Review: Tokyo Decadence

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Tokyo Decadence (aka Topâzu; Topaz)
Directed by Ryû Murakami
Cinemabrain; Melsat; Unearthed Classics; MVD Entertainment
112 minutes, 1992 / 2022
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.MVDentertainment.com

It is hard to nail this one down when it comes to categorization. Exploitation? Sexploitation? Asian Extreme Cinema? Transgressive? Well, I guess the film has its leather boot in and on all of them.

This film is infamous, and to be honest, before this, I have never seen it, so I am looking forward to catching up. Despite a penchant for vengeful ghosts, Japan genre releases are more known for violence, gangsters, and underage women and other sexual deviances (that term conditional to the individual viewer).

There are two versions of this film: the first is the U.S.-released “soft core” 92-minute version, but this is the longer, Japanese 112-minurte “harder” one, with more sado-masochism in certain scenes (neither of them is hardcore). Needless to say, the film is in Japanese with English subtitles. The director and writer, Ryû Murakami, is no stranger to over-the-top storytelling, having written the novel upon which was the foundation of Takashi Miike’s Audition (1999). This film is also based on one of his own best-selling novels.

This Japanese production was filmed in Tokyo, at a social stratum I am certain I will never achieve in my lifetime (unless there is a full Lotto in my future).

Miho Nikaido

Right off the bat, we meet a mostly nekkid and tied down Ai (Miho Nikaido) before the credits roll. She is a high-end call girl who specializes in sado-masochistic role playing for incredibly rich men, especially on the receiving end. Her exploits are shown in very loving photography and highly erotic stylings. The first half hour is dedicated to a couple of her couplings, but one really needs to be into that kind of thing for it to be effectives, but I must admit, it’s not my style, either the humiliation, the leather, nor the domination. Artistically, I can marvel at the lighting and the way the camera is used, but the action leaves me cold and – er – unresponsive. I never really understood Japanese kink.

Despite the psycho-sexual tone of the film, the story itself moves at a glacial pace, as Ai superstitiously gets advice from a medium (Yayoi Kusama), who gives her advice such as to put telephone books under her television (like to see her try that now).

Ai starts having a change of heart about her life’s work after a few clients go just a bit too far…okay, way too far, and she begins to want to get out (somewhere in my head I hear Al Pacino saying, “But they keep pulling me back in”). While she pines for an ex-lover, a well-known man (Hiroshi Mikami) who appears on television, and is now married to a famous opera singer (Chie Sema), she is also drawn to a statuesque dominatrix drug addict, Saki (Sayoko Amano).

Sayoko Amano

The camera seems to love Nikaido and shows her emotions through extremely contrasting use of light, with people wearing mostly black and white, with the background dark and the people lit sharply. But still, she looks quite beautiful even in this harshness. There is also a sharp use of the adding of the color red, used seductively, in things like shoes, nail polish, lipstick, and especially Ai’s nearly ever-present oversized handbag to hold all her sex-toy and attire accoutrements. The shots are long, following the action with relatively few edits. The scenery is also worth mentioning, as most of the first two acts is of the city at night, with incredibly tall building with industrially florescent lighting inside the structure’s windows. It feels both organic and incredibly designed at the same time. When we do see nature, usually trees, it almost seems out of place.

Ai’s journey of dealing with rich people who need her but do not really care about her, and trying to get out of the life reminds me quite a bit of the framework of the story of Bob Fosse/Neil Simon’s Sweet Charity (1968), except it’s not a musical, other than the incidental music here is by Oscar™ winner for The Last Emperor (1987), Ryuichi Sakamoto. The music is extra helpful because Ai doesn’t really have too much dialogue, relatively speaking to most of the other characters in the film, and when she does talk, often it is almost whispered. It is like she is on a boat without oars, and she just floats in the direction the waters take her.

While I found the S&M scenes cringe-worthy, for me the most uncomfortable moments were the last act, where Ai goes looking for her ex-lover, and her further humiliation on the journey itself, even before possibly meeting him, a series of bizarreness worthy of Fellini or even Philippe de Broca’s King of Hearts (1966).

The extras for this “Blu-ray Special Edition” include an English dub version for those who have an aversion to subtitles, but know that I watched the original Japanese versions with the English subtitles turned on. I did spot check in on it here and there, and the dialogue comes close to matching the subtitles, but not quite. As a non-Japanese speaker, I really cannot say which of the two is most accurate. A “Featurette” is included from when it was first released, which is an odd mix of an extended trailer that focuses on each of the actors through clips, and interviews and pieces from the film’s opening (it looks like at a festival, but it could just be a theater and the after-party. It’s in Japanese with subtitles, but that’s no surprise, I am going to surmise. Along with a “Stills Gallery,” and a nice box slip-cover, there are trailers that include a bunch of Unearthed Classic releases, and two different versions of the one for Tokyo Decadence: from Japan and Germany.

I can certainly understand why this is considered a classic: the beautiful way it is shot, its languid style among the brutality, and the story arc, almost like an opera, but I will not be revisiting it, honestly.

IMBD Listing HERE  

Review: The Long Night

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

The Long Night (aka The Coven)
Directed by Rich Ragsdale
Sprokefeller Pictures; Adirondack Media Group; El Ride Productions; Hillin Entertainment; Well Go USA Entertainment
91 minutes, 2022
www.wellgousa.com/films/the-long-night

Seems like it’s been a little while since I have seen a film where a family is threatened by a coven. They used to be quite popular, between Hammer Films releases and the likes of Race with the Devil (1975).

Scout Tayler-COmpton, Nolan Gerard Funk

Our protagonists here are a New York couple, Grace (Scout Taylor-Compton, who played the leads in 2007’s Zombie Halloween remake and The Lurker in 2020) and Jack (Nolan Gerard Funk, who spent a season on “Glee”). They are traveling to find out about her ancestry in South Carolina. Along the way, there are portents of things to come, like the obligatory questionable gas station owner. [Digression: If I won the lottery, I would like to open a little grocery store in the middle of nowhere, just so when people with out of state plates show up, I can say, “Ah’d turn back if ah wuz you.”]

To find out about her past, which is a mystery to her though she has unresolved flashback dreams, they are directed to a plantation (that’s the word Grace uses) that is surrounded by fields, forests, and sloughs. There’s an old, probably family cemetery down the road, but that’s about it. It’s a bucolic setting which we get to see often from drone shots.

As soon as they arrive, the creepy stuff starts to happen, including (trigger warning) lots of snakes, pentagrams with a dead woodland creature, and a mysterious person who pops in and out dressed in the obligatory cult cape and cowl, with a deer face and antlers, among others. Even with that and a couple of jump scares, the first half hour is a bit of a slow burn as we get to know a little about Jack (he’s a bit contradictory, swinging between concerned hero and a bit of a dick, so one could say “We don’t know Jack”) and the purposefully named Grace (obvious choice).

There are some well worn tropes used pretty early on, such as phones and transportation not working. However, I honestly can’t see any other way to keep them there at Coven Central, so it is forgivable. The fun level does pick up a bit at the beginning of the second act, when the Coven comes around to surround the house, carrying torches; more on that below.

Generally speaking (or writing), there are usually two kinds of evil Cult films. One is the more human, where they are people worshiping a different god to the same effect as anyone worshiping the Biblical one: hopeful. Then there are the supernatural ones, like this, where people can be possessed, spells can be cast, and it’s more mysterious. The latter tends to be more interesting as here they focus on Uktena, a serpent demon.

Even from very early on, it is telegraphed that Grace’s roots and childhood have to do with the Coven, which even a simpleton can figure out, so this should not be a spoiler. It would be like saying you didn’t know Michael Meyers was going to be a psycho killer (qu’est-ce que c’est?) when he popped in and out of the bushes in the original Halloween (1978). And in my own defense, the publicity shot used most often gives away way too much (I have not included it), as does the trailer (which is below).

Once the second act has started, the action really ramps up and rarely relents. It’s worth the wait. And throughout, there are a couple of cool extended cameos, such as the brother of the owner of the plantation, played by Jeff Fahey (The Lawnmower Man; “Lost”), and as the Coven leader, Deborah Kara Unger (Cronenberg’s Crash; Thirteen). This is actually some mighty firepower, acting wise. Though the two leads do pretty well themselves, as they are in a vast majority of the scenes, either together or apart.

There is one scene of nudity, though I’m thinking body doubles, and there is very little blood and gore (though one squeamish scene, not counting the snakes).

