It seems like Larry Cohen was trying to emulate DePalma with this ambitious, but poorly realized knock off of "Body Double." Some nice sets and decent shots cannot change the fact that Zoe Tamerlis is the WORST actress ever captured on film. If you thought Bo Derek or Pia Zadora were bad actresses, then after seeing Zoe in THIS, those ladies will look like Kathryn Hepburn and Meryl Streep by comparison. Usually poor acting isn't too much of a distraction if the material is good, but every time Tamerlis speaks it is painful. Eric Bogasian and Brad Rijn fare much better. Larry Cohen has made so many great movies, mostly in the 1970's, which seemed to be his decade. Interestingly he made another film the same year as "Special Effects," called "Perfect Strangers," which is actually MUCH better than this one. Strangely it's not nearly as well-known, probably due to the fact that it isn't flashy, and loaded with sex and violence. You do get plenty of that in this film. My advice is to skip this one and seek out "Perfect Strangers" instead. This movie gave me a headache, and I feel like i lost some brain cells in the process.
21 Reviews
An average film!
HumanoidOfFlesh21 October 2002
Larry Cohen's "Special Effects" is an average snuff-themed horror film.Eric Bogosian plays here an on-the-decline director who murders a starlet(brilliant Zoe Tamerlis,who sadly died in 1999)on camera and decides to use a dead ringer to make a film about the killing."Special Effects" is average-the script is mediocre and the action is dull at times.Still the snuff/murder scene(the strangling)is pretty nasty!The ending is also effective.All in all I'd recommend this film for undemanding horror fans-it's really nothing special,but if you want a passable time-killer...
Larry Cohen goes Brian DePalma ... (without success)
Coventry21 September 2016
I'm a really big fan and admirer of writer/director Larry Cohen. Are cult, horror and exploitation fanatics even fully aware of all the things he did?!? Cohen co-created the super successful Blaxploitation genre, with milestones like "Bone", "Black Caesar" and "Hell up in Harlem". He also invented the bizarrely uniquely and blackly comical monster trilogy "It's Alive", as well as several other imaginative and unforgettable horror gems like "The Stuff", "Q – The Winged Serpent" and "The Ambulance". Larry Cohen is also a very versatile and experimental director who even tried out religious thriller ("God told me to"), werewolf comedy ("Full Moon High") and political biography ("The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover"). But I'll also tell you what Larry Cohen is not, though
He's not Brian DePalma. Cohen penned it down for himself to direct, but here's one script he maybe should have donated to De Palma
With its convoluted plot and an ambiance reminiscent to "Blow Out" and "Obsession", this film is straight up the alley of Brian De Palma and he presumably would have done more with it. "Special Effects" is a very Hitchcockian thriller about a flamboyant but failing NY movie director who goes berserk whilst seducing an aspiring young actress and strangles her on camera. He – Chris Neville – dumps her body on Coney Island but after meeting his victim's desperate husband he develops the brilliant idea of turning is crime into a movie! He casts the husband as the naive culprit, an unknown look-alike as the willing victims and he even hires the investigating police detective as counselor. Half dark satire and half serious thriller, "Special Effects" is overly talkative and quite often too dull. In sheer contrast to Cohen's other films, there's very little violence and bloodshed in this movie, but the two murder sequences that are shown are quite unsettling and macabre. Practically all characters are hateful and unidentifiable, even the ones that are supposed to be likable ones. I'm not a fan of Eric Bosogian, but he's ideally cast as the megalomaniac director, who lives in a bizarrely decorated loft full of flowers and ugly relics. Zoë Tamerlis stars in a double role, as the strangled actress and her dead ringer, but doesn't impress in either of them. Tamerlis is considered a cult heroine by many exploitation fanatics, but apart from her sole legendary role in Abel Ferrara's "Ms. 45" and dying far too young she didn't really accomplish a lot. Who knows, perhaps the whole "aspiring actresses dying whilst trying" premise was Larry Cohen's own personal tribute to Dorothy Stratten who tragically died at the age of 20 in 1980. Like Tamerlis' character in the beginning of the film, Stratten also was a naive and overly enthusiast young beauty who surrounded herself with the wrong men. By getting murdered at such a tender age, before her career even properly started, she became more famous and legendary that an actual long-running career ever could have made her.
Not very special.
BA_Harrison30 June 2020
Keefe Waterman (Brad Rijn) travels to New York to find his wife Mary-Jean (Zoë Lund), who has abandoned him and their young son to find fame and fortune as a movie actress. Mary-Jean, now going by the name of Andrea Wilcox, is none too pleased to see her husband, and escapes to the swanky pad of film director Christopher Neville (Eric Bogosian), who talks the woman into his bed. However, when the aspiring actress realises that Neville is filming their romp, she rejects him, which leads to the director strangling her to death.
