Are snuff films real? Has anyone ever actually viewed a real snuff film? This is the question that lies at the heart of Paul von Stoetzel’s Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera.
I’m not sure what to believe about snuff films. Even the mere idea of a snuff film makes me queasy. This was a difficult film to watch and Snuff opens with a warning that scenes of an extreme nature will be shown. Normally, this type of disclaimer is tacked on to the beginning of a film for legal purposes. In this case, the warning was warranted and legitimate. This film does not hold any punches.
This documentary leads you down a road of depravity and sickness but maintains a sense of composure and dignity along the way. Interviews with former police and FBI officers, cinephiles, and others involved in the film industry lead you through the alleged snuff films to the very possibility of the real deal. Footage intertwined with the interviews is disgusting and vile but it probably pales in comparison to the real deal.
The film explores many aspects of killing on camera, from the staged antics of Faces of Death, to a beheading video, to the real life footage captured by killers Leonard Lake and Charles Ng. I did find the footage of Lake and Ng to be particularly disturbing to watch.
The most interesting part of the film are the stories told by Mark L. Rosen, one of the producers of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He discusses his own account of witnessing a snuff film. Even if what he witnessed was staged, Rosen is convinced that it was the real deal. The emotion he shows on screen is real and it’s obvious that it’s haunted him for a very long time.
Paul von Stoetzel has produced a powerful documentary that examines many aspects of snuff films. It exceeded my expectations on almost every level. This documentary does not present snuff films in a sensational manner. It provides thoughtful insight into a rather disgusting topic. The running time is only 76 minutes but that’s all that is needed to deliver a knockout punch. Snuf: A Documentary About Killing on Camera is not a film for the faint of heart but it is one that deserves to be seen.
Black Flag Pictures is producing a new film directed by Sv Bell called Crawler. It’s about a killer bulldozer on the loose so look out.
The plot synopsis of the film is simple: A group of construction workers fight for their lives as a 50 ton bulldozer appears to have a life of its own, and an insatiable hate for the living.
According to the YouTube page for the teaser trailer, the film is inspired by Theodore Sturgeon’s classic 1944 novel, Killdozer, but it really has nothing to do with the original story. It’s a mix between Christine, Poltergeist and CSI.
Among the Dead is an upcoming short zombie movie written and directed by Michael Adam Kraus. Why should you care about yet another zombie movie? Simple. Kraus is looking at the world through the eyes of the zombie.
Kraus’s film company, Project Zee, is responsible for Among the Dead. There isn’t a lot of information available for the film just yet as Kraus is still in the midst of completing the editing. But he did have this to say about the film:
Unfortunately, the movie has not been completed yet as editing has been a huge pain. The planned release for it right now is late July, where we will be first premiering it at our local University of South Florida. After the premiere, we will send our baby off to film festivals around the world searching for distribution rights.
Project Zee’s website has a short video clip of the film which can downloaded. There is also a brief plot synopsis of the film. You can read the plot synopsis and download the video by clicking here.
Do you love independent horror releases? Would you like to see a compilation of short indie horror flicks on one DVD? Then head on over to AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits and check out the collection of movies that will soon be headed to a DVD player near you.
So what is AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits all about? The project’s website states:
AAAAAH!! Indie Horror Hits was created by filmmakers for horror fans and filmmakers alike. We’ve made short horror films and we want discerning audiences to enjoy them long after their all-too-brief film festival runs.
Let’s face it. Most short horror films don’t have much - if any - life beyond a handful of genre festivals in a few scattered cities. For horror fans and filmmakers, that’s really scary.
We aim to resurrect the best of the best of these horror films and unleash them in compilations for viewers everywhere to enjoy over and over…
Miguel Gallego, of Crypt Club Productions Inc., is the man behind the project. Gallego is a filmmaker himself and one of his films, The Crypt Club, will be included on the compilation. The project has been in development for the past 2 years and Gallego told me:
It’s been a challenge getting good films, filmmakers, and legal paperwork coordinated. In fact, the last of the paperwork arrived last week. So now it’s full steam ahead. We have a hard deadline to get the DVD to market because we’ve booked a retailer table at Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear in late August. Now that we have a green light to work with the selected films we’ll be authoring the DVD and creating a compilation trailer or two to put on-line to whet people’s lust for the project.
For the time being, there are 13 films scheduled for inclusion on Volume 1 of the DVD. One of the shorts, Trick or Treat! is available on YouTube. Check it out and then read more about the other short films.
The other day I came across a post on the Dread Central forums about a new indie horror flick called Bikini Girls On Ice. With a title like that, how can this film go wrong?
Plot synopsis: When a bus-load of women’s college soccer players get stranded on their way to a bikini car-wash fundraiser, they decide to set-up shop in front of an abandoned gas station on the edge of town. Little do they know the place is the stalking-grounds for a homicidal maniac mechanic named Moe.
The film is currently in pre-production and final auditions will be held in Montréal this Saturday, May 3. If you live in the Montréal region and are interested in auditioning for an upcoming horror flick (it’s a non-union production), contact director/producer Geoff Klein at info@bikinigirlsonice.com or Helene Rousse at totalcasting2005@yahoo.com.
“Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera” is a feature film examining the existence of films in which people are murdered on camera and the culture surrounding them. Through interviews with former FBI Profilers, Cultural Academics, and Film Historians the documentary delves into the disturbing history and myth of Snuff Films. The FBI claims there is no evidence to prove the existence of Snuff and, therefore, Snuff Films are a myth. This documentary analyzes the relationships between war, cult films, serial killers and pornography to prove whether or not this pervasive myth is, in fact, reality.
If you’re in the Minneapolis area, you’ll be able to check out a screening of Snuff at the Parkway Theater on May 19 at 7:30 pm. It’s being presented as part of the Home Grown Cinema Series which showcases the best in locally-produced [Minnesota] feature films. For more information, go to http://www.killingjokefilms.com/events.html.
Here’s another indie flick that hasn’t seen a wide release. It’s called Paranormal Activity and the trailer looks promising.
There has been no word on when it will be released on DVD. Dreamworks has bought the distribution rights to the film and are planning on a remake of the film with the original director, Oren Peli, at the helm. Bloody Disgusting reported, back in January, that the original will be released on DVD along with the big budget remake. However, in February, Twitch.net reported that the low budget version Peli originally shot will never see the light of day.
What’s going on with these movies that can’t be found in theatres or on DVD? Horror fans have been getting shafted lately and I demand results. Where is Pop Skull? Where is Trick ‘r Treat? Where is All the Boys Love Mandy Lane? I’m beginning to wonder if these aren’t just viral marketing campaigns for something else. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the sack?
Recently, I’ve been hearing rumblings about a movie called Pop Skull. The trailer is pretty psychedelic and the music is creepy as hell. Reviews of the movie have been relatively positive and the music is consistently mentioned as working overtime on your senses. I need to get my hands on a copy of this film.
Plot synopsis: Pop Skull depicts the lonely and disjointed life of Daniel, a young Alabama pill addict, as his efforts to cope with the trials of his day-to-day life collide with the increasing influence of murderous and displaced spirits that inhabit his home. [via IMDB]
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Are snuff films real? Has anyone ever actually viewed a real snuff film? This is the question that lies at the heart of Paul von Stoetzel’s Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera.
