it is going out unrated? At this point, is there any way that someone like Uncle Creepy could criticize HATCHET II without being denounced as an apostate? (Come to think of it, can I writer this editorial without being branded as a spoil-sport critic who is not really a horror fan?)
At the premiere, Green noted that the Hatchet Army is not just about HATCHET; its members have supported other films, too, such as DRAG ME TO HELL. Sadly, this is another film that really works only as a tribal identifier – a way for fans of director Sam Raimi’s debut, THE EVIL DEAD (1982), to confirm that they are still part of the tribe, over 25 years later. The release of HATCHET II is being followed, one week later, by the remake of  I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, which is also going out unrated. Will the Hatchet Army support that as well?
And what about the rest of us? Should we feel obligated to purchase tickets  just to prove our bona fides in the horror film fan base? Or would we be better off watching DEVIL instead?
You can guess my answer. Tribalism leads to insular film-making at best and bad film-making at worst. The feedback loop of fans blindly applauding whatever they see is not conducive to the sort of reflection and self-improvement that lead to growth as a filmmaker. What we need is not tribal support for idols or for unrated horror. What we really need is to demand quality horror and to hold our idols to the standards they they have set for themselves with their best work.

Hatchet: Blu-ray review

click to purchase
click to purchase
Anchor Bay’s new Blu-ray disc replaces their old DVD as the definitive edition for fans who want to add the film to their collection.

HATCHET is back – this time on Blu-ray, and just in time for the release of HATCHET 2, which is set to arrive in theatres on October 1. Writer-director Adam Green’s salute to “Old School American Horror” was previously the subject of an excellent “Unrated Director’s Cut DVD,” loaded with extra features. Anchor Bay’s new Blu-ray disc (release date: September 7) ports over their old bonus material and adds a brand new audio commentary with Green and Kane Hodder, who plays the film’s backwoods legend, Victory Crowley. With the behind-the-scenes details having been thoroughly covered in the DVD, there are few gaps to be filled, but the new commentary is a welcome addition, and the widescreen high-def transfer reminds us just how good this modestly budgeted film looks.
HATCHET is presented in a 1080p transfer of its complete, unrated 84-minute cut, with 1.78 aspect ratio for 16×9 televisions, with the English audio track in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and with subtitles in Spanish, English for the hearing impaired. Although Adam Green, in the audio commentary, expresses reservations about the high-def transfer (which he apparently feels will reveal flaws in the image), the photography actually looks quite wonderful. The atmosphere of the swamp – as much as over-the-top gore – makes the film work, and this is rendered with beautiful clarity: the night scenes are dark and shadowy, without being murky, and every drop of slow-motion blood gleams like a liquid ruby.
The disc’s sole new feature, the audio commentary with Green and Hodder, mostly eschews details of the film’s production, instead addressing the aftermath: going to festivals, finding distribution, battling the MPAA. Green expresses frustration over HATCHET’s limited theatrical release (marred by weak promotional support and cuts need to achieve an R-rating) but focuses most of his attention on pointing out subtle details that set up HATCHET 2: for example, Victor Crowley’s skin coloring hints at his parentage, which involves a Voodoo curse. Green also recalls that his producer bugged him about whether it was worth the effort to get Tony Todd (CANDYMAN) to play a brief cameo as Reverend Zombie; Green insisted, knowing the character would play a much larger role in the sequel.

Kane Hodder doing a burn stunt as the deformed Victor Crowley
Kane Hodder doing a burn stunt as the deformed Victor Crowley

Overall, this commentary is less jokey and fragmented than the previous one, which was interrupted by technical troubles and suffered from the absence of Hodder. The actor, best known as the stunt man who wore Jason’s mask in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 7 through X, expresses appreciation for being given an opportunity to play dramatic scenes with out makeup (in flashbacks of Victor Crowley’s father), and he happily notes that he was satisfied with the kills as written in the script (he usually insists on adding his own twists).
Unlike Anchor Bay’s recent Limited Edition Blu-ray of THE EVIL DEAD (which was missing some bonus material from its previous Ultimate Edition DVD), the HATCHET Blu-ray includes all the previously available features. These include:

  • Audio Commentary with Co-Producer-Writer-Director Adam Green, Co-Producer-Cinematographer Will Barratt and Actors Tamara Feldman, Joel David Moore and Deon
  • The Making of Hatchet
  • Meeting Victor Crowley: An in-depth look at the creation of a new horror icon
  • Guts & Gore: Go behind the scenes of Hatchet’s special makeup and prosthetic effects
  • Anatomy of a Kill: Witness the “jaw-breaking” birth, design and execution of a death scene
  • A Twisted Tale: Writer/Director Adam Green recounts his decades-long friendship with “Twisted Sister” front man Dee Snider
  • Gag Reel
  • Theatrical Trailer