The discovery of the strangled woman's body in her car on wasteland leads to the arrest of Keefe, but he is bailed out by Neville, who reveals that he is intending to make a film about the murder, with Keefe playing himself. All they need is someone to play Mary Jean. That person is Elaine Bernstein (also played by Lund), an exact double of the dead woman. The filming commences, with Neville planning to splice in the actual footage of the murder into his movie. His plan also involves setting up Keefe for an exciting final act in which the young man dies - for real!
Special Effects is B-movie director Larry Cohen's attempt at a sexy, sophisticated thriller al la Brian De Palma, a film that attempts to say something meaningful about the world of movie-making, in particular the way in which film-makers can use the medium to break down the boundaries between reality and make-believe. Perhaps if Cohen had employed better actors than Zoë Lund and Brad Rijn as his protagonists, the theme of blurring of illusion and real life might have been more effective, but at no point are his performers remotely believable. Eric Bogosian, as murderous director Christopher Neville, is a much better actor, but even he can't make this trite nonsense bearable, his character insufferable (he would have been more chilling had he been more charismatic).
True to his B-movie roots, Cohen ensures there's some nudity, sex and a modicum of violence, and one can't help but feel that, in trying to be stylish and classy, the director is punching way above his weight, and that things would have been much better had he just been out and out exploitative in his approach.
3.5/10, rounded down to 3 for the extremely intrusive and irritating synth score.
The discovery of the strangled woman's body in her car on wasteland leads to the arrest of Keefe, but he is bailed out by Neville, who reveals that he is intending to make a film about the murder, with Keefe playing himself. All they need is someone to play Mary Jean. That person is Elaine Bernstein (also played by Lund), an exact double of the dead woman. The filming commences, with Neville planning to splice in the actual footage of the murder into his movie. His plan also involves setting up Keefe for an exciting final act in which the young man dies - for real!
Special Effects is B-movie director Larry Cohen's attempt at a sexy, sophisticated thriller al la Brian De Palma, a film that attempts to say something meaningful about the world of movie-making, in particular the way in which film-makers can use the medium to break down the boundaries between reality and make-believe. Perhaps if Cohen had employed better actors than Zoë Lund and Brad Rijn as his protagonists, the theme of blurring of illusion and real life might have been more effective, but at no point are his performers remotely believable. Eric Bogosian, as murderous director Christopher Neville, is a much better actor, but even he can't make this trite nonsense bearable, his character insufferable (he would have been more chilling had he been more charismatic).
True to his B-movie roots, Cohen ensures there's some nudity, sex and a modicum of violence, and one can't help but feel that, in trying to be stylish and classy, the director is punching way above his weight, and that things would have been much better had he just been out and out exploitative in his approach.
3.5/10, rounded down to 3 for the extremely intrusive and irritating synth score.
"We make it up, and then we make it happen."
Hey_Sweden30 March 2017
Eric Bogosian of "Talk Radio" fame stars as Chris Neville, a hotshot young filmmaker. His career is going downhill fast, so he decides to try something unusual. He films himself murdering aspiring starlet Mary Jean (the late Zoe Lund of "Ms. 45" cult stardom), then proceeds to make a movie telling Mary Jeans' sad life. Swept into the filmmaking process are Mary Jeans' husband Keefe (Brad Rijn, "Smithereens"), and the detective (Kevin O'Connor, "Let's Scare Jessica to Death") investigating the case; the detective quickly gets stars in his eyes. Neville actually finds a young woman who's a dead ringer for the murdered actress, also played by Lund.
There is a good idea here, about satirizing the entire movie-making business, and showing what happens as real life and reel life blend together. It's written and directed by low budget movie icon Larry Cohen, so you know that he will come up with some interesting material, and movie moments. (It IS intriguing to think what a filmmaker of Brian De Palmas' sensibilities could have done with this!) It's a good blend of art and trash, with a little bit of sex and shots of the beautiful Lund baring her body. It's also a marvel of art direction: dig that garish studio and townhouse in which Neville does his dirty work. Perhaps the most entertainment value arises out of O'Connor enjoying his "technical adviser" capacity and becoming fixated on receiving the appropriate credits. Given that Neville is such a smarmy character, you watch and keep waiting for him to get his just desserts. Michael Minard supplies a fun electronic score that unfortunately is used a little too much.
The performances are fine. Lund has a field day in her dual roles. Bogosian is superb as the creepy director. Rijn, O'Connor, Bill Oland, H. Richard Greene ('Mad Men'), and Steven Pudenz offer fine support.
The most striking image of all: Neville standing on a floor completely covered with headshots. (Among those he thumbs through is one of Dustin Hoffman as "Dorothy Michaels" in "Tootsie".)
Seven out of 10.
