House on the Edge of the Park (1980)
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Starring David Hess & Giovanni Lombardo
88 mins; 16+ [German Rating]; DVD

Note: This review for House on the Edge of the Park refers to the Region 2 German EC release of the film

In my review for Cannibal Holocaust, I said that Ruggero Deodato is among my favourite Italian horror directors, no mean feat considering the country has produced true maestros like Argento, Fulci and Bavas Lamberto and Mario. For me, the much maligned Deodato (who was prosecuted for creating a snuff film after Holocaust) is a cut above these filmmakers because of his sheer audacity – subtlety in Deodato’s cinema is like being hit over the head by a very large mallet. The censors had a jolly time with House on the Edge of the Park, a loose (similar name, stars David Hess as a sadistic sociopath) sequel to Wes Craven’s classic Last House on the Left – its as-yet unavailable in Australia (though the nastier Holocaust was passed uncut in 2005) and, in Britain, it received almost 12 minutes of cuts. Strangely, the usually-hard-to-please German censors gave this a 16+ rating. This review covers the uncut German (English language) version, which is superior to both the US and Italian versions in the audio-visual department.

Released under the title La Casa Sperduta nel Parco in its home country Italy, the film opens with a nasty but brief in-credits rape sequence where we meet our anti-hero Alex, in a Krug-redux role by musician David Hess (who made quite a career out of Italo-exploitation post-Last House). Alex and his cretinous friend Ricky (Lombardo; think Of Mice and Men) own a car repair garage and, when two yuppies call on their way to a party with car trouble, the dubious duo tag along, armed with Alex’ trusty straight-razor. The party takes place at a remote mansion (here’s where it resembles Last House the most) and, after some disco dancing and fine wines, Alex and Ricky hold their six rich-kid partygoers hostage for a night of terror.

The way the subject matter of House is presented makes it a vastly different film from Last House – Deodato’s is more polished, trading Craven’s original docudrama for style. Which, in the right hands, is not necessarily a bad thing and Deodato manages to pull it off pretty well. The final twist was also reasonably intelligent for a film of this nature. The film itself though, is pretty difficult to watch and some of the scenes of violence go a bit over the top at times – its not as out-there as Holocaust, but the Alex’s humiliation and straight-razor once-over on the beautiful Cindy (Brigitte Petronio) does go a little far. Perennial exploitation composer Riz Ortolani pulls out some admittedly catchy pop and disco tunes and, while it’s a far cry from his sublime work on Mondo Cane and Cannibal Holocaust, it adds a dimension of macabre fun to the proceedings. Certainly not for everyone but if you’re a fan of this stuff it’s not to be missed. 8/10

Caligula (1979)
Directed by Tinto Brass & Bob Guccione

Starring Malcolm McDowell, Peter O’Toole, Helen Mirren
145 mins; R18+; DVD/VHS

Before one reviews Caligula, it’s necessary to distinguish which edition you are actually reviewing. Two US versions have been released – the rated (maroon cover) and unrated (blue cover); the latter containing everything from hardcore sex to extreme violence. The OFLC have banned the unrated edition (156 minutes; pictured right) and passed the rated (105 minutes – fifty minutes cut!) as the Australian DVD release of Caligula. Three VHS versions also exist – a Roadshow VHS (145 minutes); a No-Name label VHS (142 minutes) and the extremely rare Palace-X video, which is the uncut 156 minute version. This version was rated X18+ before regulation tightened preventing violence from this category – now, the penetrative sex takes it out of an R18+ classification but portrayals of gory violence makes it a no-go X18+. Then there’s the mythical 220 minute version which has supposedly aired at Cannes and in underground film theatres in Sydney. This version has never been sourced but, according to one viewer, this epic version is almost-unwatchably abhorrent. This review is of the Roadshow VHS edition, which has been cut by eleven minutes. And believe me, if you've ever been in an uncomfortable silence situation, even thirty seconds is a very long time.