The featurettes are presented in 1.33, standard def. For more details, read our review of the DVD here.
With its good-looking high-def transfer, new audio commentary, and inclusion of all the old bonus material, Anchor Bay’s Blu-ray disc becomes the definitive version for fans who have yet to add HATCHET to their collections. Those who already own the DVD may think twice about whether the new commentary is worth the price of a second purchase, but the improved picture and sound quality enhance the horrors in a way that brings the viewing experience to life even more vividly than before.
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Neil Marshall on CENTURION: Fantasy Film Podcast Interview

Centuri-run!: Michael Fassbender gets a workout in CENTURION.
Centuri-run!: Michael Fassbender gets a workout in CENTURION.

CENTURION tends to focus on the resilience side of human existance, what with swords, hatchets, and various other implements of death being wielded hither and yon and a small clutch of battle-scarred soldiers trying to survive their onslaughts. Based on the historical myth of a legion of Roman warriors who vanished into the mists of northern Britain, never to return, Neil Marshall’s violent imagining of their fate offers a propulsive adventure in which Michael Fassbender’s dedicated centurion seeks to lead a small band of soldiers out of enemy territory while being hunted down by a relentless Pict tracker (played by Olga Kurylenko, whose inspirational physique would make anyone wish that surrender was an option). And if you remember Marshall from DOG SOLDIERS and THE DESCENT, you know that once the narrative gets going, it’ll be at least as relentless as the soldier’s adversaries, and once things get violent, man, you’d better duck (and this isn’t even in 3D!). A fitting way to commemorate the end of summer methinks.
Also in this episode, an interview with director Danièle Thompson about her sharply observed dinner comedy, CHANGE OF PLANS. Not genre, but worthwhile, anyway.
Click on the player to hear the interviews.

Fall 2010 Movie Preview — Part II: The Chronic Rift Podcast

Jeff Bridges returns to the game grid, Harry Potter faces down some deathly hallows — whatever the hell those are — and Jacques Tati gets animated as CHRONIC RIFT producer/host John Drew and I pick up our discussion of the cinematic goodness that will be greeting us as the year raps up. And if TRON: LEGACY, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, and THE ILLUSIONIST (the latter by the wickedly idiosyncratic animator Sylvain Chomet and based on an unfilmed script by the legendary Tati) don’t give you the tingles, hang on kid, cause that’s just the smallest fraction of what’s coming up in November and December.
Click on the player to discover how much you’ve got to look forward to.
And if you somehow missed the first part of this discussion, you can hear it here.

Fall 2010 Movie Preview: The Chronic Rift Podcast

In anticipation of my assuming the role of movie critic for THE CHRONIC RIFT — the legendary discussion show of all things science fiction, fantasy and horror that’s beginning its third year as a podcast — John Drew invited me on to discuss what genre fans should be looking forward to in the coming months. As you can expect, the conversation consists of equal parts reasoned insight, wild speculation, and geeky enthusiasm. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s also only half the conversation, since we went on at such length that the show had to be split into two parts. John notes at the end of this segment that part 2 will follow tomorrow. It may appear here as well, or it may be pushed back just a bit so we can bring you the CFQ POST-MORTEM (this week devoted to a discussion of the worlds of Ray Bradbury and William Castle), and the latest episode of MIGHTY MOVIE PODCAST, featuring Neil Marshall discussing his cojones-out historic adventure film, CENTURION, and Daniele Thompson on her wry comedy, CHANGE OF PLANS. We’re nothing if not eclectic here.
If you just can’t wait, we heartily commend you to www.chronicrift.com, where you can catch the thrilling conclusion as soon as it posts. (And hear lots of other good eps as well.)
Click on the player to hear Part One.

