In time for Halloween comes my list of the top five movies from the Splat Pack. The unofficial group of filmmakers who have created some of the scariest and bloodiest horror movies of the last decade, bring the current horror genre back to a state where it can rival the golden ages of violent, boundary pushing horror long gone. Check these out if you're looking for something more current to check out this Halloween.
Well, it warns you right in the title and this Swedish exploitation film is merciless in it's cruelty, and as it also states, has no limits to evil as we watch the disturbing story of Frigga unfold. This was the first half of my Saturday night double feature, after which I had to watch Star Wars for a much happier change of pace, but even that however will probably never erase some of the images Thriller burned into my retinas. Thriller is one rape and revenge story you won't forget, and as underground as it might be, it's influences are still visible in the mainstream today.
I was extremely excited the other day when I got my copy of Father's Day in the mail. The film has spent the last year screening at festivals and events, but like any low-budget, "tasteless" and extreme grindhouse films it never received a wide enough theatrical release for me to see it. Tonight I got my chance, as I watched Astron-6 make a movie truly worthy of the grindhouse and with Troma Entertainment behind them there were no limits.
Last night I decided it was time to dive back into the world
of Naziploitation once again with Salon Kitty. As always, any naziploitation film is
rife with controversy but this one is actually grounded on some interesting
historical facts. While sure all the excess of sex, nudity and Nazism is bound
to ruffle some feathers, it is interesting to see a film that doesn’t exactly
draw to many lines, and is in fact an Italian production. Overall, for a film I
can’t compare with anything else, I would say Salon Kitty is quite an
interesting watch.
In my review of The Night Porter I praised it for turning a story straight from an exploitation movie into a much more powerful and important piece of filmmaking. However, exploitation films are many a persons guilty pleasure, and there is no character more memorable than Ilsa.
Most people will never venture far off the theater showed, well advertised, blockbuster budget movies that everyone has heard about. Those who search a little may come across many great foreign and indie films. People are always talking about classic movies and how everyone still watches them today. But it is not until someone ventures quite far off of Hollywood boulevard and into the dark woods that they will find the likes of Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS.