After the prologue, the film takes place, obviously, over the course of, well, one long night (which is also the name of the ritual of the Coven). The film is broken up into numerous chapters, such as “The Invitation” and “The Ritual.”

All that being said, the film could use a tad of edit excising for the inevitable “Deleted Reel.” While gothic feel is a must, especially on a plantation at night, it can be overdone a bit, and there is easily 10 to 15 minutes’ worth of mood that is less structure than show-off.

The director, Rich Ragsdale, should be commended here. He has helmed a lot of music videos over the years, but he has not fallen into the trap of super-fast edits on this film. He takes his time, lovingly giving moody forest scenes, or will hang on the person rather than many quick cutaways. The cinematography by Pierluigi Malavasi lovingly shows texture, and uses light to give the impression of lamps rather than kliegs. A couple of his shots of the fire on the edges of the torches is just beautiful.

This is a welcome addition to the Cult canon, and hits so many of the right notes.

IMBD Listing HERE 

 

Review: Tethered

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Tethered
Directed by Daniel Robinette
4 Leagues Media; Gravitas Ventures
88 minutes, 2022
www.4leaguesmedia.com/films/tethered/
www.gravitasventures.com

It almost seems like there is a subgenre overlapping horror and science fiction of late where two people, usually but not always men, are in the middle of the woods/nowhere, that are quite contentious but end up working together against whatever the antagonist is, be it human or supernatural. On just this blog, for example, I have recently reviewed A Knight’s Tour (2020)l and Woodland Grey (2021) , and then there is are large chunk of Sweet Tooth (2021).

Expanded from a 2017 short with the same title and lead actor, for this bleak tale, we are introduced to blind teenager Solomon (Jared Laufree). He lives on an acreage in North Carolina, surrounded by the woods, many miles from anyone else. Essentially, the forest is his to do what is needed for survival. At the start we see the training by his obviously ill mom (hyper-intelligent Alexandra Paul, of “Baywatch” and 1983’s Christine fame, among others), who gives him the skills on how to survive, including fishing and setting traps for game, like squirrels and rabbits. To enter the woods, he wears the titular rope tied at one end to the dilapidated house, and the other around his waist, to help him find his way back.

The “tether” has a dual role. It both gives Solomon the freedom to roam enough to survive and have a certain level of independence yet “protecting” him from the outside world, theoretically; but then again, it also limits how far he can travel, isolating him at the same time.

As in previous films like The Children of the Corn (1984) and the cult film Jug Face (2013), where there is a cryptid creature lurking in the woods kind of deal, Solomon must “feed” the forest via sharing his food, by tossing half of it into the woods. He doesn’t know why at first, but he is following his mother’s three commandments, of which this is one. But what happens when food is scarce?

After living alone for a number of years, Solomon is lonely, relying on the tape recording to hear another’s voice, i.e., his mother. His attire is in shambles with holes, and he is, well, dirty as all get out. But it is his solitude – the only thing he’s known for such a long time – that weighs the heaviest. Until…

Somewhere deep into the second act, a stranger appears: Hank (Kareen Furgeson). This is when the story really starts to pick up some steam, as these two desperate strangers need to rely on each other, especially with whatever is starting to make its presence known by howling in the forest. Of course, their relationship begins contentiously (as is wont in this trope) until their easy-to-assume bonding occurs. I really don’t think I’m giving anything not obvious away.

There are two types of slow burns employed by cinema, in a gross generalization: there is the kind where nothing happens for a long time and then everything is in the third act, or at minimum after 20 minutes of introducing the characters (i.e., the conversation in the car on the way to the slaughter trope that is overused in other releases), and then there is this kind, where even during the exposition scenes, the tension is still there, and slowly builds to the crescendo.

There are a few moments where some exposition is exposed, such as a birthday sequence, which would fit nicely in the deleted section, and a bit of tightening of the narrative, but overall, it’s a pretty solid piece. The cinematography by Aaron Sorgius is a key character in the story moving forward, even those scenes at night where it is a bit dark viewing; remember, Solomon is blind so he doesn’t need light at night, so most of the lighting is done indirectly by fireplace.

Just a minor, quick quibble: Solomon, as an adult, plays one of those old portable cassette recorders. Errr, where does he get the batteries? It is certainly not plugged in (you can see that there is no attachment), and besides, his cabin doesn’t even have electricity. It’s kind of like in other films – especially found footage, which this release is not – where people have cell phones or cameras that they use often, and yet work for days (I have to recharge mine every night).

 As is common in this subgenre, there is very little humor and feels bleak to the point of giving the impression of being almost post-apocalyptic. The environment we are presented is empty except for a small cast (which helps the budget enormously; no complaint, just observing) and whatever mysterious supernatural cryptid is out there, just in the shadows of the dark, scary woods. That’s why so many horror films take place in forests, because of the shade of the canopy making cool shadows and hard-to-see spots, and who’s to say what is lurking behind that red maple?

 I have to admit, the ending took me by surprise. I was expecting a different direction, but found the conclusion both rewarding and a bit confusing about the “how.” This is the director’s first feature film, and he shows quite the skill set that he gained from a number of shorts he helmed. I hope he gets to spread his wings in full-lengthers in the future and show more of what he is capable of doing.

This film is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and digitally on Comcast/Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T, Cox, Dish, Verizon, Frontier, SuddenLink, Mediacom, Armsstrong and TelusClick.

IMBD Listing HERE 

 

 

 

Screener:
https://vimeo.com/613954181
Password: TETHEREDV1FINAL

Documentary Review: In Search of Tomorrow: A Journey Through ‘80s Sci-Fi Cinema

Text © Robert Barry Francos / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

In Search of Tomorrow: A Journey Through ‘80s Sci-Fi Cinema
Directed by David A. Weiner
CreatorVC
301 minutes, 2022
https://80sscifidoc.com/
@80sscifidoc
www.creatorvc.com

Science Fiction can run from the sublime, like 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or Silent Running (1972), or it can fall into the B-level category of the likes of The Green Slime (1968) and It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958; this was the basis for 1979’s Alien, as 1951’s The Thing from Another World was remade as John Carpenter’s The Thing in 1982). Despite some well-done classics such as the first two mentioned above, by the mid-1970s, Sci-Fi was a second-rate citizen as a genre, producing mostly cheese with bad effects.

This all changed in 1977, with the release of a little film called Star Wars, which reignited the genre aflame, giving rise to both big budget bonanzas and cheapie imitations, but the spark was set. In a perfect storm, this upswing came right on the advent of the VHS market, further spreading the fever. Please note that I am writing this intro before actually watching the film, so I am not sure it will reflect my sentiments. And so, it’s time to start the show. Cue Bugs and Daffy.

The focus of this all-star documentary is that period in the 1980s when everything exploded like all those ships in the film version of Battlestar Gallactica (1978).

After the initial introduction, which briefly goes as far back as Georges Méliès’ 1902’s A Trip tothe Moon, and various other highlights, with Wil Wheaton explaining how before Star Wars, most sci-fi was nihilistic and was a warning of things to come, such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (remember, sci-fi is not about the future or the past, but about the present of when the film was made).

This is followed by a host of hosts: interviews with actors, directors (such as Joe Dante, Paul Verhoeven, and John Carpenter), writers (both screenplays and critics), production crew, composers, and vloggers, etc. What is really nice is that the documentary does not only talk about the top-tier releases, but also the relatively smaller ones that did not raise as much of a blip as the multimillion-dollar mega-effects bonanzas. Year by year, they focus on film by film, so while there are the obvious ones like Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, and Blade Runner, I was pleased they went into detail about the likes of Saturn 3, Yor, Galaxina (RIP, Dorothy Stratton), and Spaceballs.  

One thing I hadn’t made the connection to before, while watching the segment focusing on Flash Gordon, is that the top effects in that film and many others of that period, are now in-reach and equal to numerous low budget Sci-Fi/horror film genres of the present day. In the less sophisticated CGI of the 1980s, it was a wow factor, but now one sees it compared to what the major studios are putting out, say the superhero releases, this was pretty basic by today’s standards. Sometimes modern films will try to purposefully look like the ‘80s as a “flashback,” but technology for indie and low-budget films have actually caught up to the ‘80s majors in their technology, especially with green screens. This is especially true with animated films discussed here, such as Heavy Metal, Tron, and the amazing anime Akira. I’m rambling a bit, so I hope this makes sense.

Among the looks back at particular films, between each year there are also segments of about 15 minutes each that give some grounding to the genre of the period, such as “Cold War Kids,” which talks about how people of that generation – especially kids – were immersed in the threat of the possibility of a nuclear bomb going off at any moment. As a child, I still remember the drills in elementary school where we would practice getting under our desks to practice in case of a regular bombing attack, and lining up in the hallways and crouching down in case of an atom bomb. Of course, in reality, neither of those would really do anything, but we heard about it all the time, including in the cinemas encased in the messages from the films we watched. Even those like Goldfinger (1964) had a big, scary bomb. Where’s McGruber when you need ‘im, right?

While not inclusive, some of the between-years other segments include how films were marketed in a pre-Internet world, visual effects, creature effects (among two of my favorite topics), and music scores. The last one is about the technological implications of the vision in the movies, very briefly focusing on the whole “the future in the story represents the now.” There should have been more about technological determinism, and perhaps throw in a bit of Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death when describing the likes of Cherry 2000.

Another interesting point the documentary more hints at than is explicit, is that Sci-Fi is almost always blended with something else, such as a Western (Outland; Star Wars), horror (Alien), war stories (Aliens, Enemy Mine, Predator), or social commentary (Final Countdown; Alien Nation), for example. I find it especially the latter, and the nuclear aspect or the rise of computers, robots and technological determinism (e.g., The Terminator) as expounded by the likes of Marshall McLuhan or Jacques Ellul. This “layering” is part of what makes Sci-Fi not only effective, but makes the future relatable. As I said, whenever it takes place, it’s about the present.

The only sort of repetition in the film, which is unavoidable and yet still enjoyable, is the number releases of a franchise, each of which are covered individually if they came out in the ‘80s. This includes Superman, Star Trek, and of course, Star Wars. Lot’s of “Return of…”, “Part II,” and “The Wrath…” to deal with, but these films are classic and pleasing to rehash, so it still goes relatively flying by.

Each release covered gets about five to ten minutes, and includes lots of clips of the film itself, backstage footage and bits from the trailer, and interviews, none very long (hey, there are a lot of films here). They switch back and forth between the present-day discussions (no historical interviews, happily) with the likes of Alex Winter, Barry Bostwick, Dee Wallace, Billy Dee Williams, Nancy Allen and multiple dozens of others, that it is easy to keep the viewers’ attention and interest, even over the extended time frame. I know I had to break up watching it over two days, which was no problem as it’s individual segments, rather than a narrative where plot points can easily be forgotten. Many of the anecdotal stories told by the casts and crews are especially compelling and often humorous, such as someone discussing the pomposity of Shatner on the set of Khan.

The film is not afraid to shy away from pointing out the flaws of some of the films, such as Howard the Duck and Dune, and glorifying those that deserve it, like The Fly and Back to the Future. And while the film is joyfully comprehensive, it is not inclusive. There are many films not selected for discussion, and yet clips are shown, such as Heartbeeps and Night of the Comet. But, considering the information presented and the immensity of the time, I find no fault in that regard.

This release is a follow-up to a three-part series of documentaries by the director titled In Search of Darkness (2019), In Search of Darkness Part II (2021), and the obvious In Search of Darkness Part III (2022). I have not seen these yet, but it is interesting that it is broken up into three, rather than one honkin’ five-hour extravaganza.

The whole film is a big, “Oh, yeah,” if you were a fan of the genre back in that timeframe. And seeing the people involved and what they look like now is a lot of fun, as well.  And if you are wondering, yes, I did sit through all five hours of the documentary, and smiled through most of it.

IMBD Listing HERE 

Review: Alien Danger 2! With Raven Van Slender

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films Blog, 2022
Images from the Internet

 Alien Danger 2! With Raven Van Slender
Directed by James Balsamo
Acid Bath Productions; Alien Donut Films
71 minutes; 2021
www.facebook.com/acidbathproductions/

The video starts with the same Toy Dolls silly music video with which the first film ended, but I do have to admit that it’s easy for it to become an earworm, so be warned (said with a smile)

I must say, the opening animated sequence (not sure if it’s cheesy CGI or stop-motion, of both) mixes a bunch of genres together, including a version of Japanese Mecha-Godzilla meets The Three Stooges, the Transformers, and the Power Rangers. It’s goofy (a word I’ve used and will continue to use often for these films), but I had a big smile on my face for the sheer ambition of it. Plus, there’s the cameos during it by Rob Halford (voice of Judas Priest) vs. Casey Orr (aka Beefcake the Conqueror, bassist of Gwar). And that’s before the always fun animated credits by Rob Yulfo, featuring a different song that is very similar by the Toy Dolls.

