This movie is lame, poorly done and a real lackluster but it's still being something really unique and special.
This is one of those artistic, low-budget, trashy movies, that some directors tried to make a career out of, during the late '60's and '70's. Lots of great directors actually started out this way, such as Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese. Watch this movie and "Taxi Driver" and you'll start to notice some similarities in its approach of storytelling and filmmaking. The movie is certainly looking and feeling like a bad trip. The fact that this is an 1979 movie actually makes this a pretty late entry within its sub genre of psychedelic, experimental film-making, that works better as art than an actual movie.
The movie its title and premise make it sound like this is just an average, very bloody and gory slasher-flick. But the movie is in fact far from being anything average or generic. You can't even call this movie a slasher really, since there is not a whole lot happening in it horror-wise, though the movie can still get quite gory at times.
I can actually understand some people finding this movie boring and a real lackluster. But that is simply because they are expecting this movie to be something that it just isn't and also was never intended to be. So be sure not to expect a typical slasher and don't let the movie its title fool you.
The obvious reasons why the film-makers had to use artistic, creative and an unusual approach to things was to conceal its low budget. It's actually being one incredible cheap and trashy looking movie, that still is being made interesting and good to watch due to it approach of style and story. The concept in itself is also pretty good, which must also be one of the reasons why a remake of it is already currently in production.
I simply have to admit that director Abel Ferrara did an admirable job with the limited resources he had at hands. He himself actually also plays the main character of the movie, only under a different name. He actually would go on working as a director and also directed some pretty good and also fairly well known movies, such as "Bad Lieutenant " and "Body Snatchers". He gave up on getting an acting career as well though and I can't really blame him for that and I'm also thankful for it.
Not a great movie by any means but it's still being made good and interesting to watch due to its artistic values.
6/10
Watch trailer
No comments: