Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
megatone230
This movie should come with a disclaimer: Warning: Shot on Video....and no, not the modern-day DV video....but plain-old grab the family video camera and make a movie kind of video. Believe me, I'm a lover of trashy movies, especially 80's horror, but this was just unwatchable. I could only sit through about the first 20 minutes before shutting it off. The only thing that was even remotely interesting was seeing the inside of the old-school video store.The idea of the story is an interesting premise, but the lack of production value ruins it.Remake anyone? Avoid at all costs.
slayrrr666
"Video Violence" is a decent entry if not entirely flawless.**SPOILERS**In a small southern town, Steven Emory, (Art Neil) welcomes Rick Carlson, (Kevin Haver) into his small video rental store, servicing the entire town. While going through the return tapes one morning, they find a tape that contains a man being slaughtered for real. Convinced it's a snuff tape rather than an actual movie, he goes out to try to find out more about it but only ends up getting nowhere in town. As the days go by and he starts to unravel more about the mysterious tapes that keep appearing in his store showing innocent people being slaughtered, the more he and his wife Rachel, (Jackie Neil) start to think something is wrong. Finally confronted with the notion that the townspeople create their own home-made snuff films for the town's enjoyment, they try to get out before they become the next victims.The Good News: This one here isn't that bad, and is actually watchable at times. The best part is the really impressive plot to the film. This is one of the most original ideas ever, as this is something that could very easily be real and happening, which is a terrifying idea but very real. As well, the play-out of the idea is ingenious, quickly introduced to set it up later with the very idea that it just builds and builds into a rather creepy tale that works due to how it came to light. That is one of the few things it gets right, as well as the gore. This one has a lot of bloodshed in it, and there's plenty of it here. From stabbings and impalings to being sliced open to lots of limbs being hacked off, there's a lot of it in here. Most of that has to do with the plot, while the rest of it comes from it's rather bloody videos. There's one in here that really stands out, though, which is the second killing scene shown on tape. It's shown from the killer's perspective, shows the glee and joy they take in doing what they're doing and it's all captured close-up and realistic, like a real snuff film that the others purport to be. There's a real brutality to it that is incredibly appealing, with it's down-and-dirty feeling that comes through like aces. That it also includes the rather clever idea of writing letters into a victim with a razor, that is over the chest and is a brutal scene to take in. There's a really great feel to it from that which gives it a great watchability to it from these elements, and from there it really gives the film some positive marks..The Bad News: This one doesn't have a whole lot of flaws, but what's there is pretty noteworthy. The film's low-budget quality here is it's biggest failing, as there's hardly anything hiding it. The fact that it's general look, feel and tone scream that are painfully obvious, and it really hurts the overall tone and feel of the film. That also extends to the fact that it really shows when it comes to how the film looks over everything. From the really simplistic way that the film closes everything in and never really looks big or grand wherever it is, from the video-store to the house to the small-town when outdoors, there's always the sense that it's closed-off and small. That really works against it, since there's the fact that there's plenty of similar films that have a much bigger feel to it than what they really have, while this one has a closed one is where it really fails against the others. There's also the scene that really gives away the twist at the end, where when grabbing the hostage and getting away, not once do the kidnappers physically touch the victim but that person actually takes time to make sure that they get into the car without injuring themselves, something which wouldn't have happened in the real world. Whether that's intentional or not, it really ruins the film's big twist, which can be seen coming from a mile away as well. These here are what really conspire against the film.The Final Verdict: For a shot-on-video film, this one isn't that bad, but there is some flaws to it that will hold it down, even against the others out there. Give it a shot if in the mood for this style of film or are a fan of these kinds of films, while those who are fanatical about bigger feeling films should advise caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity
Chainsaw Slasher
Here is another one of those low budget horror films from the golden age of slashers. The plot consists of a video store that has someone send them a video of local people being tortured. The video store owner goes on his own private investegation. The only gore and blood of the film is when they review the tapes that are sent to them (which is pretty nice stuff to watch). Besides that, the rest of the movie is just a guy going around town doing detective work. Slightly above average for a low budget 80's slasher, but a decent watch for a story.
djnrg
Yes, this movie is _very_ low budget, and probably was filmed with a regular video camera, the movie was great. Very bloody and senseless killing was the plot, but the characters with no personality made you laugh when you saw them act. Seems like someone wanted to make a movie and used their friends and relatives.I was the manager of a video store at the time when a traveling distributor asked to me buy this movie. He described the plot and since I have had so many different tapes accidentally switched when they dropped them off, I thought it would be a great reality check. I bought it for the store, it rented maybe 10 times, and then I pulled it and kept it for myself. Truly a cult classic. Could it happen in your store?? Keep an eye on that nightdrop!!
