Review: Death-Scort Service

You may find this hard to believe, but the Son of Celluloid has, once or twice, been accused of being a movie snob.  I know, right?  Usually it’s when I’m proclaiming my love for something artsy-fartsy and high-concept.  Now don’t get me wrong.  While I have always loved the grindhouse, somewhere in the process of getting a film studies degree I developed an appreciation for the arthouse.  Sure, I love Jason and Freddy.  I love Kwaidan too, though.  Maybe a little Santa Sangre.  Even pretentious as hell stuff like Hour of the Wolf.  But sometimes, you want to dispense with all of the fancy bullshit and bask in as much gratuitous nudity and violence as possible.  We all love a good steak, but dammit, you’re craving a Whopper.  In other words, you want the simple pleasures.  And that’s where Death-Scort Service comes in.

Synopsis: Someone is killing hookers.

Yep.  That’s all the synopsis I’m giving you.  Why?  Because you’ll know from that if this is your type of flick.  Death-Scort Service isn’t particularly long on plot.  It doesn’t need to be.  It delivers exactly what you want from a flick like this, naked chicks getting dead.  And let me tell you, it offers up just that in abundance and to excess.

Let’s start with the nudity, shall we?  I would say that there is an at least semi-naked woman on screen for about 87% of the movie.  Yeah, I just pulled that number out of thin air, but it’s a pretty good estimate.  It’s definitely the “beyond R-rated” variety of nudity.  Not XXX, but pretty graphic.  Most of the actresses playing the non-clad ladies of ill repute are of the “Suicide Girl” variety, which is right up my alley.  Hell, this was a collaborative effort between Gatorblade Films and Sleaze Box.  With the SB boys involved, you know what you’re in for.  Naughty bits on display.  What’s not to love about that?

As for the gore, it’s exactly the kind of stuff that fans of low budget splatter (like me) eat up.  Low-fi and practical, just the way we like it.  A copious amount of the red stuff goes flying, dripping, and running.  Skin and entrails too.  This is the gore you loved in all of your favorite video store nasties.  Besides, Marcus Koch is involved, so you know it’s gotta be good.  I don’t want to get into details so as not to give any of the kills away, but suffice it to say they’re quite satisfying.  Well, except for one.  SLIGHT SPOILER:  There is one scene involving barbed wire.  Unfortunately, they used the same bad $5.99 fake barbed wire that you can get at any Party City.  It’s a shame, too.  Otherwise it’s a really cool, depraved scene that could have been legendary.  It might not bother some, but as a bit of an authority on barbed wire from my deathmatch work, that stood out like a sore thumb to me.  There is better prop barbed wire out there, guys.

Having discussed the gory and sexy stuff, the other aspects of the film are better than your average underground filth fest.  The acting is about what you’d expect from a flick like this.  Performances from the ladies range from “Damn, she’s pretty good” to “Damn, it’s a good thing she’s pretty.”  There are also appearances by two guys that are always welcome additions to any flick, Sleaze Box stalwart Bob Glazier and indie legend Joel Wynkoop.  The final twist/reveal of the killer’s identity works well.  I actually didn’t see it coming, which is saying something.  79 minutes is an optimum length, and the pace is pretty much perfect.

This movie manages to do exactly what a lot of the films of its ilk attempt but fail at; go to extremes with the graphic nudity and violence while capturing the feeling of a late 80’s/early 90’s shot on video gem.  As we saw with Die Die Delta Pi, director Sean Donohue has a firm grasp on what it takes to make an enjoyable slasher flick.  We’ve all been burned by films with great names that don’t live up to the promise of their titular glory.  I know exactly what you’re looking for from a flick called Death-Scort Service, and you need not worry.  It delivers the goods.  Death-Scort Service is sleazy, dirty, bloody, mean, nasty fun.  Nathan says check it out.

Review: Harvest Lake

Ever since the first scary stories were told around campfires, the genre has always been fueled by the intrinsic connection between fear and titillation. This libido-baiting is perhaps at its most effective and fascinating when dealing with the idea that true sexual ecstasy can only be found in the otherworldly, monstrous, and grotesque.  The ultimate kink.  It’s the reason many early boogie-persons (how’s that for PC?) took the form of Incubi and Succubi creeping into your bedroom at night for illicit, nightmarish encounters.  It’s the orgasm metaphor of Mina’s enthrallment to Dracula after that first bite.  It’s the heart of the Hellraiser franchise.  One of my favorite treatments is an old comic story called Jennifer, which was the inspiration for Dario Argento’s only moment of greatness since the 90’s.  Hell, it’s why there’s tentacle porn.  It’s also the central thrust (uh huh huh huh) of Harvest Lake.
Synopsis: Five friends fall under the seductive influence of a libidinous, otherworldly presence that threatens to change their lives forever.  
Harvest Lake comes to us from the formidable combination of Forbidden Films and Mostly Harmless Pictures.  Considering the track record of this creative collective (Found, Headless, Time To Kill, etc.), expectations are understandably high.  Harvest Lake does not disappoint.  It also isn’t at all what I was expecting. When Scott Schirmer (director) and Brian Williams (Director of Photography) came on the Picking Brains podcast and told Brad and I that they were making a “psychosexual erotic horror movie,” my mind went in sleazier directions.  If I hear “erotic horror,” I think Jess Franco.  I think Misty Mundae.  I think about that white-eyed, leather-clad demon chick that did the old Redemption Cinema DVD intros.  Don’t act like you don’t remember.  Those were awesome. 

Anyway, unless you’re new around here, you know that I have no problem whatsoever with sleaze. I’m a fan, in fact.   However, this isn’t that kind of movie.  Yes, the plot of the film is VERY sexual and there is a LOT of sexual activity in the film.  It does not, however, use its sex as a gimmick or simply for the sake of gratuitous T&A.  No, Harvest Lake wields its sex like a weapon.  It is the stream that the story itself rides along on.  Harvest Lake reminded me of Cronenberg’s Shivers in the way it uses sexuality to intensify the threat, making it more intimate and disturbing.

Also like that film, Harvest Lake is, deep down, a creature feature.  But the way it manifests said creature is varied and inspired.  Very rarely do we get a good look at the actual creature(s?).  Instead, most of the time we see the threat either through the lake itself, which functions as a proxy for whatever the hell it is, or the people under the monster’s influence.  It’s all very Lovecraftian, with the tentacled creature of unknown origin driving people to madness and mania through its hijacking of their primal urges.  That’s right, our unfortunate campers are getting it on with tentacle monsters.  Answering the Booty Call of Cthulhu, if you will.  It all culminates in the most bizarrely beautiful scene that you’re likely to behold for a good, long while.  
On the technical end, Brian Williams deserves a tremendous amount of credit.  Harvest Lake is an absolutely gorgeous film.  Not only did they choose a beautiful location to shoot in, but it’s perfectly photographed.  One of the things I’ve chided movies for in the last 15 years or so is the franticness of the visuals.  With average shot lengths of 3 seconds and cameras that never stop moving just for the sake of moving, it’s nice to see a director and cinematographer set up outstanding shots and then just let them speak for themselves.  Brian and Scott had the good sense to trust in their images enough to not resort to the cheap “shaky cam and overkill editing” tricks that plague the current movie landscape.  Between the cinematography and the editing, it’s a refreshing throwback to a style that many of today’s filmmakers sadly couldn’t pull off.

The acting also deserves special discussion.  There are a total of 7 people in Harvest Lake, with only 5 having dialogue and significant screen time.  With such a small cast, a weak link would have been immediately apparent and a huge detriment to the flick.  Luckily, there isn’t one.  I knew what to expect from Ellie Church and Tristan Risk; the cream of the current horror actress crop.  I’ve never seen a bad performance from either, and they both just keep getting better.  I was less familiar with the guys, who pleasantly surprised me.  I had only seen Kevin Roach in a couple of shorts before (The Confession of Fred Krueger, Bloody Hooker Bang Bang), and he turned in a hell of a performance.  Dan Nye and Jason Crowe were new to me, but both were excellent.  Not only was everyone effective in their individual roles, but they had the kind of on-screen chemistry that makes an ensemble cast like this more than the sum of its parts.

Issues with the flick?  Yeah, I’ve got one or two.  A couple scenes could have used a little tightening up.  There was a momentary sound-sync issue that will only bother eagle-eyed, over-analytical pricks like me. But those are small quibbles and pretty insignificant when talking about a flick this damn good.
Sex and horror have always been two great tastes that taste great together.  I mean, is there any more potent combination than tits and blood?  The “carnally debauched by the beast” trope has always been one of the most intriguing, but I’ve never seen it handled quite this way before.  In a genre where it seems there is truly nothing new under the sun, Harvest Lake took a classic idea, spun it in an original direction, and showed me things I have never seen before.  That is the highest praise I can possibly give a film.  It is exceptionally well executed; from the effects to the acting to the impressive visuals.  I think you’ll dig it as much as I did.  I’m not saying you’re gonna be running to bang the lake monster necessarily, but for the discerning independent horror fan, I highly recommend letting Harvest Lake seduce you too.  Nathan says check it out.

Review: American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore

I can’t decide if I was in no position or the perfect position to experience American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore the first time I saw it.  Let me explain.

The setting was Days of the Dead: Atlanta.  I was drunk to say the least.  That evening, I procured six edibles.  Yes, that kind of edibles.  Three pot brownies and three pot caramels.  My intent was to space them out and eat them over the course of the weekend.  I ate one immediately, then proceeded to continue drinking.  About 15 minutes before the screening, I decided to eat another as I found a seat.  As I sat down, I noticed a popular independent horror director sitting in front of me and handed him the other half of my brownie.  I’m not naming names.  I don’t wanna get anyone in trouble.  We’ll just say that his name rhymes with Madam Ballrant.  Anyway, I reached into my pocket to get another, and all I felt was empty wrappers.  It was then that the realization set in.  Throughout the course of a couple of hours of not paying attention and the drunken horror con social butterflying that my position as the horror scribe of Atlanta affords me, I had eaten all of them.  Jason Hoover later referred to it as “hero dosing.”  In other words, I was about to be FUCKED UP.  

As the movie began to run and it all kicked in at once, the thought “I really hope this is a long flick, ‘cause I’m not gonna be able to stand up for a while” crossed my mind.  Then, as I saw two women being abducted, I found myself incapable of doing anything but staring, slack jawed, at the screen.  For the next seventy-something minutes, I couldn’t look away.  I don’t think I even blinked.  It was like some Cenobite in the employ of Unearthed Films had affixed hooked chains to my eyelids, Clockwork Orange style, and was refusing to allow me even a momentary respite from the most intense gore I had ever seen being mainlined into my brain.    

I am happy to report that after a second viewing in a less drunk and far less stoned mindset, the movie retains its power.

For those unfamiliar with the Guinea Pig films, it was a series of seven (well, six and a “worst of”) Japanese ultra-gore films produced in the 80’s.  They became infamous after being found in a serial killer’s collection.  The apocryphal story of Charlie Sheen seeing Flower of Flesh and Blood (the second in the series and BOG&G’s spiritual father) and reporting to the FBI that he’d just seen a real snuff film is one of extreme cinema’s most beloved tales.  Now Stephen Biro, owner of Unearthed Films and the  American distributor of the Guinea Pig flicks, has undertaken the creation of another cycle, this one made in the good ol’ US of A.

Simply put, this is probably the most effective gore flick ever released.  What Marcus Koch has achieved here is a legitimate game changer.  This is a bold statement considering all of the flicks I’ve seen, but I have never seen gore effects this good before.  The way the skin moves when it’s cut.  The way the instruments catch on the bones.  The meticulous cross sections of severed limb stumps.  This is truly the masterwork of a man at the top of his game.  This is Marcus’ Day of the Dead, if you know what I mean. 

