Hand of Death

aka: Hand of Death Part 25: Jackson's Back

I remember the 1980's here in the UK as a time of bad fashion, bad music and a cultural society that really did have its head up its arse! As a young punk I was surrounded by sickly narrow minded peers who were consumed by the movies like 'Pretty in Pink' and 'The Breakfast Club', listening to Spandau Ballet and wearing puffball skirts, bad bad bad!! On the other hand, there was an influx of fun slasher sequels coming from the US in the form of the 'Friday the 13th' series, repetitive in nature but bags of fun and great escapism from the overwhelming lacking culture surrounding me elsewhere.

Anders Palm's 'Hand of Death' tidily ensnares everything good and bad from that period in this low budget comedic tip of the hat to the period. Set in eighties London, we meet polite misunderstood middle class Englishman (and deformed serial killer!) Jackson who only knows how to kill very much in the vein of his US counterpart Jason Voorhees (of whose exploits this film attempts to spoof). Wearing the obligatory hockey mask to hide his deformed features Jackson gatecrashes (ahem) teenage get-togethers and candidly murders all and sundry with his own blend of low budget graphic violence and witty repartee. It is at one of these killing sprees he meets up with a gorgeous blind girl (played by the lovely Fiona Evans) who doesn't recognise him for the evil killer he is and they soon fall in love. But can their love last?

If you can forgive 'Hand of Death' for its low budget eighties dodginess you'll find it actually is a very enjoyable and twisted romp. The acting talents of those involved is very much of the 'cor blimey guvnor' variety with only the leads of Jackson and his blind love interest being of any note. The settings and feel of the film are very much of the aforementioned retarded eighties feel with fashions on show that really will give you the dry boak (though Fiona Evans is hot throughout and even manages to look sexy in one of those goddamn puffball skirts!)

Palm's direction is actually pretty good throughout and has obviously been inspired my one too many slasher movie (which isn't a bad thing) and you can see what Mark Cutforth was trying to do with his often amusing script but without a strong cast it at times fails to deliver with only Jackson getting some fun (although groan worthy) lines. Indeed it's Jackson and his blind girlfriend that carry the show (particularly funny is Jackson's prudish reaction to Evan's sexual inhibition). The special effects work are very much in line with the films low budget but many gore scenes are impressive indeed and I was very much pleased by the fact that the film is presented here uncut (and the better it is for it).

The disc form Midnite Movies is a very basic package indeed, in fact downright barren but still worth a peek. The print on show is presented in its original full screen ratio and looks very solid indeed (more so considering its age and budgetary origin) with clear image and audio throughout. But apart from the film itself there is nothing else on the disc, not even a trailer (if there ever was one!?) Just a nice animated menu screen and the obligatory chapter selection. But it's the film that we're hear for is it not? And fans of low budget black horror should get a kick from this somewhat obscure release. Strictly for those (like myself) that have a penchant for schlocko entertainment!

Review by Alan Simpson

'Hand of Death' can be ordered direct from VideoHorror.co.uk by clicking here.