There is a good idea here, about satirizing the entire movie-making business, and showing what happens as real life and reel life blend together. It's written and directed by low budget movie icon Larry Cohen, so you know that he will come up with some interesting material, and movie moments. (It IS intriguing to think what a filmmaker of Brian De Palmas' sensibilities could have done with this!) It's a good blend of art and trash, with a little bit of sex and shots of the beautiful Lund baring her body. It's also a marvel of art direction: dig that garish studio and townhouse in which Neville does his dirty work. Perhaps the most entertainment value arises out of O'Connor enjoying his "technical adviser" capacity and becoming fixated on receiving the appropriate credits. Given that Neville is such a smarmy character, you watch and keep waiting for him to get his just desserts. Michael Minard supplies a fun electronic score that unfortunately is used a little too much.
The performances are fine. Lund has a field day in her dual roles. Bogosian is superb as the creepy director. Rijn, O'Connor, Bill Oland, H. Richard Greene ('Mad Men'), and Steven Pudenz offer fine support.
The most striking image of all: Neville standing on a floor completely covered with headshots. (Among those he thumbs through is one of Dustin Hoffman as "Dorothy Michaels" in "Tootsie".)
Seven out of 10.
Bogosian rules.
mrseldomseen22 August 2000
After making a disastrous, special-effects laden film, a movie director decides to make a low budget biography of a murdered actress. To make her murder look as real as possible the director murders the actress himself. Could have been a very good film about snuff films, but the film's direction is a letdown. Zoe (Ms. 45) Lund (in a dual role) and particularly Eric Bogosian are very good in their respective roles of the murdered actress and the actress playing her, and the Cecil B. Demented director. Brian DePalma would have had a field day with this film.
Plodding thriller never quite gains traction
drownsoda9019 September 2018
"Special Effects" follows a filmmaker who murders a naive, wannabe actress in his New York City home. After, he cons the woman's ex-husband into appearing in his film about her life and demise, attempting to recreate her murder with a lookalike actress.
Larry Cohen is alternately considered an auteur and utter hack depending on which critical circles you ask, and I frankly have not seen enough of his work to make a judgment call. That said, "Special Effects" is a bit of a tiresome thriller that juggles some interesting ideas surrounding self-reflexivity and voyeurism, but as a movie, never quite satisfies.
Part of this is due to the screenplay feeling lopsided and disorienting, and Eric Bogosian frankly does not make for an effective or menacing villain. The lack of threat and any sense of true danger legitimately strips the film of suspense, which is ironic given Cohen's clear admiration for Hitchcock. Zoe Lund's performance here is effective as Elaine (the second actress who becomes a vessel for Bogosian's replication of reality), but her turn as the naive Texas woman who first meets her demise is laughably bad. Brad Rijn is a serviceable and handsome leading man, though his chemistry with the other actors feels shaky. Like with most of the film, the pacing and tone of the finale is bizarre and feels rushed and slightly sloppy, though it is ostensibly the only moment where Cohen seems to ramp up toward something daring.
In the end, "Special Effects" feels like a lost opportunity. Its core thematic ideas are intriguing, but the execution is half-witted and feels quite sloppy at times. Save for Lund's turn as would-be-dead-girl-number-two and some time capsule photography of 1980s Manhattan, there is frankly not a whole lot to praise here. Worth a watch for hardcore genre fans, but that's about it. 5/10.
Larry Cohen is alternately considered an auteur and utter hack depending on which critical circles you ask, and I frankly have not seen enough of his work to make a judgment call. That said, "Special Effects" is a bit of a tiresome thriller that juggles some interesting ideas surrounding self-reflexivity and voyeurism, but as a movie, never quite satisfies.
Part of this is due to the screenplay feeling lopsided and disorienting, and Eric Bogosian frankly does not make for an effective or menacing villain. The lack of threat and any sense of true danger legitimately strips the film of suspense, which is ironic given Cohen's clear admiration for Hitchcock. Zoe Lund's performance here is effective as Elaine (the second actress who becomes a vessel for Bogosian's replication of reality), but her turn as the naive Texas woman who first meets her demise is laughably bad. Brad Rijn is a serviceable and handsome leading man, though his chemistry with the other actors feels shaky. Like with most of the film, the pacing and tone of the finale is bizarre and feels rushed and slightly sloppy, though it is ostensibly the only moment where Cohen seems to ramp up toward something daring.
In the end, "Special Effects" feels like a lost opportunity. Its core thematic ideas are intriguing, but the execution is half-witted and feels quite sloppy at times. Save for Lund's turn as would-be-dead-girl-number-two and some time capsule photography of 1980s Manhattan, there is frankly not a whole lot to praise here. Worth a watch for hardcore genre fans, but that's about it. 5/10.
"Columbo"..... with nudity ...... without Peter Falk ...................
merklekranz6 August 2010
"Special Effects" could easily pass for a weak episode of "Columbo", except for two things. There is nudity and there is no Peter Falk. I can just imagine an episode titled "Reel Death" on my television screen. This is not far fetched, as director Larry Cohen wrote no less than three episodes of "Columbo". Unfortunately "Special Effects" has problems. The gorgeous Zoe Tamerlis would not be one of them, that is until she opens her mouth. Her acting was perfect in Ms.45 since she played a mute. The New York locations and Eric Bogosian's artistically decorated film studio offer more entertainment than the film itself, which is almost awful ........................... MERK
A master class in bad acting, poor writing, and inept direction
firma_ment8 September 2021
This was a laughably awful train wreck of a movie. It has some of the worst acting ever committed to celluloid. Zoe Lund is one of the most annoying, terrible actors I've ever seen. If Larry Cohen picked a random person off the street to star in the film, she would have done a better job than Zoe Lund. Zoe Lund couldn't have done a worse job if she read her lines off of cue cards. I don't know how any competent director could look at her abysmal performance and think the film was worth releasing. Brad Rijn is also an awful actor, who puts on a hilariously bad accent, and does the film no favors. Add to that the fact that Eric Bogosian turns in a pathetic, inept performance, and it makes the film a real slog. In addition to the awful acting, you get the z-grade, incompetent directing and writing of Larry Cohen. He attempts to imbue this film with some pathetic, third rate Hitchcockian by way of De Palma characterization and atmosphere, but he fails completely. Also, the score is an annoying, tepid stew of random drum machine sounds and uninspired synth washes. A big fail all around.
Zoe Tamerlis is the Ultimate Special Effect.
anaconda-4065826 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Special Effects (1984): Dir: Larry Cohen / Cast: Zoe Tamerlis Lund, Eric Bogosian, Brad Rijn, Kevin O'Connor, Bill Oland: Innovative thriller that counters special effects with reality. Eric Bogosian plays a sleazy filmmaker who strangles a would-be actress and films it. Her husband is charged with the murder since he aggressively hated the lifestyle she led, particularly when he catches her doing a striptease for a group of males in the film's opening. Central plot regards Bogosian in negotiations with police in a film that recreates the horrific murder. They manage to find a young woman whose appearance greatly resembles the murder victim. With that said, she is to play that role, while the decease's widow reluctantly portray himself. Director Larry Cohen previously made It's Alive and Q but here he is aided by one of his best screenplays. Zoe Tamerlis Lund is a stunning and beautiful presence in duo roles fresh off her rousing performance in Ms. 45. She plays the niave murder victim as well as the lookalike caught up in the scheme. Bogosian plays off the sadistic desire of a filmmaker to bypass fiction with reality. Brad Rijn plays the husband caught up in a film that can falsely expose him as a murderer. The detectives are standard issue although one desires film credit for his involvement. The result is an underrated thriller with a lot of nudity, thrills and absolutely no special effects. Score: 8 ½ / 10
just because it's about trash doesn't mean it isn't trashy
Quinoa198411 June 2015
Special Effects is kind of a serious parody, if that makes any sense, of what De Palma did back in the 80's (or perhaps Larry Cohen's work too), where a filmmaker becomes a murderer when he lets in a would-be actress to his home, films having sex with her and also films the act of death. But instead of going on the run or just hiding it and going on with his life, he decides to make a movie about this girl, using Keefe, the girl's husband (played by Brad Rijn), getting a police detective to be a consultant (because who needs to solve any crimes) and, via Keefe making a trip to the Salvation Army and her just happening to work there, a girl who with a hair change looks just like the dead Andrea Wilcox (both played by Zoe Lund of Ms 45 fame).
Eric Bogosian is the reason to see the movie, playing this nasty, brutal director with some level of... do we call it humanity? He sometimes plays it over the top, but not in a way where it chews the scenery. He is really there to be the best actor he can be, which is more than can be said of Lund (who is maybe half-good, not as Wilcox but as the 'new' Andrea, Elaine), and certainly not Rijn, who tellingly only made a few movies and is just terrible here as this angry, despondent husband.
Maybe the problem is that Cohen is just a bit too obvious with his satire, or maybe, in a way, not obvious enough. This should be really funny - once or twice I did laugh, more from the police detective's meddling - and when he does an actual sex scene with two characters it stops the movie dead in its tracks. Special Effects has a little fun with its premise, which is rather dark and takes not just from De Palma but liberally from Hitchcock (Vertigo, duh) and even Peeping Tom with the idea of a camera that, ahem, kills in its way. It also has a rather obnoxious 80's synth soundtrack, which could be fine in small doses but is laid over every scene like a cocaine-diddled cloak. And the horror scenes, when they come, are kind of shoddily filmed.
But, again, if you like Eric Bogosian, this is one of his better performances, and a good indication of what he would do later in the decade with Talk Radio.
Eric Bogosian is the reason to see the movie, playing this nasty, brutal director with some level of... do we call it humanity? He sometimes plays it over the top, but not in a way where it chews the scenery. He is really there to be the best actor he can be, which is more than can be said of Lund (who is maybe half-good, not as Wilcox but as the 'new' Andrea, Elaine), and certainly not Rijn, who tellingly only made a few movies and is just terrible here as this angry, despondent husband.