I need to make this clear: sometimes it may seem like I am insulting the film by saying the sets are cheap, the effects are corny and the acting is so over the top that they are in the stratosphere, but let us be explicit in that it is all purposeful, and it is fun because of all this nonsense, not in spite of it. If you’re looking for Star Wars, Star Trek, or even Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), well, you have either come to the wrong place or not stoned enough (note that I am straight-edge). Balsamo is infamously leaning towards the happy weed, so I am sure he is encouraging it with his films. I can understand if one gets more out of it in that headspace, but I’m enjoying it for what it is: a hot mess.

The cameo villain in this volume is General Legs (voiced by Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley), but meanwhile, genre bending is the key here, as the first segment of an actual story is leader, hero, and incredibly amusing Raven Van Slender (Bill Victor Arucan) and the same crew as the first film (this part was either filmed concurrently, or immediately after the first part), including slug sandwich obsessed Eepa.the Nood (director Balsamo), go to Ravenwood Forest in Robin Hood mode, to help King Mark Catapult (rather than Capulet; that made me laugh) and his princess daughter. Side note: I’m only 14 minutes into this thing, including the music video, Mecha- opening, animated credits, and some b-roll from the first film. To be clear to the audience, who most likely are quite lit by this point, Van Slender even points out that this is like Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest, for those baked or unread enough not to know.

Just a digression, in the first film, Van Slender’s catchphrase was the titular, “Alien Danger!” Here it’s “Adventure awaits!” However, the “Alien Danger” line is also used. No point in me mentioning this, just observing.

As with Part 1, most of the “alien” differentiation is face make-up of different colors (again, as with the previous review, I give you the original “Star Trek” series, which often employed this style to indicate difference of aliens). Here, there are also uses of some different masks, many of which actually look quite good, lots of CGI effects, and especially the use of Green Screen technology (I am convinced that “Star Trek” would have done the same if the means were available in the 1960s).

After we leave the forest, the next genre bending is based on the mythical Western at the Okie-Dokie Corral, with cowboys and cattle. Okay, forget the cattle, but there is a campfire (well, a fire pit anyway, and no beans). After the obligatory showdown, we next slide over to a world of professional wrestling, which explains the cameos by the likes of Sgt. Slaughter, Barry “Krusher Khrushchev” Darslow, and Sione “Tonga” Valihai. And still only 30 minutes in.

At around 45 minutes, the group is fighting monsters on another planet. We also find out some personal information about our titular hero. At 50 minutes, we’re back in ancient Egypt and Cleopatra (Tracee Cocco) and her killer Martian mummy(s) … yeah, you read that right. There are a bunch of short bits after that such as an intergalactic Ouija board, but I’ll leave it for now rather than cataloging.

The point of me stating the times is the indication tat there is a lot going on here. Perhaps its not a consistent narrative or cohesive story, but the set pieces keep the viewer from getting bored. After all, like puns – one of the director’s specialties to the point where he has a book published of them James Balsamo’s Total Pun-ishment; Bad Joke Book – if something that is silly goes on too long, it gets wearing, but by changing it around so much, the interest of “what the hell next?” may keep your attention.

Of course, there are a lot of cameos, such as director John Landis and the always fun Vernon Wells, who I still believe is the best character of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), and actually shows some actual acting chop while seeming to really have fun with his role here, sans mohawk. But it is worth noting the following: used to be most of the cameos in early Balsamo releases tended to be filmed in an alley behind whichever horror convention or metal concert he attended, and usually they just insulted or beat up on Balsamo, sometimes both. While Landis is a quick come and go, others like Wells are actually incorporated into the story, in this case as a helmeted villain, The Shadow Knight (who subtly quotes John Cleese’s Black Knight in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail!). The quality of the cameos is improving.

Yes, there are more in the franchise coming, such as Alien Danger 3: With Raven Van Slender, and Raven Van Slender Saves Christmas, both expected by the end of this year.

