Video Violence

VIDEO VIOLENCE
By Jimmy Squarejaw

*WARNING*

All movies reviewed for SUNDAY SNUFF contain graphic depictions that may include rape, live animals being murdered, and extreme gore.  None of the writers condone such acts we just watch this shit. 

This week we’ll step it back a bit and review a movie about snuff filmmaking, rather than a flat out nightmare movie!  This week is 1987’s shot-on-video classic VIDEO VIOLENCE, written and directed by former video store employee Gary Cohen.

One of my favorite scenarios in horror movies is “the town where everyone is in on it.”  Classics like RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, STUFF, and HALLOWEEN 3 have helped instill an unhealthy fear of “regular folk” and VIDEO VIOLENCE is another great example that has added to my neurosis. The plot revolves around Steven, a video store owner, who is trying to figure out who and why mysterious VHS tapes keep showing up in his return slots containing gruesome video of two shitkickin’ locals torturing and killing people.  Of course the police shrug it off as some newcomer from a big city trying to cause a problem but we slowly realize everyone in the town is in on it.  The Steven’s wife starts to believe him when a tape gets slipped into her purse while she was ordering some bologna at a Mom and Pop grocery store.  With tensions mounting the couple soon chat up a patron in their video store who is in town just visiting her aunt and uncle.  She too finds the town very unnerving and brings up that everyone is obsessed with violence on film, even saying she has seen a film at a party that seemed very real.  But of course on her way out of the video store she is kidnapped.  Will Steven and his wife be able to rescue the lady and flee the town or is it all an elaborate plot to lure them to their own deaths caught on film?

Needless to say I loved this movie.  It held my interest the whole way through and the ending totally delivered the goods!  For a no-budget release the effects were great!  There is lots of gore and mayhem that when coupled with the grit look of “shot-on-video” it gives the movie a really creepy sheen.  Even the acting was great and believable.  The store owner plays being freaked and burnt out fantastically and the shit kicker snuff film makers and all of the locals seem like they really lived the parts, which might be the case the more backwoods these people get!  Basically…….get this movie.  It’s off of the Retro 80’s Horror Collection series with other classics like CANNIBAL COOKOUT and GHOUL SCHOOL and I think my copy, that includes the sequel, was eight dollars!

On a side note, if there is anyone out there that has seen this and loved it, try and track down THE DEAD HATE THEIR LATE FEES.  It’s a no-budget movie made by a guy named Andrew Murga in 2005.  He shot it in the video store he worked at in McMinnville, Oregon and it RULES!!!!

   

Blake and Jimmy’s Extreme-O-Gauge!

Realistic Gore: 3 out of 5, it was better than the end scene of Titanic!
Rape: 1 out of 5, no actual penetration but there is some creeper scenes with tied up women.
Animal Death: 0 out of 0, since they’re considered to be locals they’re safe.
Necrophilia: 0 out of 0, rednecks have limits dammit!
Torture: 3 out of 5, there is a good amount of video footage of people getting tortured and killed.

Overall Movie:  5 out of 5, I loved this movie!  Some might like it, I bet a lot won't like it but go fuck yourself!