Maybe the problem is that Cohen is just a bit too obvious with his satire, or maybe, in a way, not obvious enough. This should be really funny - once or twice I did laugh, more from the police detective's meddling - and when he does an actual sex scene with two characters it stops the movie dead in its tracks. Special Effects has a little fun with its premise, which is rather dark and takes not just from De Palma but liberally from Hitchcock (Vertigo, duh) and even Peeping Tom with the idea of a camera that, ahem, kills in its way. It also has a rather obnoxious 80's synth soundtrack, which could be fine in small doses but is laid over every scene like a cocaine-diddled cloak. And the horror scenes, when they come, are kind of shoddily filmed.
But, again, if you like Eric Bogosian, this is one of his better performances, and a good indication of what he would do later in the decade with Talk Radio.
Could have been better.
bigpappa1--227 June 2000
Warning: Spoilers
A failed movie director kills an actress he is auditioning for a film. He then begins to make a film about her life and tries to frame her boyfriend in the process. An interesting idea is hampered by rather uneven performances, poor plotting, and a low budget. One wonders what the master of the genre Hitchcock could have done with this. My rating: 5 out of 10.
turrible
ksf-226 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
For the first 20 minutes, mary jean is running away from someone named keefe. We're not sure why. The script is terrible. The acting is terrible. The background music is terrible. I'm surprised they remembered to put film in the camera. When she escapes into someone's workspace, he murders her. And now the cops are pretty sure the husband did it. That seems to be the guy that was chasing her at the beginning. The husband is sure that Neville, her director did the deed. This film has it all! Frontal female nudity, rear male nudity. Violence. Lots of it. Murder. A couple of em. How are the lawyer and the director connected? Who cares. Movies have to be real bad to bail out halfway through, so i stuck it out to the bitter end. Ecchh. Written and directed by Larry Cohen. Shows on the epix channel. I wouldn't go to any trouble to see this one. Pretty lame.
Special Effects (1984)
fntstcplnt14 March 2020
Directed by Larry Cohen. Starring Eric Bogosian, Zoë Tamerlis, Brad Rijn, Kevin O'Connor, Bill Oland, H. Richard Greene, Steven Pudenz. (R)
Disgruntled filmmaker Bogosian pressures an actress (Tamerlis) into a sexual encounter before murdering her, then decides to make a movie about the incident using the slain girl's husband (Rijn) and a lookalike (also played by Tamerlis). Strange but tantalizing premise and subject matter is ultimately undone by lack of credibility, ineffective execution of style (heavily indebted to Brian De Palma's Hitchcock homage/plagiarization phase), and Tamerlis' poor performances, one of which is also poorly dubbed. Writer/director Cohen is clearly fascinated by the confusion of reality and invention (and seems to be exorcising some film industry demons through Bogosian's egotism), but the results are far too uneven and underwhelming to invest the effort. For no apparent reason (other than maybe an out-of-place throwaway joke?), one of the head shots that Bogosian reviews while trying to find the right actress for his movie is of Dustin Hoffman in his "Tootsie" get-up.
40/100
Disgruntled filmmaker Bogosian pressures an actress (Tamerlis) into a sexual encounter before murdering her, then decides to make a movie about the incident using the slain girl's husband (Rijn) and a lookalike (also played by Tamerlis). Strange but tantalizing premise and subject matter is ultimately undone by lack of credibility, ineffective execution of style (heavily indebted to Brian De Palma's Hitchcock homage/plagiarization phase), and Tamerlis' poor performances, one of which is also poorly dubbed. Writer/director Cohen is clearly fascinated by the confusion of reality and invention (and seems to be exorcising some film industry demons through Bogosian's egotism), but the results are far too uneven and underwhelming to invest the effort. For no apparent reason (other than maybe an out-of-place throwaway joke?), one of the head shots that Bogosian reviews while trying to find the right actress for his movie is of Dustin Hoffman in his "Tootsie" get-up.
40/100
Did I miss something here?
paulclaassen27 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
'Yawn, did I miss something here? 'Special Effects' is categorized as Drama, Thriller, Horror. Well, the Drama part is correct. There's very little thriller elements and certainly no horror - unless you count the horror in realizing the horror you were watching was not a horror film as expected!
What I'm about to tell you might sound like spoilers, but it's just the intro. If you still don't want to know, skip this paragraph, and the next one. Keefe (Brad Rijn) manages to track down his wife, Andrea, who now makes a living as a nude model. He wants her to come back to him and be a mother to their young son. However, Andrea has no intention of going back and wants to make a porn movie instead.
Arriving at a once bankable director's home, she flirts with him hoping to get the part. Neville, the director, has secret cameras set up in his bedroom and when he wants to film them having sex, Andrea has an argument with him when she realizes they are being filmed, and he kills her.
