I've got a lot to talk about, but I'll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible.
You ever seen a movie that's just so eager to shock and repulse that it goes so over-the-top to the point of being unintentionally comedic in it's childishly single-minded nature? We need a new label for this type of stuff. We've all heard of so-bad-it's-good, how 'bout so-extreme-it's-funny? This is one of those movies that, as a whole, could've been very entertaining as extreme over-the-top trash if it wasn't so g*dd*mn stupid, or at least didn't take itself so seriously. Nothing worse than exploitation trash that shoots above its head.
The movie tells the story of two sadistic killers who are caught by police after they get into a car accident, killing a pedestrian. The police commander finds one of their video tapes with reveals the torture and murder of a transvestite prostitute, prompting further investigation (aka police torturing the killers for information... right) and the discovery of more tapes. The story of the killers unfolds through three confiscated videotapes with the police interrogation as the wraparound.
The first tape featuring the aforementioned murder of the transvestite is unusually nasty but mostly dull torture porn. Same for the second tape which shows the murder of another random girl during an aberrant sex scene and then some nasty things are done to her corpse. But it also raises some more questions about the killers motives which are promised to be answered in the third tape, a VHS showing the killers extremely abusive childhood.
In reality, it explains nothing at all about the motives of the first or second murder, actually causing even more confusion. However, this is the segment that, at first, comes the closest to being legitimately disturbing. This goes right out the window later on, when it shows two scenes so ridiculously over-the-top in their attempts to sicken (that come directly after each other no less) that I immediately bust out laughing (something's wrong with me).
As with most found-footage films, there is no adequate explanation provided for why anybody keeps recording during all of this.
Then back to the police station, there is a twist that still explains nothing, and ANOTHER twist that makes zero sense.
So the only reason this gets points is for it's entertainingly childish shock tactics. But one can't help thinking how this could've been a truly grueling experience if placed in the right hands, or something akin to a more extreme Troma if they went the other route.
You ever seen a movie that's just so eager to shock and repulse that it goes so over-the-top to the point of being unintentionally comedic in it's childishly single-minded nature? We need a new label for this type of stuff. We've all heard of so-bad-it's-good, how 'bout so-extreme-it's-funny? This is one of those movies that, as a whole, could've been very entertaining as extreme over-the-top trash if it wasn't so g*dd*mn stupid, or at least didn't take itself so seriously. Nothing worse than exploitation trash that shoots above its head.
The movie tells the story of two sadistic killers who are caught by police after they get into a car accident, killing a pedestrian. The police commander finds one of their video tapes with reveals the torture and murder of a transvestite prostitute, prompting further investigation (aka police torturing the killers for information... right) and the discovery of more tapes. The story of the killers unfolds through three confiscated videotapes with the police interrogation as the wraparound.
The first tape featuring the aforementioned murder of the transvestite is unusually nasty but mostly dull torture porn. Same for the second tape which shows the murder of another random girl during an aberrant sex scene and then some nasty things are done to her corpse. But it also raises some more questions about the killers motives which are promised to be answered in the third tape, a VHS showing the killers extremely abusive childhood.
In reality, it explains nothing at all about the motives of the first or second murder, actually causing even more confusion. However, this is the segment that, at first, comes the closest to being legitimately disturbing. This goes right out the window later on, when it shows two scenes so ridiculously over-the-top in their attempts to sicken (that come directly after each other no less) that I immediately bust out laughing (something's wrong with me).
As with most found-footage films, there is no adequate explanation provided for why anybody keeps recording during all of this.
Then back to the police station, there is a twist that still explains nothing, and ANOTHER twist that makes zero sense.
So the only reason this gets points is for it's entertainingly childish shock tactics. But one can't help thinking how this could've been a truly grueling experience if placed in the right hands, or something akin to a more extreme Troma if they went the other route.