Home Media Magazine - December 9, 2007 - (Page 24) REVIEWS Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I HATCHET Street 12/18 here’s a certain glee to be had in movies that offer nothing Starz/Anchor Bay, Horror, $26.97 DVD, Available in ‘R’ more than a chance for the and unrated versions. actors to splash around in blood and Stars Joel David Moore, Deon Richmond, Tamara guts. The indie effort Hatchet, from Feldman, Mercedes McNab. writer-director Adam Green, certainly falls into that category. Most of the marketing surround- T ing this film touts a return to the old school of horror films, which involve shaving a little too much fun with prosthetic makeup and fake blood. Green brags about not using computer graphics to enhance a single frame, but to hear him talk about the details of making the film, I’m not sure he could have afforded CGI even if he wanted it. As detailed in the commentary and featurettes, the production team must have used every low-tech trick in the book to bring life to Green’s vision. In a final, fitting twist, Green notes, a technical glitch forced him to rig a car battery to power the equipment to record his commentary. Green was a huge fan of classic horror films such as Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street; horror icons such as Robert Englund and Tony Todd have cameos in Hatchet. Kane Hodder, who played Jason in the “Friday the 13th” films, plays the slasher of Hatchet, Victor Crowley. Crowley was a deformed man accidentally killed with a hatchet who still haunts the swamps near New Orleans. He ends up stalking a tour group that wanders into his territory, giving him plenty of opportunities to give wholly gruesome and overthe-top deaths to the usual assortment of horror-film victims. Hatchet is a little too straightforward to match up with the classics, but is pretty impressive considering Green’s relative inexperience. One of the more interesting aspects of the film is chronicled in another featurette, and involves Green’s unique friendship with Twisted Sister rocker Dee Snider. At a young age, Green idolized Snider, and after a few chance encounters, they began to feed creatively off each other. It’s an effective story about never giving up on your dreams despite the obstacles. – John Latchem I THE KILLING FLOOR Prebook 12/13; Street 1/8 ThinkFilm, Thriller, $27.98 DVD, ‘R’ for violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality. Stars Marc Blucas, Shiri Appleby, Reiko Aylesworth. W hen it comes to straightto-DVD thrillers, the bar’s usually set pretty low. But as long as you’re not expecting anything thrilling, The Killing Floor manages to entertain. Although the “shocking” twist at the end can be seen from miles away, the film is watchable because Blucas (of “Buffy the Vampire”) does a solid job going against type. He’s no longer the nice guy, playing a money-hungry, egotistical New York publishing tycoon with a mysterious past named David Lamont, who’s just moved into a multilevel apartment. The film moves at a brisk pace for its 98-minute run time, and that’s a good thing. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to piece together the mystery, so Lamont is not in his apartment for long before he starts receiving bloody crime scene photos and discovers his beautiful neighbor (played by Aylesworth of “24”) may be in cahoots with the previous tenant. Blucas brings an emotional depth and panic to this role as he shrinks from king of the world to a frightened man cowering in the closet, armed with a fireplace poker. Taking inspiration from such films as Panic Room and Perfect Stranger, The Killing Floor is more like a TV movie of the week than a thriller. In fact, the film doesn’t even offer any real blood or nudity (hence the rating pending). It could easily play on TV without editing. Those looking for suspense won’t find much here. The more the mystery unfolds, the only thing that keeps your attention is Blucas’ performance and, quite possibly, Aylesworth’s appearances. The DVD includes a commentary by writer-director Gideon Raff and a trailer. – John Gaudiosi I FOOTSTEPS Street 12/11 TLA, Thriller, $19.99 DVD, NR. Stars Nicholas Bool, Mads Koudal, Jared Morgan. F ootsteps is a tremendous independent film from newcomer Gareth Evans, who assembled a knockout cast that helps provide an edgy look and feel to the unpredictable storyline. It’s hard to make a quality mainstream movie about snuff films — just ask Joel Schumacher, who gave it a shot with his star-studded 8mm. Though the premise is tempting, as is the Hostel-esque murder-for-profit scenario, the subject matter doesn’t appeal to a large audience for obvious reasons. That’s why these kinds of movies are better suited for indie filmmakers such as Evans, who delivers a vile, graphic glimpse into the sordid underworld of snuff. Set in a nondescript Welsh town, Footsteps follows the morose life of Andrew (Bool), a detached young man who has just lost his futile factory job, is on the outs with his girlfriend, and whose best friend was severely beaten and left for dead by strangers on the street. All of this causes something to snap inside of Andrew, whose quiet, mild-mannered nature quickly gives way to his inherent killer instincts when he brutally attacks a random man for talking to his ex-girlfriend. Security eventually throws Andrew into the alley bloodied and bruised, where he is blinded by a light from a video camera and beaten with a pipe. When Andrew seems unfazed by a few blows to the head, the cameraman (Morgan) sees something exceptional in Andrew and invites him to join a sadistic gang that preys on local rejects to be stars in snuff films. Andrew is partnered with Paul (Koudal), who does the dirty work of abducting the victims and then disposing of their remains. At a refreshing 80 minutes, the film flies by while remaining suspenseful. The crew also does an amazing job setting the mood for each scene through gritty music and cinematography. Footsteps has been a hit with U.K. audiences since its release at the 2006 Swansea Bay Film Festival, and is really one of the only films about the snuff industry that’s worth watching. – Mark Miller 24 Home Media Magazine December 9–15, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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