Ok, you can start reading again. After committing the murder, director Christopher Neville decides to make a movie about the murder. And this is where my issues with the movies started. He decided to cast real-life actors in his movie, even Keefe. I found this absurd, to say the least, and just as in the film Neville was making, it felt as if director Larry Cohen was making up 'Special Effects' as he went along.
Meanwhile, Detectives are investigating Keefe, believing he could have been responsible for the murder. I didn't find the turn of events believable, and also found the film very slow moving. There are also no special effects here. The special effects referred to are merely improvisation - by the characters in the film, and I almost believed by the actors themselves as well. This is a very boring movie.
I did enjoy the hint of satire. When the director is flipping through photographs of potential female stars for his movie, there's a picture of Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie. Ha-ha, hilarious!!
What I'm about to tell you might sound like spoilers, but it's just the intro. If you still don't want to know, skip this paragraph, and the next one. Keefe (Brad Rijn) manages to track down his wife, Andrea, who now makes a living as a nude model. He wants her to come back to him and be a mother to their young son. However, Andrea has no intention of going back and wants to make a porn movie instead.
Arriving at a once bankable director's home, she flirts with him hoping to get the part. Neville, the director, has secret cameras set up in his bedroom and when he wants to film them having sex, Andrea has an argument with him when she realizes they are being filmed, and he kills her.
Ok, you can start reading again. After committing the murder, director Christopher Neville decides to make a movie about the murder. And this is where my issues with the movies started. He decided to cast real-life actors in his movie, even Keefe. I found this absurd, to say the least, and just as in the film Neville was making, it felt as if director Larry Cohen was making up 'Special Effects' as he went along.
Meanwhile, Detectives are investigating Keefe, believing he could have been responsible for the murder. I didn't find the turn of events believable, and also found the film very slow moving. There are also no special effects here. The special effects referred to are merely improvisation - by the characters in the film, and I almost believed by the actors themselves as well. This is a very boring movie.
I did enjoy the hint of satire. When the director is flipping through photographs of potential female stars for his movie, there's a picture of Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie. Ha-ha, hilarious!!
Special Effects
Scarecrow-8825 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Zoë Lund stars in dual roles, her first being a wannabe star, Mary Jane, a woman who ran out on her husband and son for a life as an actress..her dream is snuffed out(pun intended)when she has the misfortune of showing up at the massive art deco home of failed director, Christopher Neville(Eric Bogosion), whose decorum has a strange emphasis on flowers. Neville, reacting to Mary Jane's insulting in a moment of furious anger, strangles her when she ridicules his recent firing from a big budget Hollywood movie, after becoming upset that he has a camera hidden behind a mirror to film them having sex. Keefe Waterman(Brad Rijn)is the third party in this situation, Mary Jean's husband, who had come to New York City to take her home, even if it was against her will. Leaving MJ's dead cleaned body in Keefe's station wagon on Coney Island, Neville has just gotten away with the perfect murder. Even worse, Keefe is arrested for MJ's murder when there were witnesses seeing the disgruntled husband forcing her into the station wagon to go to her apartment to get some things. Neville decides, after realizing he had recorded the murder on film, to shoot a biography on MJ's life, with plans to implicate Keefe by getting him out on bail and in the movie! Kevin O'Conner is Detective Phillip Delroy, the cop on MJ's case, who is included as an adviser on the film! It's a way for Neville(a clever, calculating, cold-blooded bastard)to seduce Delroy by having him part of the "Hollywood process" and soon another will become enamored in the title role, a feminist named Andrea(Zoë Lund's second role)Keefe discovers at Salvation Army. Andrea loses her own identity as she immerses herself in the role of MJ, having a hard time overcoming the allure of being part of this movie. When we see Neville strangle a blackmailer with film(that tears into the victim's throat), we know he's not playing for keeps. When Keefe ruins the snuff footage, Neville has plans to stage the scene again, this time Andrea's life is in danger.
Another one of those great Larry Cohen oddities, I think he had Marilyn Monroe in mind as inspiration for the roles of Andrea and Mary Jean. It's interesting, I was thinking about actors/actresses who spend a lifetime portraying other people, and having a hard time determining where the character ends and real person begins. I think that is what really spoke to me as I was watching SPECIAL EFFECTS. I think the draw of Hollywood is what Cohen uses most in his satiric(albeit a dark one)script for the movie. Kudos to Zoë Lund for portraying two distinct personalities, Mary Jean, selfish and self-absorbed, yearning for success, and willing to bed Neville in order to do so, & Andrea, a vocal, blunt, honest woman who sees through the director's bullcrap, often calling him out for the phony that he is(as she puts it, he's always working a routine, never authentic in anything he does), but not denying the thrill of being in his film. I think Cohen establishes in the opening dialogue that Neville was destined to commit murder, describing Zapruder as his most favorite director because he caught a real murder on film. Cohen makes sure to incorporate the title within his script as Neville is notorious for blowing a budget primarily on special effects, obviously wanting to make his pictures as authentic as film will allow. Unusual synth score and, as typical for a Cohen production, good use of New York locations. I personally found SPECIAL EFFECTS a fascinating film(not average at all, although the ending where Neville finally gets his comeuppance, is kind of a cop out)with layers, and was entranced by Zoë Lund..there's just something about her that holds me in a trance, I'm not sure what it is about her. The final scene, where Andrea makes a decision to "adopt a new personality", is quite intriguing, I think..resisting Keefe's desire for her to be Mary Jean, instead of who she really is, there's a subtext regarding "playing the role" which I found compelling.