One complaint that you’re likely to hear about this film is that it has no story.  Well, yes and no.  There is no story in a traditional sense.  It’s the same as Flower of Flesh and blood in that the mutilation is the sum of the experience.  There is a higher concept and some intriguing symbolism (I’m still not sure what to make of some of it) if you’re inclined to look deep between the lines for it, but it’s definitely not out in the open.  The film is primarily concerned with being a real time chronicle of two women being dissected.  That’s it.  It’s an exercise in grueling atmosphere and visuals.  It’s an endurance test.  Speaking of which, people will say it moves slowly.  Those people missed the damn point.  There’s something either deliciously transgressive or sadistically nerve-wracking (depending on your perspective) about watching the clothes being slowly cut off of the ladies for a few minutes before the blood starts to flow.  It’s torturous foreplay.  It’s those agonizing minutes after being sent to your room but before a parent arrives for that whoopin’.  It’s those terrifying three seconds between stubbing your toe and the pain impulse reaching your brain.  The fact that it lingers on every minute detail forces you to feel rather than watch.

An aspect of filmmaking that is often unjustly overlooked is sound design.  To be honest, there’s not a hell of a lot of indie flicks whose sound you can say much nice about.  The sound design in this one, however, is superb.  As good as both the gore itself and the grim ambiance are, those aspects on their own wouldn’t shine nearly as much had the audio been entrusted to lesser hands.  Jimmy Screamerclaus takes an already potent brew and sends it over the top.

Caution: The next paragraph contains a slight spoiler.

One particular aspect of the film’s setup struck me as an absolute stroke of perverse genius.  Before their ordeal, the women are shot up with a nerve agent and given several drops from a medicine dropper.  When it is revealed that these drops were LSD, you immediately knew where the psychonauts in the crowd were by either a gasp or an “OH HELL NO!”  In addition to just being a unique and sick little addition to the proceedings, the real genius of that bit of business is that it adds a whole new level of identification for anyone in the audience who has done acid.  The camera may, literally and figuratively, be making the viewer share the gaze of the killers, but anyone who has ever dosed can’t help but imagine what it would be like to be tripping on the table.  You become trapped in the headspace of the victims, and it’s a truly harrowing idea.

Something happens at the end of this flick that caused a tremor in even some of the most hardcore members of the audience that night.  Hell, Madam Ballrant got up and walked the fuck out.  As the audio residue of that final image continued over the credits, we were left with the question, “Um, is it ok to applaud?  Can we do that while this is going on?”  It was a sublimely awkward moment.  As I filed out of the room with about two thirds of the people who were there at its start, I was pretty much silent until after a few shots and a couple of smokes.  AGP:BOG&G is the kind of flick you have to recover from.  Whether you’re looking for a breath of fresh air in the tired “faux-snuff” sub-genre, want to test your mettle (or that of your unsuspecting friends) with some depravity, or just want to marvel at an impressive practical effects achievement in the age of CGI, American Guinea Pig: Bouquet of Guts and Gore is for you.  Those weak of stomach or constitution need not apply.  Nathan says check it out.

Interview: ArME/Lust Director Keith Voigt Jr.

One of the coolest things about the 2014 edition of Days of the Dead Atlanta last month was the increasing presence of the underground.  I got to screen some of my favorites at the Son of Celluloid event, I hung out with standard bearers like Jason Hoover from Jabb Pictures and Fred and Shelby Vogel of TOETAG, and I was fortunate enough to meet some of the fresh, new talents who are poised to carry the indie horror banner into the future.  One of those filmmakers ready to make their mark on the genre is Keith Voigt Jr.

His first DVD release is currently available from TOETAG’s website and store.  It features two excellent shorts, ArME and Lust.  ArME tells the story of Daniel, a recently discharged Iraq veteran.  He returns from war a changed man, and reassimilating into society may be more than he can handle as his mind and relationships spiral out of control.  Lust is a story of unrequited love.  Can Lily cope with her feelings, or will her obsession consume both her and the object of her affestion?  Both shorts feature some fantastic acting, good gore effects, and thought provoking stories.  The DVD comes packed with commentaries, a bonus short, and plenty of other goodies for only 10 bucks.  Hell, you’d spend more than that going to see the newest derivative, vapid crap Hollywood has shat into your local multiplex.  What are you waiting for?  Follow that link at the bottom of the post and get your own copy or pick one up when Keith and/or TOETAG invades a horror convention near you.  Nathan says check it out.

In the meantime, I’ve invited Keith to drop some knowledge on the Cellmates about his films, sex, gore, his directing process, and wielding automatic weapons on city streets.  Enjoy!

SOC: For the readers who aren’t familiar with you, please introduce yourself.

KVJ: My name is Keith Voigt Jr. and I am independent filmmaker.  My short films ArME and LUST were released by TOETAG INC. and I love Chinese food!

SOC: What was it that first piqued your interest in making horror films?

KVJ: I had always loved horror films.  I remember as a child I would sneakily watch them in the middle of the night.  Stuff like Friday the 13th and The Shining.  As I got older my love for the genre only grew.  I started watching more and more and seeking out pretty much any horror movie I could get my hands on. When I started making little skits on tape in 8th grade naturally I started making little horror films, mostly involving serial killers, and I have just expanded from there.

SOC: When did you discover the world of underground, independent horror?

KVJ: Well as I kept watching these movies I started to seek out more extreme stuff.  Like at the video store I would try to find the most extreme “R” rating or the craziest cover.  If a film said “Unrated” it was like a holy f**king grail.  But I didn’t really find out about the scene that I am in now until I was 16.  A guy at a video store I used to frequent told me about Cinema Wasteland and it sounded awesome so I went. I had a blast.  Then I met the TOETAG crew and the rest is history.

SOC: The use of extreme sex and gore can be very controversial in horror circles, and both ArME and Lust include some pretty graphic scenes.   What do you think the role of this kind of imagery is in telling a story, and is there an aspect of “shock for shock’s sake” in your work?

KV J: I think sex is a natural thing and shouldn’t be shied away from.  If I am making a realistic film (which most of my movies are) then I want to use realistic sex.  It has a huge role in my stories. The reason the sex scene in ArME is so graphic is because I am telling my audience “LOOK, she is sexy, these people are f**king, that’s her pussy, this should be awesome…but our main character is so f**ked up he doesn’t care”.  So it all has a definite meaning behind it and message that it is sending.  As far as shock for shock’s sake, I would say that LUST has a little of that but not ArME.  I was a little younger when I made LUST and I needed to get my foot in the door, so there was a little of that “what’s the most f**ked up thing I can think of” attitude.

SOC:  Do you ever have trouble finding actors/actresses willing to do some of the more extreme things in your flicks?

KVJ: Luckily I have not had any trouble.  The people that I get to be naked really believe in what we are doing and know that it’s all imperative to the story.  They are also comfortable with their bodies.  If I can give any advice it’s just not to be a f**king creep about it. Just be honest.

SOC: ArME and Lust are both very character driven.  With films that hinge so much on the lead performance, do you take a more active role in developing the character or rely on the actors to come up with their interpretation?

KVJ: I work very hard with the lead actors to come up with the kind of character I want.  I do give them free range to create certain parts of their characters and by the middle of production they usually know what their character would do better than I would.  I am an actor’s director.  Rather than focus all my attention on lighting or other production aspects I like to spend a lot more time with the actors making sure that we get the best performance possible.  I mean, I do light and sometimes I am even the cinematographer, but the performance comes first for me.

SOC: In Lust, the character of Lily can really be interpreted as both monster and victim of herself.  Which do you see her as?

KVJ: I see her as a little of both, but more a victim.  She has been so overcome with lust that she can’t control what she is doing.  I find that sad.  Some people are weak minded, but for someone to do what she did she must have some deep rooted problems.

