Smash Cut

David Hess is director Able Whitman, a director more hated than beloved, whose latest screening of his opus “Killer Toy” has gone disastrous. The accidental death of GiGi, the stripper he loved, sends him over the edge, and he starts a murder spree that will all take a part in his last masterpiece. Meanwhile, GiGi’s sister April (Sasha Grey), with help of detective Isaac Beaumonde (Jesse Buck) are on the hunt, searching for what happened to GiGi and into what will be known forever as a ‘killer’ movie.
Yeah, that last part was kinda lame, but unlike Mr. Whitman, I’m not feeling very inspired today. I have a huge migraine that’s got me tense and short. But even in my condition, I thoroughly enjoyed this horror/comedy. As one might imagine, it’s basically an eighty minute love letter to Herschell Gordon Lewis, The Godfather Of Gore. From the music, which is lifted directly from Blood Feast (with a tint of Goblin) to Herschell himself as both the intro guy and the boss of a news company, it’s all about his work, and his cheap gore, although to be fair the gore here is more convincing than Herschell’s films ever were. The cast is hit and miss for me. Hero Jesse Buck wasn’t very interesting, although funny, while David Hess, once so scary as Krug in Last House On The Left, seems a little lost, like he walked into the wrong movie. He’s still hilarious, especially when he gets his spells of “inspiration”. Last but not least we have Sasha Grey, famous porn star who’s recently been creeping into mainstream cinema, is the revelation of the film. She’s smart, she’s hilarious and gives her role a lot of life. She really has what it takes to become a great actress.
Director Lee Demarbre, one of my favorites thanks to films like Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter and the Harry Knuckles films (still haven’t seen the Vampiro documentary), Lee gives this film a lot of energy and cleverness. A particularly great piece of directing is the death of the critic, which is humorous but grisly, and has a great prop of a slate with razorblades. I wish this slate would have been Whitman’s main weapon ala Jason’s machete and Freddy’s glove, but sadly it’s only in this scene. I want this prop! Anyway, this is a great film, a hilarious comedy full of gore and love for horror’s grimiest subgenres, and a tribute to the Godfather Of Gore. If you love horror, you should not miss it.