Documentary Review: Underground Horror

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Underground Horror
Directed by Tony Newton
Tony Newton Productions
119 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/TonyNewtonFilm/

Before the term independent – aka indie – was commonly used for low budget cinema not produced by a major studio, especially if it fell under the genres of art, transgression, exploitation, sexploitation, or blaxploitation, it was known as underground. The reason for this is that they were generally shown in showcases that were dives, such as along 42 Street or across America in what is known as Art Houses.

This could be anything from Andy Warhol’s early releases like Empire (1964) and Chelsea Girls (1966), or the likes of Hershell Gordon Lewis’ The Wizard of Gore (1970) and The Gore Gore Girls (1972). This also include nudie flicks like those done by Doris Wishman, such as Bad Girls Go to Hell (1965).

Stylistically? Well, as one of the opening quotes in this documentary by director/writer/actor Phil “Chip” Herman states, “The difference between underground and mainstream movies is balls.” That can be taken both figuratively and literally. Jim Towns, the director of House of Bad (2012; reviewed HERE), essentially states that underground cinema is not bound to studio interference. This is true, as most indie films are created by the directors and writers directly, rather than through a third-party studio. This started to happen in the 1960s as underground films fought the Hays Office gatekeeping and theater monopolies, by going all the way to the Supreme Court, thanks to law suits due to the lack of distribution of a non-genre Italian film called Ladri di Bicilette (Bicycle Thieves; 1948).

Through the use of talking head interviews, this documentary on independent/underground horror is broken up into unofficial segments, such as defining what exactly is underground cinema, and how the interviewees, all of whom are in the field, began their careers and manage with such tiny budgets.

A large segment is about what they consider to be the most extreme film. The three that come up the most are no surprise, though they are not all, and their explanations about the films are interesting. They include Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom (1975), Nekromantik (1987), and the winner apparently is A Serbian Film (2010; reviewed HERE), which is being rereleased uncut soon by Unearthed Films. Writer and director Dane Keil gives an excellent analysis of it. As Tony Newton, this documentary’s director understandably says – and I agree – “It didn’t scare me as much as shocked me.”

Another topic is pondering the future of underground films. Surprisingly, this was not the last question. The general consensus was, and again, I agree, is that the future (and somewhat the present) is DIY: Do It Yourself. With the proliferation of technology for films, editing, etc., being made easier (many mention cell phones), it is only natural that the river of beginning filmmaking would flow that way; in my opinion, that started with Super 8mm and expanded with VHS. One thing not mentioned is that the process of homemade cinema has exponentially exploded with people staying home due to COVID. Not only has it lit a fire under the cause of homegrown filmmaking, but it has created new genres around social distancing and software such as Zoom; for example, this film this one, where no two people are in the same frame, and check out Zoë Bell’s “Boss Bitch Fight Challenge” on YouTube; reviewed HERE). 

Fortunately, the future for indie films looms positive, as is somewhat discussed within these parameters. Progression from outlets for these films have gone from dodgy cinemas to owning VHSs and DVDs, and now to streaming services, from specialists like Shudder, to bigger outlets like Amazon and Netflix, to finally the smaller venues, like TubiTV.

Another relatively surprising segment is about a film I have not yet seen, Circus of the Dead (2014). Fortunately, one of the stars of the film, Parrish Randall, and its director, Billy Pon appears among the present crowd. Amusingly, there is an 8x10 photo of Bozo on the wall behind Pon.

Speaking of which, most filmmakers are also collectors, and it is always fun to look behind the person speaking to see what films they are displaying on a shelf. Most collectors may need to watch this a second time without being distracted (a good thing) by the “Got it. Got it. Need it. Got it” consistent with the collecting bug. For example, Dustin Ferguson, the owner of SCS, now the U.S. Division of VIPCO Distribution, has numerous Tony Newton releases on a shelf behind him, such as VHS Lives and VHS Lives 2 (both 2017).

As with all of Newton’s documentaries, he has gathered his buddies to state their opinions and tell about themselves, such as filmmakers Jim Towns, Phil “Chip” Herman, Peter Goddard, Matthew Fisher, JD Ellenberger, Tim Ritter (Truth or Dare: A Critical Madness; 1986, reviewed HERE), the great Todd Sheets (such as Bonehill Road, reviewed HERE, but I have also reviewed others), and bringing up the Italian end, David Pesca and Domiziano Christopharo (Red Krokodil, 2012, Reviewed HERE; one of three of his features reviewed on this site). Others include writers/reviewers Martin Unsworth from Starburst, and the omnipresent Shawn C. Phillips, who has his own podcast.

Smartly, the talking heads are broken up with clips from numerous films, from the underrated Dreaming Purple Neon (reviewed HERE) to the more obvious ones like Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). There are also some behind the shoot scenes from Circus of the Dead during its section.

The only real drawback, in my opinion, is that this is a complete testosterone fest, as there are no female filmmakers included. Like the porn industry during the reign of the video nasties of the 1970s and ‘80s, the women are the draw, but they get the (no pun intended) short end of the production side credit, even though they were there.

The last section is about what the directors are working on now. It may be dated quickly once those works are released, but over time, it will be a fun nostalgia piece to look back upon.

Newton is quite prolific with his documentaries and his writings (including horror-related poetry), so I am looking forward to the next release, which should not be too much longer, especially as the COVID isolation continues.

Trailer TBD