SOC: You said in the commentary on ArME that at least one military veteran consulted on the film.  Have you shown the completed flick to any vets and what was their reaction?

KVJ: Yeah I have shown the film to a couple of veterans and have gotten very positive feedback!  I was worried about that.  I totally respect every brave soldier out there.  I just disagree with the war.  When I was in pre-production on the film I talked to an Army Soldier and a Marine.  They told me some horrific stuff, and I tried to keep it as truthful and respectful as I could within the horror film structure.

SOC: One of the special features on the DVD is a short called Sandwich, but there’s no information about making it/when it was made/etc.  Could you give us a little background on that one?

KVJ: Sandwich was a crazy idea I got one day while hanging out with my fiancée.  It was made after LUST and ArME.  It was very fun to make and I was excited to show it to the world.  It can also be seen for free on our youtube page.  As far as an explanation of the movie, I will never tell.

SOC: Both Lust and ArME have horrific stories that are firmly rooted in reality and very personal, but Sandwich is pretty out there.  Do you enjoy doing the more bizarre concepts or do the other two represent more of your direction moving forward?

KVJ: I do enjoy the bizarre but I prefer the more real dramatic stuff.  I would say ArME and LUST represent the direction I am heading in, but you never know. Just like with Sandwich,  I can throw my audience a curveball every now and again.

SOC: ArME is a much more expressionistic film in terms of lighting and editing whereas Lust is more naturalistic.  Was this just a representation of your growth as a filmmaker or was the difference intentional based on the nature of the stories?

KVJ: I would say a little of both. With ArME I really wanted to show how our lighting has improved so I wanted to do cool things with that, but at the same time the structure of each film is completely different.  LUST follows a much more narrative structure with a clear point A and point B whereas ArME is sort of built up of micro scenes.  Instead of focusing on the scene as a whole I focus on little moments, so it also changed a bit with the nature of the stories.

SOC:  What’s your favorite guerrilla filmmaking “I can’t believe we just pulled that off” moment?

KVJ: Probably in ArME when we were on the streets with real illegal automatic weapons. We had cases of guns lying around and it was very intense.  I was worried that we were going to get arrested because we had no permits and we didn’t let anyone know, so when we wrapped I was so excited that we actually got that.  And when it was all edited together I was even more excited.  It’s a chilling scene.

SOC: Do you see short films as smaller features or is the short an art form all its own?

KVJ: I see it as an art form all on its own. You know what you need to move the story along and they are usually fast paced. I love making shorts. There is a real science to making short films.

SOC:  How did you hook up with the TOETAG crew, who are distributing ArME/Lust?

KVJ: As I was saying above I was a 16 year old kid at Cinema Wasteland. I had heard of August Underground’s Mordum and I bought it there and met the crew. When I watched it I knew that these guys were the real deal. I kept going back to Wasteland and formed a friendship with them, which has only grown in time.  Fred Vogel told me to go to college and make some movies, and I listened. When I got out of college he was very proud of me and I showed him the movies. He loved the shorts so one day I got the balls to ask him if he wanted to release them.  He said yes. TOETAG supports every independent filmmaker.  I owe them the world. We are all a family. I am glad that I did ask them to release my shorts because I have opened the doors for other filmmakers to do the same and I can’t wait to see what TOETAG puts out next.

SOC:  Have you decided on your next project yet?

KVJ: Yes I have.  It’s a feature called Haze Period, and it’s a new take on a drug movie with horror elements.  It reflects young contemporary drug culture. We will have an Indiegogo campaign up soon to raise the final bit of money we need to start shooting. It will be my best work yet.

SOC: Any last words?

KVJ: Thank you for having me and asking some brilliant questions. I hope everyone had as much fun reading as I had writing.

ArME/Lust is available HERE.

It will also be available at HorrorHound Weekend (Cincinnati, OH March 21-23), Cinema Wasteland (Strongsville, OH April 4-6) and Days of the Dead (Indianapolis, IN June 27-29).