I Spit on Your Grave release date, photos

I Spit on Your Grave (2010) posterAnchor Bay Entertainment releases this rather unnecessary remake of the infamous exploitation horror film. Since Anchor Bay is primarily a home video company, presumably this will be a small platform release designed mostly to boost DVD sales; the timing also seems a deliberate attempt to get the jump on SAW 3-D, which opens a couple weeks later. The plot has a woman writer, brutalized during a retreat to an isolated cabin to work on her latest novel, take vengeance upon her captors in ways equally brutal. Steven R. Monroe directed, from a screenplay by Stuart Morse and Jeffrey Reddick, based on the 1978 film written by Meir Zarchi. The cast includes Sarah Butler, Daniel Franzese, Chad Lindberg, Jeff Branson, Rodney Eastman, Saxon Sharbing, and the always fun character actor Tracey Walter (REPO MAN).
Fans of the original seem concerned about whether the remake will include a castration scene. My feeling is that, after the witty variation on this idea in STORM WARNING, who cares?
I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Jennifer (Sarah Butler) victimizes one of her tormentors I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Jennifer (Sarah Butler) brutalized by tormentors I Spit on Your Grave (2010)  Andrew Howard I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Daniel Franzese I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Stanley (Daniel Franzese) pays for his crimes I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Sarah Butler I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Sarah Butler I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Sarah Butler I Spit on Your Grave (2010) Sarah Butler I Spit on Your Grave (2010) director Steven R. Monroe
Release date: October 8

Tokyo Gore Police: Double Disc Special Edition review

tokygorepolice-May18 release cover
click to purchase

Oh no, they say she’s got to go, go go gorezilla. On no, there goes Tokyo, go go gorezilla…zilla…zilla…zilla.
Although director Yoshihiro Nishimura’s TOKYO GORE POLICE, essentially a remake of his earlier film ANATOMIA EXSTINCTION (1985), does not have any men running around in rubber monster suits, it does have men and women looming around covered in latex prosthetics that are as nutty as they are creative.
“Blood, squirt, artery, homicide, gore.” These are the words pouring out of the mouth of Michael Palin during his rendition of a sadistic barber in a Monty Python skit. It also happens to be a fair description of TOKYO GORE POLICE (2008), Nishimura’s over-the-top blood lusting freak-out film that gives this Gore-Asia genre a comedic lilt with a horror tilt.
With last year’s successful U.S. Film Festival run of Nishimura’s co-directed Gore-Asia release of VAMPIRE GIRL VS FRANKENSTEIN GIRL (2009), Tokyo Shock’s May 18, 2010 re-release of TOKYO GORE POLICE is yet one more strategy to drain our very souls – and pocketbooks – dry. The two-disc set is touted as a “1.5 version” that includes a bonus disc of follow-up short films, which is intended to “extend the TOKYO GORE POLICE cinematic experience.”
However, I think that those who have seen any of the other released versions of the 109-minute twisted TOKYO GORE POLICE (such as the single-disc DVD released in January 2009) will agree that any additions (barring unseen footage or extended play) are as needed as an extra hour on Peter Jackson’s KING KONG (2005), a film that would have greatly benefited by removing about 40 minutes of the first hour.
Anyhow, for those who came in late, the thousands of gallons of blood gushing out all over the screen, on the camera lenses and the various slice ‘em and dice ‘em up actors are the result of a futuristic gore war between Tokyo’s newly created privatized police force versus the Engineers. Not to be confused with someone who drives a train or builds cars, these Engineers are a sometimes randy, rowdy or raunchy bunch of genetically created mutant murderers who when maimed morph into maniacal machinations of maliciousness.
Enter the Ruka (Eihi Shiina; the piano-wire wielder in AUDITION (1999)), Engineer hunter extraordinaire, whose goal is to find and finish off the head Engineer (Itsuji Itao), in order to railroad and derail his dreams of humankind domination. But the “key” to unlock her success goes beyond the door of damnation to reveal the reality of what and who she is.
tokyo_gore_police_ps309-ladysnowbloodAs many Japanese, female driven action-gore films depict, Ruka wields a samurai sword.  However, the film only contains six hack-and-whack fight scenes cumulatively lasting a poultry four minutes, which reflect action scenes featured in the Meiko Kaji starring LADY SNOWBLOOD  films (1973 & 1974) and the FX influenced fight scene between Yuen Biao and the freaky creature in PEACOCK KING (1989). In a very obscure fashion, Ruka acts, dresses and looks a little like Beatrice Chia’s Silver character featured in the Hong Kong actioner short LOST TIME (2003).
Nishimura’s scatological sensibilities border on pee-thetic bathroom humor that are not just a bunch of croc but are influenced by Shintaro Katzu’s HANZO THE RAZOR films (1972, 1973 and 1974), which probably breaks every penile code this side of the Pecos.  In this case, the words of Eric Idle from another Monty Python sketch will suffice, “Wink, wink, grin, grin, blink, blink. Know what I mean? Say no more.”
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