Killing Spree

Have you ever waited for something for so long, it was inevitable that when it finally came your way you'd feel let-down? That elusive shag from the girl you've fancied ever since school, or the latest album by your favourite band who split several years ago only to re-group now - minus their initial fire ... you know the feeling?

Well, for me, KILLING SPREE is a film that falls into this unenviable category. Shot on 16mm in 1987, the film offers moments of inspired editing and is occasionally well-shot, but suffers from a plot that's as thin as it is banal. Think Troma, and you're not far off ...

Tom Russo (Asbestos Felt - a pseudonym, perhaps?!) and Leeza have been married for 6 months. Tom works long hours as an aeroplane repairman so Leeza can live the life of luxury at home. But, thanks to a previous wife who cheated on him, Tom is fiercely jealous and prone to hallucinations suggesting Leeza's infidelity. The best one (did I say best? well, most amusing) occurs early into proceedings, as Tom imagines Leeza giving head to his best friend - literally. She sprouts a pair of giant rubber lips and wraps them around the friend's head!

Matters escalate when Tom takes on extra work to keep the household budget afloat, but meanwhile finds Leeza's diary - filled with passionate 'confessions' of her afternoon indiscretions with all and sundry. Filled with rage, his first victim is his best friend, Ben's girlfriend Angel. Cue a papier-mache head and music cribbed from the "Creepshow" soundtrack.

From hereon-in, Tom becomes more and more obssessed with his wife's infidelity - demonstrated by scenes of Tom drinking, overdubbed with homicidal inner rantings - and the film soon degenerates into an episodic catalogue of comical sexcapades and badly staged gore set-pieces. Most of the admittedly gory deaths (by chain-saw, lawn-mower etc) are accompanied by cringey wisecracks from the wild-eyed Felt.

There's a twist-ending of sorts (which you can probably guess from this review alone ...!), and a hideous end title song called "The Beast Within" that must be heard if only for Felt's unfeasibly awful 'rap' in the mid-section ... hilarious.

I visited a message board the other week devoted to the films of Tim Ritter. This film is adored by some. While there are many movies I dislike but am able to see why others are attracted to them, this one baffles me completely. Though competent (just), this movie is not overtly extreme or energetic in it's delivery of genre fixes - Felt's zestful performance is it's best attribute. At best, the film's 'OK'. The fact that there's such a solid fan-base is odd indeed, and only served to add to my disappointment in a film I vividly remember reading about in Fangoria, Deep Red Horror Handbook, Splatter Movie Guide Vol 2 etc, many many moons ago.

Regarded as a true underground gore classic in the 80s, this one would easily get a BBFC 18 rating these days - and is nowhere near as ambitious or interesting as the similarily cheap THE DEAD NEXT DOOR (nor is it as gory).

As for the disc, well ... Picture quality is agreeable. It's full-frame (original ratio), and mostly free from artifacting. It looks like old VHS - but considering it's 16mm origins this is acceptable. The sound is mono and for the large part is OK. Odd scenes, however, do have a noteable hiss or muffling. This is infrequent though and does not create a problem. Extras are non-existent. There's no menu screen, the disc takes you straight into the main feature. There aren't even any chapters! None!

The packaging is horrendous - really cheap and naff. A plastic keepcase houses a really terrible cover with a woman brandishing a machete. Nothing to do with the actual film! The disc is part of a series by Eden Entertainment called 'I Will Dance On Your Grave'. Other titles in the series include CANNIBAL HOOKERS and SAVAGE VENGEANCE. Having not seen these, I can't comment on their content. But I won't be buying them!!

Not an altogether bad film then, but a nondescript foray into late-80s low-budget gore that has it's moments but ultimately fails to deliver. And the most basic release you could ever imagine - if you pay more than a fiver for this, you will cry ...!

(but at least I've finally seen this 'gem', eh?!)

Review by Stuart Willis