Back of Box:
A story about young love, perverted inner conflicts, and sinister mystery. Aunt Cheryl (Susan Tyrell) has happily raised
her nephew, Billy Lynch (Jimmy McNichol), since he was orphaned at the age of three. Problems soon arise with Billy's
aunt, as Billy grows up and begins to plan his college education and adult life. She does not approve of his girlfriend,
nor does she want him to go away to college. As the people in Billy's life try to help him convince Aunt Cheryl to let
him accept the college scholarship and begin a life of his own, the unstable personalities of each character are revealed,
and the violence erupts.
In the subsequent events, Lieutenant Carlson (Bo Svenson) believes Billy was
the third side in a homosexual love triangle involving Billy's coach and the repairman, whom Carlson has accused Billy of
murdering. Billy's girlfriend and his Aunt Cheryl try to convince Carlson that Billy is innocent, but he refuses to
listen. It is the dogged and ruthless conviction that places Carlson's life in jeopardy.
Numbed by this deadly chain of events, each person seeks to escape the mounting
terror, only to find they're racing headlong toward the guilty party.
Plot: A gripping tale
of psychotic obsession. Twisted, paranoid recreations of past trauma mixed with everything from incest to homosexuality.
It takes you all over the place, but comes together nicely and actually makes sense. Definitely one you have to
pay attention to.
Acting: Only a good
cast could pull this one off, and what a good cast it is. Aunt Cheryl (Susan Tyrrell)gets first honors. Everything
from her mannerisms to her facial expressions epitomised crazy. Detective Carlson (Bo Svenson) is one of the most despicable,
homophobic, excentric characters ever committed to celluloid. Billy (Jimmy McNichol) was okay, but when it came
to the heavy stuff he was amazing. Julie (Julia Duffy) was really cute and sincere. Hell, even Margie (Marcia
Lewis), the nosey neighbor played an excellent part.
Gore: Body Count (8) Nothing
overly crazy, but we do get a nice helping of the red stuff here. Fire poker impalement, stomach gash, severed hand,
plus multiple knife and gunshot wounds. Then, of course, there is the log to the face. Follow me on this.
Final Destination 2's opening scene involves a log flying through someone's windshield and taking them out.
Okay, picture that...without CGI (Damn straight).
Suspense: Climax.
About the last twenty minutes or so is where it swings into full gear. Before that it's just a lot of build up and character
development. Let me tell you, though, it's worth it for that chase scene.
Directing: Well there
seemed to be a huge difference in the moving and stationary shots. The moving shots were smooth and all worked really
well. However, the stationary shots seemed awkward at times. At least there was some well used slow motion.
It really did something for the intensity. It's also a good thing that the camera work stepped up during the last
twenty minutes.
Tech: Mellow would
be the word to describe the lighting. Nothing too harsh, just soft, bright tones. The soundtrack was spot
on. The sound was good, but when things got loud it got muffled. I also want to throw in how choppy the editing
was. It would cut to the next scene in the most random places, leaving out any sort of continuity or
effective imagery.
Other: I have to say
how good the opening scene was. It involves that Final Destination 2 reference I made. Oh, and I have
to say how horribly Hollywood the ending was. Everyone got what they deserved...Happily Ever After. It was
kind of a sell out, but in retrospect it fit perfectly.
Final Word: Great subject matter, strong characters,
and a mini-bloodbath. An intelligent and experimental film that is absolutely unforgettable. A Video
Nasty that lives up to its name. Two words; FIND IT!