Another one of those great Larry Cohen oddities, I think he had Marilyn Monroe in mind as inspiration for the roles of Andrea and Mary Jean. It's interesting, I was thinking about actors/actresses who spend a lifetime portraying other people, and having a hard time determining where the character ends and real person begins. I think that is what really spoke to me as I was watching SPECIAL EFFECTS. I think the draw of Hollywood is what Cohen uses most in his satiric(albeit a dark one)script for the movie. Kudos to Zoë Lund for portraying two distinct personalities, Mary Jean, selfish and self-absorbed, yearning for success, and willing to bed Neville in order to do so, & Andrea, a vocal, blunt, honest woman who sees through the director's bullcrap, often calling him out for the phony that he is(as she puts it, he's always working a routine, never authentic in anything he does), but not denying the thrill of being in his film. I think Cohen establishes in the opening dialogue that Neville was destined to commit murder, describing Zapruder as his most favorite director because he caught a real murder on film. Cohen makes sure to incorporate the title within his script as Neville is notorious for blowing a budget primarily on special effects, obviously wanting to make his pictures as authentic as film will allow. Unusual synth score and, as typical for a Cohen production, good use of New York locations. I personally found SPECIAL EFFECTS a fascinating film(not average at all, although the ending where Neville finally gets his comeuppance, is kind of a cop out)with layers, and was entranced by Zoë Lund..there's just something about her that holds me in a trance, I'm not sure what it is about her. The final scene, where Andrea makes a decision to "adopt a new personality", is quite intriguing, I think..resisting Keefe's desire for her to be Mary Jean, instead of who she really is, there's a subtext regarding "playing the role" which I found compelling.
Hitchcockian film, as done by Cohen...
Parca13 July 1999
A very dark, devious and disturbing thriller
Woodyanders6 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Arrogant and unscrupulous down-on-his-luck faded former big shot director Chris Neville (an excellent live-wire performance by Eric Bogosian) films himself murdering naive aspiring actress Andrea Wilcox (the gorgeous Zoe Tamerlis of "Ms. 45" fame). Neville decides to make a movie around the snuff footage and hires sassy lookalike Elaine (also played by Tamerlis) to portray Andrea in the picture. Neville even convinces Andrea's earnest, clean-cut hick husband Keefe Waterman (likable Brad Rjin) to be himself in the life and persuades pesky, hard-nosed Detective Philip Delroy (a fine turn by Kevin O'Connor) to serve as a technical adviser. Writer/director Larry Cohen, taking a break from his usual monster horror affairs like "Q" and "The Stuff," expertly crafts a deliciously twisted and absorbing thriller which unfolds at a gradual, yet hypnotic pace, offers a fascinatingly cynical inside look at the film-making process, maintains a properly bleak and eerie tone throughout, and builds a reasonable amount of tension as it culminates in one doozy of a startling double whammy surprise conclusion. Cohen gets a lot of intriguing millage out of distorting reality and astutely explores such weighty themes as the dangerously seductive allure of cinema, the manipulation of the truth, and American culture's obsession with making stars out of nobodies. The acting is uniformly sturdy and impressive, with Tamerlis a particular stand-out in a demanding dual role. As a tasty added bonus, Tamerlis bares her beautiful body a few times. Paul Glickman's glossy, glittering cinematography, Michael Minard's shivery, flesh-crawling synthesizer score, and the gritty New York City locations all further enhance the overall sound quality of this spooky, unsettling, and underrated little pip.
BODY DOUBLE, I MEAN SPECIAL EFFECTS, IS LUKEWARM
monstermonkeyhead9 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN. This is an okay one-time watch, but don't expect anything spectacular. The only thing that made this interesting for me was the "cheese factor." In other words: bad acting, bad hair-do's, terrible music soundtrack, moronic plot, lazy directing. This cheese does, however, get tiresome quickly. Larry Cohen obviously thought he was being oh-so-clever when he made this. Like wow, I'm a director, maybe I killed someone. Please! He even screwed this up at the end by making the police detective character "the director." Lame. It is also obvious, Cohen got his idea from Brian DePalma's far superior "Body Double." At least with "Body Double" DePalma took the cheese factor to the max. Re-watch that instead.