It’s arguable whether Italian director Tinto Brass has any artistic ability whatsoever – his previous works have been restricted to light heated softcore coming-of-age comedies, save for the serious, quasi-hardcore Nazi-themed Salon Kitty, which is most reminiscent of this lavish, broad-canvassed period piece. I’m firmly in the Caligula-not-porn camp and Brass’ film (based on Gore Vidal's script) simply tells it like it was, albeit with some gratuitous use of nudity. There's no real plot to speak of and concerns the rise and fall of the notorious Roman emperor Caligula, who indulged in numerous sexual deviances and enjoyed seeing his enemies being dispatched bloodily and publicly.

The thing about Caligula is that – if it wasn’t for that arsehole Bob Guccione – the film could have become a well-respected, legitimate movie. Vidal and Brass’ vision had been of a frank and (relatively) historically accurate depiction of a genuine tyrant. McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Gangster No. 1), O’Toole (Oscar nominee for 2007 with Venus and best known for his role in Lawrence of Arabia) and Mirren (2007 Oscar winner for The Queen) portray their characters with typical brilliance. But it was the Caligula-esque mentality of Penthouse chief and film fundraiser Guccione that stuffed it all up – rumour goes that he sneaked into the editing room with some Penthouse Pets, and filmed additional hardcore footage, leaving Brass out of the loop and estranging the director and lead actors from the film. Six minutes of Guccione’s hardcore footage occurs in the 156 minute version that has been truncated from all cut versions (including this one, I hasten to add). The bottom line is that, by Guccione trying to eroticise a film that is about as sexy as a five dollar transsexual, he has tarnished the name of the film and all its versions, regardless of whether his scenes have been cut or not. The Roadshow version of the film is very good – the acting, Brass’ direction and Vidal’s script are all above-average and rank alongside Gladiator and Braveheart as being an excellent period piece. The nudity is pretty pervasive (there’s someone sans-clothing in every scene but its done naturalistically) and there’s sex, to be sure, but its severity is akin to the raciest parts of American Pie and 40-Year Old Virgin. The violence is all intact (including the wine scene). As for which version you should seek out, I recommend either the Roadshow or No-Name editions as the rated version is too heavily cut. Some of the sleaze even in this cut version goes a bit over the top and it tends to get bogged down in triviality at times, but overall Caligula is the ancient history lesson we’ve all wanted to have. 7/10


Re-Animator (1985)
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Starring Bruce Abbott, Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton
86 mins; Not Rated; DVD/VHS

Note: This review of Re-Animator refers to the Millennium Edition R1 version of the disc.

The phrase ‘instant cult classic’ isn’t one to be bantered around lightly; few films are popular yet obscure enough to garner such a title and, when they do, the minority-hype surrounding them is usually a disappointment. Re-Animator is the exception to the rule. Stuart Gordon’s outrageous zombie comedy is cult all over – from the tagline (Herbert West has a very good head on his shoulders…and another one in a dish on his desk) to the set-pieces (strangulation by intestine), this has become one of the genre’s most loved films.

Herbert West (Combs), an eager medical student, moves from Switzerland to study at New York University. His room mate Dan (Abbott) and Dan’s girlfriend Megan (Crampton) think that West is more than a little weird – but when Dan discovers that West has killed his cat and is performing macabre experiments on it, he confronts the doctor to find out what the hell is going on. That’s when West reveals his true study habits – creating a serum that, when injected, will bring the dead back to life. Dan isn't convinced and it’s only when West actually re-animates a dead corpse that he is believed. However, not all is well – any zombie film proves that re-animated humans harbour a certain amount of animosity, and the undead in Re-Animator prove to be no exception.

One of my favourite horror films of all time, Re-Animator is sadly lacking a DVD release in Australia – a shame when you consider all of the crap straight-to-video releases that production companies are pumping cash into. Luckily, though, the US Millenium Edition is amazing audi-visually and also by way of special features - do yourself a favour and seek it out. Alternatively, there are two VHS versions that have been released in Australia (one a cut M-rated print, the other uncut R18+), but these are becoming scarce. Spawning two sequels and making director Stuart Gordon a master of his craft, Re-Animator is a cunningly executed horror-comedy that was one of the originals in the subgenre and helped give birth to the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Slither. Very gory (but comically so) and very funny, Re-Animator is essential horror viewing. 10/10