BUZZ SAW

Peter (Stephen J Heffernan) and Cassidy (Jason Allen Wolfe) assume responsibility of maintenance for Pea Tree apartments, while their boss is away.

Initially, the boys' main problems are that Cassidy is a nervous, paranoid druggie, while Peter looks like a bad impersonation of Guy Ritchie in his flat cap.

But it's not long before people start dying in their apartments, their bodies being left for Peter and Cassidy to discover. mutilated by power tools.

With each murder, it appears that the tools have developed a mind of their own. And each death scene is witnessed by two impassioned, green-faced kids.

As the sherriff begins to ask questions, it becomes apparent that it's Peter's tools that are being used to commit these atrocities (bathtub electrocutions, multiple stabbings, power-saw disembowellments, etc).

But is Peter really responsible for the murders? Or is Cassidy right when he claims to have seen an alien spacecraft in the woods? And ... who are those mysterious, creepy kids?!

As you may have noticed, there's not much to BUZZ SAW's plot, written by co-directors Robin Garrels (INSANIAC; CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE) and David Burnett. But while the premise may be flimsy, things are kept moving nicely by an array of offbeat characters - such as Pete's dad (Garrells' own father, Dennis) and the opinionated Ellis (Richard C Mintzlaff).

The acting is generally very good, although Wolfe at times takes things a little too far when dipping into acting school melodramatics.

As cheap as the film obviously was to make, the camera work is quite inventive, with the odd nod to movies like THE EVIL DEAD and HALLOWEEN apparent.

But it's the gore that is no doubt going to be the most important factor to people considering whether to buy a low budget horror flick called BUZZ SAW. Ans BUZZ SAW delivers, managing to be extremely gory while never actually showing us as much as we think we're getting. It's a good effective way of getting round the budgetary problems.

While the finale is not entirely satisfying and the whole thing seem a tad stretched at 97 minutes long, BUZZ SAW can still come recommended as one of the stronger Sub Rosa bloodfests. And if you're in any way familiar with Sub Rosa's output (SCRAPBOOK; THE UNDERTOW; CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE; BINGE AND PURGE etc), then that'll give you a fairly accurate idea of what you're getting here.

The full frame picture is correct, and free from artefacting or any similar distractions. The stereo soundtrack, likewise, is problem-free. Up to the good standards of other Sub Rosa releases, in other words.

As is usual with Sub Rosa releases, there's plenty to wade through in the extras department.

Firsty, there are two audio commentaries. One features both directors in conversation with Heffernan. The second is a chat between Wolfe, and supporting actors Lisa Anne Harness and Chris Grega.

Both tracks are informal and filled with lots of laughter. Wolfe dominates the second track a little too much for my liking, making Garrels' comments the most enjoyable.

A behind the scenes featurette runs for a respectable 27 minutes, offering plenty of insight into what was obviously a jovial (if sometimes cold) shoot.

Numerous deleted scenes appear, with the most interesting being five or six clips relating to a sub-plot that never made the final cut. Based upon an alien family called the Nulls, the decision to omit these scenes was a wise one.

There's a short film on the disc too. LAST HOUSE, directed by Garrels, is a companion piece to the feature-length LAST HOUSE ON HELL STREET (also available through Sub Rosa). I haven't seen the film, but this short is horribly pretentious. LAST HOUSE last for 17 minutes.

Three photo galleries serve a total of over 100 photos, ranging from on-set snaps to publicity shots.

Two trailers round things up - one for BUZZ SAW, and one for CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE.

The main feature has a static scene selection menu offer access to it via 12 chapters.

The back cover mentions that there's 3 audio commentaries, but there was only 2. Oh, and there's also mention of half a dozen Easter Eggs - but I couldn't find them!! (unless the 10 second promotional clip for Thrill Media counts?!)

A low-budget horror with plenty of gore and a decent cast to add to it's credibility, on a disc that's extremely generous when it comes to the extras.

Review by Stu Willis