IMDB listing HERE 

Review: Alien Danger! With Raven Van Slender

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films Blog, 2022
Images from the Internet

Alien Danger! With Raven Van Slender
Directed by James Balsamo
Acid Bath Productions; Alien Donut Films
80 minutes; 2021
www.facebook.com/acidbathproductions/

James Balsamo must be one of the most prolific directors on the indie scene. In fact, I cannot think of anyone of the top of my head with the output level he has achieved, except possibly Mark Polonia.

Let’s say right from the start, if you are not familiar with the works of Balsamo, that he has a sharp auteur direction, with nearly all his films being not only comedies, but what you find when you go further than over-the-top. And yet, I’m a fan.

Despite his prolificosity (yeah, I know it’s not a real word, but go with me), I do believe that this is Balsamo’s first delving into science fiction. The feel of the film is mixed. It reminds me a bit of the outrageous 1970s sex space comedies like Spaced Out (1979) and 2069: A Sex Odyssey (1974), and yet retains the goofiness of television kids shows like “HR Pufnstuf” (1967-70) and ”Sigmund and the Sea Monsters” (1973-75).

Our hero is the funny Raven Van Slender (Bill Victor Arucan), whose space crew, including Eepa the Nood (director James Balsamo, who [purposefully] over-plays more than one role here), who runs afoul of the evil Overlord Enil (also Arucan) doing his best Ming the Merciless.

While much of the make-up is colorful face paint (remember the budget), the thing you may notice from the start is the large amount of animation. As usual, the credits are cartoons, but we get to see odd creatures on other planets that are either puppets, CGI or stop motion photography. Either way, it may not look realistic (again, budget), but it is incredibly imaginative and fun. And the main focus of a Balsamo film is the fun quotient, which overrides everything else, be it overacting, cheesy sets (more on that in a moment), the common use of green screen technology, or pastel make-up. Now, yes, the sets look like they cost about a dollar-fifty, but you know what, have you watched the original “Star Trek”? The sets (especially other planets) are comparable, so just enjoy it and don’t think too hard.

Much of the opening is exposition about the background of our hero (spoken by an animated Cyclops-eyed blob. But it also includes some nice easter eggs, such as a shot of a beach that is the locale of the iconic finale to the original The Planet of the Apes (1968). There are also subtle flashbacks to previous Balsamo releases, such as the bat from Bite School (2015) a creature from It Wants Blood! (2019), and the diver from Killer Waves (2016).

As always, Balsamo relies on a core of his usual cast, such as Arucan and the flexible Katherine Pegova, but there is the ever present and numerous cameos, as well, such as Rob Halford of Judas Priest, a seemingly confused Tommy Chong, Joe Estevez (Charlie Sheen’s brother), Tuesday Knight (1988’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Warrior, Beverly Randolph (1983’s The Return of the Living Dead), and many others, including a version of the gorilla alien from Robot Monster (1953).

There is not as much a coherent story, though there is the backbone of one, as much as set pieces that give Balsamo a chance to show off the animation and imagination. Van Slender and his loyal crew of misfits battle against the Evil Overlord.

My only real quibble with the film is that sometimes the sound is either too low for this old man’s ears (too many Ramones – and others – shows in my youth), or occasionally the voice is manipulated electronically, and I can’t really make out what is being said. But if it is uttered by Eepa the Nood, you know it’s going to be a pun, since Balsamo is a pun king. Speaking of which, unlike most previous Balsamo films, there is no “Nood-ity,’ including toplessness. The sexiest thing is Pegova’s fully clothed silver onesie outfit. However, true to form, there is a subtle drug reference with some mention of mushrooms that are magic, though not consumed.

I could go as far as say that this could probably play on broadcast television practically uncut. I actually hope that does not deter anyone, because, and I’ll say it again, it is completely goofy fun, and if you are into imbibing in substances, liquid or plant, you might find yourself having WTF laughs.

Stick around after the credits for a music video directly connected to the film, by the… group? single performer? The Toy Dolls, from the UK. Reminds me of the early version of the New York band The Fast, or an upbeat adaption of Gary Numan-kind of synthesizer pop.

The review of the sequel Alien Danger 2! With Raven Van Slender, will be the next blog.

IMDB listing HERE