While they are few and far between, interesting horror movies from the 90's do exist. After many pointless sequels and micro-budget abominations in the late 80's, the genre bottomed out and by the 90's, anything worthwhile, low-budget or mainstream alike, was a rarity. Over the years, I've come across overlooked films that may have flown under the radar, mostly from the first half of the decade, and mostly micro-budgeted unknowns that most Horror fans wouldn't even consider giving a chance. Back in the mid-90's, when I was still renting movies the old fashion way, I came across a film called Shatter Dead. Looking at the cover, I realized immediately it was something different. The tagline "God Hates You" was also a good indication of this. So, I rented it, and despite being a somewhat terrible, inept, shot-on-video movie, there was just something about it that I found fascinating. Something surreal, and original. Even hypnotic at times. And now, 20 years later, after seeing just about every S.O.V. Horror flick the 80's had to offer, I'm fairly positive there has never been anything like shatter Dead, before or since.
A bit artsy, with a dark, slightly sacreligeous tone, Shatter Dead is a different approach to the Zombie story than what we were used to at the time. But first things first. In the beginning, we are treated to a hot, lesbian sex scene between a human and an Angel, which is cut short as we are now seeing the world 17 months later. The aftermath, so to speak. One can only figure this out by reading the back of the box, as the movie gives us no indication, but the Angel on human, lesbian fun we had witnessed angered God so much that he has taken away human's ability to die. I mean, they still die, but the soul remains no matter what. The world is now in panic and chaos. People are divided. Some see this curse as a gift of immortality and embrace it. Others, not so much. Some still view the gift of life as something that should be held on to at all costs, even when death is no longer the end. The living dead are not zombies. They are unfortunates, a nuisance, often victims, and sometimes a menace. There is no epidemic. But there is also no hope.
Susan, some badass bitch who never smiles, is trying to make her way home to her boyfriend, but keeps on getting caught up in living dead bullshit. Susan has no tolerance for these "people" and frankly, is just looking for a reason to blow one away. After setting one on fire for trying to steal her gas, she gets her car stolen by some pro-death radical group led by some old bastard called "The Preacherman". The resilient Susan soon steals herself another car off a corpse, only to be forced to stay in a boarding house for the living due to a nationwide curfew. Susan meets some odd, but interesting characters in this surreal environment. Some hit on here, some want her soap, but all Susan is interested in is getting some sleep. Unfortunately, all hell breaks loose as Pericles Lewnes and Howard Stern (The New Order) go on a rampage. A frustrated Susan bails, and avoids becoming part of the bloodbath. now, once again, on her way to her boyfriend, Susan very well may regret her final destination once she gets arrives.Here's a movie I doubt will ever get the recognition it deserves. Shatter Dead certainly has its fans, but said fanbase would mostly be within that of Sub Rosa, or just people who actively search for the obscure and unique. Dawn of The Dead, it isn't. I wouldn't even call it a remotely good movie, although, that's mostly due to the tiny budget which shows quite often. However, those of us willing to look past the many obvious flaws, might notice something worthwhile underneath it all. Something dark, something unusual. Indescribable qualities rarely captured. Director, Scooter McCrae's apocalyptic vision, along with Stark Raven's unintentionally funny portrayal of the indifferent sourpuss, Susan, makes this 90's Z-grade sorta-zombie flick very much worth seeking out. 6/10
#Review
Izzy likes to kill. Not only that, but she's also kind of a badass, well schooled in self defense, which comes in handy when obtaining her prey. Izzy is a frustrated chick. She has to take care of her prissy little brother because the parents, whom we never learn much about, are dead. Izzy also misses her older brother, who is away, fighting in Iraq. Izzy has a massive hardon for big brother, so, she REALLY misses him. The only help Izzy and little brother get is from an old friend of their parent's, Barney, some fat biker guy, played by one hell of a bad actor. Any scenes involving fat biker guy are awkward. Little brother gets bullied at school. Izzy jumps at the chance to defend him, and takes it much farther than one would expect. She kidnaps all three of the tormentors, sits them down and gives them a little therapy session to try and find out why they're such assholes, and then decides to intimidate them into killing each other, until one is left, whom she takes back to the barn where she's keeping a couple others she's kidnapped for play time. She does a pretty good job of hiding play time from little brother and Barney. Play time includes such games as Izzy cutting some guy's dick off, and ass raping some chick with it. Meanwhile, The little kid gets his arm broke and then turned into a Bonzai tree. Looking back, the little asshole got off light.
Izzy seems like a fairly decent person, at times. And at one point, she may have been. But something went wrong at some point, and she just snapped. Could it be the pressures of having no parents and being mother to her brother? Or does she miss her other brother so much that her only way of coping with this is to inflict suffering and destroy life? Maybe all of that plus the fact that her only friend is a boring chunk of shit whom she inherited from the parents. Izzy is bored, lonely and frustrated. She loves her little brother and would do anything to protect him. So, some decency does remain but her little hobby does shine through, at times, as she gives advice on how to fight dirty and giving deadly weapons as gifts. Even though she may mean well, it becomes obvious that she is becoming a destructive influence. But there is just no way around that.
In 2001, Director, Eric Stanze (Ice From The Sun, Scrapbook) came up with a film somewhat inspired by I Spit On Your Grave, but with a bit of a dark twist, and once again, attempts at pushing things even further, mostly in tastelessness. This little gem from Sub Rosa Extreme is about a woman named Sandy, who looks and sounds like Trudy from Reno 911! A homely, dykish woman who gets a call from her low life boyfriend who just broke out of prison. He needs help and she's a pushover when it comes to this guy who is obviously very bad for her. Sandy meets Kevin in a house where he has three people held captive in the basement, who they both know and have their own seperate beef with. At first we think there's about to be three murders, but soon realize Kevin's planning four. Before he can do anything, Sandy turns the tables, and kills him.
Now completely liberated, Sandy, whom we assumed was a decent person, decides to not let these people go, but instead have a little fun and get out some long pent up agression. What follows is some uncomfortable scenes of torture and humiliation which includes Sandy forcing one guy to take a shit and then eat it after burning his dick tip with a cigarette. One guy gets shot in his dick after refusing to fuck the other guy's shitty asshole. Another guy, who Sandy doesn't seem to care much for, gets ass raped with a big stick which atleast has a condom on it. So, atleast we know she's not completely heartless. I'm sure. I Spit On Your Corpse, I Piss On Your Grave is far more grimy and mean spirited than the film it was inspired by, and also far more pointless. Not a great movie. Not even good. But for fans of the extreme, it might be something worth looking into. 4/10
