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Tobe Hooper Review: A Video Nasty
As per my previous few Tobe Hooper marathon instalments, I've paired this particular film review with another movie of a similar type. This time around both films reviewed were placed on the UK's censored 'video nasty' list in the 80s for being a corrupting influence on the nation. On the one hand we have "Death Trap" (otherwise known as "Eaten Alive") from Tobe Hooper. This was his follow-up to "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre". On the other hand we have a low-budget zombie film called "The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue".
Death Trap! (1977)
Straight after "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" [sic] Tobe Hooper made another low budget horror. This one was timed right to get onto the Uk's Video Nasty list. Hooper's original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie oddly avoided being placed on this list, though that was little consolation when the film was banned by the BBFC anyway.
Like many video nasties this has more than one title, often known instead as "Eaten Alive!". But just to make things awkward, there is another video nasty also titled "Eaten Alive!"; a cannibal-rape film directed by Umberto Lenzi. Unlike in Umberto Lenzi's film there's no cannibalism here. Also, though the threat of rape crops up a number of times, it tends to be only implied if it happens at all. (Though it's still possible that the version I watched had some cuts.) Certainly I should warn all readers that violence against women is fairly prominent in this film.
( Read more... )
The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue (1974)
My other video nasty I'm pairing up with Tobe Hooper's also has a number of alternate titles. In fact there are a hell of a lot of them including: "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie", "Don't Open The Window", "The Living Dead", "Breakfast with the Dead", "Brunch with the Dead" and "Weekend with the Dead".
It seems that the DVD must have been remastered, since while this is clearly a low budget seventies zombie flick, the picture looked really crisp. We open with an antique store owner grabbing a set of items and then getting onto his motorcycle and making his way into the countryside. He starts out in Manchester city centre and, while still in traffic (seemingly because it's some kind of unwritten mandatory law for low budget video nasties) we have some unnecessary nudity from a flasher needlessly running naked across the road through the unmoving cars. He then reaches the open road with some gorgeous-looking intensely green English countryside being taken in expertly by the camera.
( Read more... )
As per my previous few Tobe Hooper marathon instalments, I've paired this particular film review with another movie of a similar type. This time around both films reviewed were placed on the UK's censored 'video nasty' list in the 80s for being a corrupting influence on the nation. On the one hand we have "Death Trap" (otherwise known as "Eaten Alive") from Tobe Hooper. This was his follow-up to "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre". On the other hand we have a low-budget zombie film called "The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue".
Death Trap! (1977)
Straight after "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" [sic] Tobe Hooper made another low budget horror. This one was timed right to get onto the Uk's Video Nasty list. Hooper's original Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie oddly avoided being placed on this list, though that was little consolation when the film was banned by the BBFC anyway.
Like many video nasties this has more than one title, often known instead as "Eaten Alive!". But just to make things awkward, there is another video nasty also titled "Eaten Alive!"; a cannibal-rape film directed by Umberto Lenzi. Unlike in Umberto Lenzi's film there's no cannibalism here. Also, though the threat of rape crops up a number of times, it tends to be only implied if it happens at all. (Though it's still possible that the version I watched had some cuts.) Certainly I should warn all readers that violence against women is fairly prominent in this film.
( Read more... )
The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue (1974)
My other video nasty I'm pairing up with Tobe Hooper's also has a number of alternate titles. In fact there are a hell of a lot of them including: "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie", "Don't Open The Window", "The Living Dead", "Breakfast with the Dead", "Brunch with the Dead" and "Weekend with the Dead".
It seems that the DVD must have been remastered, since while this is clearly a low budget seventies zombie flick, the picture looked really crisp. We open with an antique store owner grabbing a set of items and then getting onto his motorcycle and making his way into the countryside. He starts out in Manchester city centre and, while still in traffic (seemingly because it's some kind of unwritten mandatory law for low budget video nasties) we have some unnecessary nudity from a flasher needlessly running naked across the road through the unmoving cars. He then reaches the open road with some gorgeous-looking intensely green English countryside being taken in expertly by the camera.
( Read more... )