Imperfect, but fun and ultimately rewarding
I_Ailurophile28 August 2021
'Special effects' takes longer than I would like to really pick up. In characterizations, dialogue, and the orchestration of some scenes, the writing in maybe the first half is notably rough around the edges. Even as the film becomes increasingly engrossing, there's a certain off-putting gracelessness at times to how it's crafted, and the result is a bit uneven. Yet overall the narrative is swell - the concept is outstanding - and movie as a whole is well worth checking out.
The casting is immediately striking. Zoë Lund's name and face are emphasized, and for good reason - much to my delight, she takes on two roles here. The quiet poise she demonstrated in Abel Ferrara's 'Ms .45' was alluring, and here we get to see even greater range in very different parts. The ease with which she inhabits different characters is captivating, and it's a joy to watch her. Eric Bogosian, deservedly acclaimed actor, carries himself with a sobriety that matches the unmistakable timbre of his voice, and the steadiness in his portrayal of film-maker Chris Neville is absorbing. Brad Rijn is far less recognizable, bearing few credits to his name, and his acting as Keefe Waterman does leave a bit to be desired - yet he still adequately captures the range of confused, conflicting, heightened emotions of the character. If 'Special effects' is to be his greatest claim to fame, than it was a solid one.
Larry Cohen's direction is more balanced than his writing. While some of his scenes don't come off well in their arrangement as written, most do, and there's no doubting he has a fine eye behind the camera. Just as he builds tension and suspense with scene composition, he captures some marvelous shots - cigarette smoke under a street light, an organization of casting photos, characters silhouetted against bright light, unconventional angles, and more.
The building thrills are mesmerizing, and the great cast is aided by impeccable work from hair and makeup departments, lighting, set design and decoration, location scouts, costume designers, and props. Composer Michael Minard's music lends further to the noir-esque atmosphere and excitement. And the sum total is a picture that at turns seems playfully sardonic, like a few simple changes could have made it a vehicle for Peter Falk as Columbo - and also deviously twisted, reminding of a psychological thriller in the way that the movie within a movie impacts characters' mindsets.
For all the deficiencies that come out at one point or another - especially near the beginning - ultimately the feature is brilliantly written and designed, with growing strong attention to detail as the story progresses. My attention began to wander at first, but by the end my gaze was fixed. 'Special effects' is a highly entertaining thriller that's well worth seeking out, and earns my hearty recommendation.
The casting is immediately striking. Zoë Lund's name and face are emphasized, and for good reason - much to my delight, she takes on two roles here. The quiet poise she demonstrated in Abel Ferrara's 'Ms .45' was alluring, and here we get to see even greater range in very different parts. The ease with which she inhabits different characters is captivating, and it's a joy to watch her. Eric Bogosian, deservedly acclaimed actor, carries himself with a sobriety that matches the unmistakable timbre of his voice, and the steadiness in his portrayal of film-maker Chris Neville is absorbing. Brad Rijn is far less recognizable, bearing few credits to his name, and his acting as Keefe Waterman does leave a bit to be desired - yet he still adequately captures the range of confused, conflicting, heightened emotions of the character. If 'Special effects' is to be his greatest claim to fame, than it was a solid one.
Larry Cohen's direction is more balanced than his writing. While some of his scenes don't come off well in their arrangement as written, most do, and there's no doubting he has a fine eye behind the camera. Just as he builds tension and suspense with scene composition, he captures some marvelous shots - cigarette smoke under a street light, an organization of casting photos, characters silhouetted against bright light, unconventional angles, and more.
The building thrills are mesmerizing, and the great cast is aided by impeccable work from hair and makeup departments, lighting, set design and decoration, location scouts, costume designers, and props. Composer Michael Minard's music lends further to the noir-esque atmosphere and excitement. And the sum total is a picture that at turns seems playfully sardonic, like a few simple changes could have made it a vehicle for Peter Falk as Columbo - and also deviously twisted, reminding of a psychological thriller in the way that the movie within a movie impacts characters' mindsets.
For all the deficiencies that come out at one point or another - especially near the beginning - ultimately the feature is brilliantly written and designed, with growing strong attention to detail as the story progresses. My attention began to wander at first, but by the end my gaze was fixed. 'Special effects' is a highly entertaining thriller that's well worth seeking out, and earns my hearty recommendation.
Zoe Lund and Larry Cohen
ivanpoulas14 December 2021
This is a really underrated Cohen film. It has great art direction and terrific performances by Zoe and Eric.
The film obviously borrows big from Hitchcock but it never feels like it's stealing overtly (like the way certain DePalma films feel) Watch this if you can find a copy.
The film obviously borrows big from Hitchcock but it never feels like it's stealing overtly (like the way certain DePalma films feel) Watch this if you can find a copy.
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