GUT PILE

In 1990 Jerry O'Sullivan filmed a short feature entitled GUT PILE - which basically amalgamated plot points from two of the budding director's previous efforts, THE AXE and SCARECROW.

Fast-forward six years, and O'Sullivan is plying his wares to independent producer Ron Bonk (SCRAPBOOK etc) and mentions his body of work in passing. Loving the title GUT PILE, Bonk sets about persuading an initially reluctant O'Sullivan into remaking his short as a full-length feature. O'Sullivan agreed, on the proviso that Bonk took on one of the leading acting roles ...The filming wrapped up in 2003, and here is the end result!

The plot is simplicity itelf: Dan (Jeff Forsyth) is a young deer hunter who accidentally shoots a passer-by in the face. With no witness to his mishap, Dan decides to bury the body deep in the woods. One year later, Dan returns to the woods for the start of a new deer season, this time with drunken pals Bob (Ed Mastin) and Mike (Bonk). As the trio make themselves comfortable in their log cabin, an evil presence awaits in the surrounding woods ...

The shit really hits the fan when Bob and Mike decide to drive to the nearest town for cigarettes while Dan, suffering from creepy hallucinations, opts for an early night in the cabin. Bob is first to meet a grisly fate at the hands of a scarecrow-type demon, while Mike attempts to flee the scene (he ain't going far!) and Dan is in for a very long night indeed ...

With several nods to THE EVIL DEAD along the way, GUT PILE manages to overcome it's familiar territory thanks to it's rapid pacing and taut direction. The acting is sufficient and the script wittier than most films of this ilk. However, it's the roving, ambitious camerawork that wins the day - O'Sullivan is a master of his craft and the preparation that's gone into virtually every scene is unheard of in 99% of SOV product.

The full-frame picture is perfectly acceptable, free from atrefacting, ghosting etc. The 1.0 soundtrack does it's job efficiently - with Steve Sessions' effective score coming through well.

A static, boring menu page includes a Scene Selection offering access to the main feature via 12 chapters. Sub Rosa serve a good few extras too. First up are two short films - roughly 25 minutes apiece in length. Matthew Jason Walsh's I'VE KILLED BEFORE tells of a door-to-door saleswoman (Ariauna Albright) who calls at the home of fugitive serial killer (James L Edwards) and asks him to teach her the fine art of murder. There's a couple of twists along the way (the final one is quite amusing) and a bit of grue to be considered, but overall this is tiresome stuff largely due to Edwards' terrible Tarantino impersonation.

Mike Legge's STUMPED is no better - a tongue-in-cheek yarn concerning a model (Marci Payne) who loses her hand in a car accident, and starts killing people as her bitterness grows. Or rather, her disembodied hand does the killing - until Legge turns up as an inquisitive cop ...

There's a 20 minute BEHIND THE SCENES OF GUT PILE featurette that is quite interesting, including lots of information on the film's genesis and some neat outtake footage too. Bonk, O'Sullivan and co-producer Lloyd Lathrop Jr provide the anecdotes.

Finally, as is the norm for Sub Rosa, there's a few trailers to be perused: GUT PILE; STRAWBERRY ESTATES; THE UNDERTOW; THE CHRISTMAS SEASON MASSACRE; SAVAGE HARVEST and THE VICIOUS SWEET.

GUT PILE is not a classic, but a worthy addition to the ever-growing world of SOV horror efforts. As ever, Sub Rosa provide a decent DVD package to showcase their latest talent.

Review by Stuart Willis