It's truly a joy and relief to know that somewhere in this world (in Canada, apparently) some people are still making refreshing and creative new horror movies! "Discopathe" is a highly original, tongue-in-cheek and clumsy - although I'm sure that's intentional – low budgeted slasher flick that put a giant smile on my face from start to finish. Writer/director Renaud Gauthier (you can also spot him in a delicious cameo appearance as the protagonist's father) thought up a plot that is quite insane and simplistic but the setting, atmosphere and particularly the grotesque make-up effects form a downright terrific homage to the rancid and nasty exploitation horror flicks from the late 70's and early 80's. Duane Lewis is a handsome twenty-something New Yorker, but he has one major problem. The sound of disco music causes him to go out of his mind and turns him into a maniacal killer. Unfortunately for him, disco is something nearly impossible to avoid in the year 1976, especially when sexy Rollerblades-girls practically force him to go out clubbing. After having committed a gruesome murder, Duane flees to Montréal and inconspicuously hides himself as a caretaker in a catholic all-girl boarding school. But even here in this supposedly secure environment, Duane is again confronted with lewd disco-loving girls and his homicidal tendencies rapidly come back to the surface
bigger and nastier than ever! The violence as well as the killer's hateful facial expressions of "Discopathe" will instantly remind genre connoisseurs of all those gloriously controversial misogynic slashers from several decades ago ("Maniac", "Don't go in the House", "New York Ripper"
) but the subject matter here is light-headed and much easier to digest. I realize there might be something seriously wrong with me, but I thought it was brilliantly amusing and nostalgic to witness a crazed killer hack up and mutilate the corpse of a young girl with broken 7 inch records! Renaud Gauthier also included several obligatory but marvelously clichéd sub plots, like lesbian experimenting and perverted priests within the boarding school's walls, obsessive coppers with porno movie mustaches and the ludicrous childhood trauma. And then last but not least, of course, there is the sensational and aptly selected soundtrack. The great, exhilarating music makes the film's relatively short running time fly by even faster and several tunes are guaranteed to remain stuck in your head. "Discopathe" is a more than welcome must-see slasher for real horror freaks.