Reviews

THE MANSON FAMILY really is a work of art, and I rarely use that term. It's a savage, carefully made, justifiably violent mix of docu-crime film and '70s drive-in aesthetics. The strange thing is, I've seen low-budget films made for five or six million that look like garbage compared to THE MANSON FAMILY, and, if I'm not mistaken, all told, THE MANSON FAMILY cost less than two million. The editing is nothing short of mad genius. The effects are always convincing - and again, I've seen movies with much bigger budgets whose effects aren't half as real-looking. The acting is fine and, if T&A's your thing, the flick has gobs and gobs of nudity. Contrary to most reviews, I found it more beautiful than disturbing, although I completely agree with director VanBebber - the Manson family slaughtered virtually defenseless people like cattle and should never be viewed as some "hip" counterculture icon. I've always been a huge fan and proponent of VanBebber's work, ever since the early '90s when I purchased a VHS copy of DEADBEAT AT DAWN. It saddens me that VanBebber's script for a TOOLBOX MURDERS remake wasn't used (the ultimate Tobe Hooper remake was laughable and forgettable). I'm glad Phil Anselmo helped VanBebber get THE MANSON FAMILY finished. And, personally, I feel directors such as Tarantino should throw VanBebber a few million and just let him do whatever he wants. If I were in, for example, Tarantino's position, I'd write VanBebber a check and tell him, "Do whatever you want. Don't worry about paying it back, either." Jim VanBebber's a visionary and THE MANSON FAMILY is wholly unique and shouldn't have been so difficult to fund and finish. I'm eagerly awaiting VanBebber's next movie.

George Barry is a genius. "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats" is a prototype for much of the 'slipstream' fiction and camp surrealism that is so chic now. Truly innovative, maverick, and just effing brilliant. Hyper-strange acting, subtly nightmarish atmosphere. I recommend reading Stephen Thrower's book "Nightmare USA" (there is a chapter devoted to Barry and "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats"). Available from FAB Press. On a related note, "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats" and "Beyond Dream's Door" make a perfect double-bill. Furthermore, it's trite and tired - and ultimately stupidly ironic - to criticize a low-budget cult film for being 'poorly made' or 'technically inept.' The B-movie aesthetic is part of these films' charm. No amount of CGI could duplicate the cumulative effect "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats" has on the viewer with an advanced palate.

Jeff Lieberman is a legend. His films SQUIRM, BLUE SUNSHINE, JUST BEFORE DAWN, and REMOTE CONTROL are undeniable cult classics. (REMOTE CONTROL, in particular, is a wonderful oddity, and a kind of sci-fi/camp reaction to the video boom of the 1980s; for VHS lovers such as myself, REMOTE CONTROL is now like a nostalgic dirge for all of those fantastic local video-stores that transmogrified or became extinct after DVDs usurped the role of VHS.) Lieberman's SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER, a return to directing from Lieberman after a 20-some-year hiatus, while not of the caliber of his earlier work, is a sardonic little horror piece that plays much, much better if you listen to the director's commentary before viewing the actual movie. More thought went into SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER than you may think. But Lieberman has always been a director with brilliant premises. SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER is perhaps his very best premise. And personally, I loved the gaudy, bright, ghoulish Halloween imagery - the dollar-store-take on Halloween. (Satan's mask is iconic, I daresay.) I, for one, am glad that Lieberman made another movie, and hope he makes several more. He is one of America's most interesting directors. My only problem with SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER is I don't feel it went far enough. The premise is sick and disturbing; it could've been some sort of morbid masterpiece. As is, it's worth a rental, and I'm just happy Lieberman's still doing something different.

Christmas EVIL is one of my three favorite movies ever made. I rated it a 9 out of 10 only because my other two favorites are slightly better and received 10s. (If you're curious, my three favorite movies are BEYOND DREAM'S DOOR, DIALING FOR DINGBATS, and Christmas EVIL, in that order). I think director John Waters said it best when he recommended Christmas EVIL because of its (and I'm paraphrasing here): "... grubby look and mucky atmosphere, as if it were shot using the same crap film they used to shoot those 1970s drive-in concession-stand ads where the food came out looking wretched when its intention was to lure patrons to the snack bar!" Christmas EVIL reminds me of a murky, clumsily violent dream an alcoholic stepfather is having during the holidays while passed out in his recliner, translated to shoddy film stock - and that isn't an effect commonly or easily achieved by any movie. A masterpiece.

Simply put, DIALING FOR DINGBATS, particularly when viewed at 3 AM during a USA Up All Night broadcast, achieves an accidental tone of dream-logic and VHS-surrealism that, in my opinion, makes it a work of art. Yes, it's corny and technically inept, but so what? Do your dreams always have state-of-the-art special effects? Mine don't. This movie is just bizarre in a way that few movies are, because it isn't trying to be weird, it just is. A masterpiece. Another movie that achieves a similar sort of vibe is BEYOND DREAM'S DOOR. Incidentally, DIALING FOR DINGBATS and BEYOND DREAM'S DOOR are two of my top five favorite movies ever made.

BEYOND DREAM'S DOOR is a slice of raw nightmare-delirium. Much like the equally brilliant movie DIALING FOR DINGBATS, it nails down a dream-logic that few films - and especially Hollywood films that try and are too self-conscious to succeed - ever achieve. True, the acting is bad - but this only enhances the off-kilter feeling of being stuck in a wholly bizarre dream-world where reality has been jarred. I adore this movie. I love it. It brings tears to my eyes whenever anyone brings it up. I've seen it no less than fifty times (and I'll probably watch it again tonight). I have a ragged old VHS copy, but, for movies like this, I think VHS is the proper format.