January 12, 2016

In keeping with my now weekly tradition of enjoying a double feature with my Killer POV co-host Elric Kane, we again opted not to do an original movie and it’s remake, but just two movies we really wanted to see! Last week, we assumed we were following a “slasher” theme with our selections of SLAUGHTERHOUSE and AXE, although AXE turned out not to be a traditional “slasher” pic. It still worked as a double bill and this week, we went even weirder and wilder. The fine fiends over at Arrow have just put out a Blu-Ray of 1987’s much-talked-about cult classic BLOOD RAGE. We paired that up with the gory Spanish Western CUT-THROATS NINE. How’d the two play together?

First up, BLOOD RAGE! I thought I’d seen just about everything worth seeing from the decade of the “slashers.” Once in a while, a diamond will shake out of the rough and although I’d heard a lot about BLOOD RAGE, it’s always alluded me. Had I known how not only bat-shit crazy it was, but the fact that it’s technically a Thanksgiving themed horror movie (!), I would’ve sought it out sooner (however, I’m so glad I waited for this pristine restoration)! It’s not a classic. It’s not great. It’s also not bad. It’s just its own thing that has to be seen to be believed. The closest I can get to do this description justice is by saying it’s almost got that same transcendent quality that PIECES has. I mean, it’s not PIECES good, because nothing is. It’s pretty darned close, though!

The opening of BLOOD RAGE finds twin brothers Todd and Terry in the back of a station-wagon at a drive-in movie theater with their mother who is on a date and trying to “get some” in the front seat. While she’s in the middle of her make-out session, the boys sneak out and start scanning the various cars and patrons of the drive-in. They set their sights on one young couple in the middle of making love, and inexplicably, Terry takes a hatchet and violently murders the boy. He immediately smears blood on the face of his traumatized brother Todd and hands him the weapon, hence framing him for the crime! And this is the opening!!! (Which by the way, features a super quick cameo by Ted Raimi, in his first on-screen role ever, playing a condom salesman. Seriously!)

After that, the film cuts to 1987 with Maddy, the mother played by Louis Lasser (in one of the most bizarre performances any human has ever delivered), visiting Todd in the mental institution on the verge of a major breakthrough. He finally remembers what happened that fateful night and that it was Terry who committed murder, not him. His doctor believes his claims, but Maddy does not. She instead leaves him there with homemade pie and returns back home to have Thanksgiving dinner with her new fiancé, Terry and his girlfriend. Considering the incestuous relationship implied later in the film, Terry does not take kindly to the news that his mom and her boyfriend are engaged. And then word gets out that Todd has escaped! And could be headed back home!

If anything, this gives Terry a legitimate excuse to go on a murdering rampage which includes his close friends, other people living in their neighboring complex and eventually his girlfriend, all of which he can pin on his “insane” twin brother. To tell you more would give away the fun, you just have to get together with a group of friends and experience this sucker for yourselves. And the way a lot of the reveals and dialogue come out are all part of the fun. I will say, the gore set-pieces are pretty terrific, compliments of FX artist Ed French, who also plays a small role in the film. The main feature on the Blu-Ray (with the title card of “SLASHER”) is the one to watch. The second disc has the theatrical cut of the film titled NIGHTMARE AT SHADOW WOODS, but all of the kills and gore are completely missing from this version. There’s a few additional scenes here and there, but nothing very prominent or important. And then the third cut of the film apparently combines all of the footage for one long supercut. Having multiple versions of the film, coupled with all the new interviews (which you will be compelled to check out after seeing the movie, if for no other reason than to satisfy the morbid curiosity as to what these people look like now) make this a worthwhile purchase.

Next up was CUT-THROATS NINE, a Spanish Western shocker that we’d always heard about for its excessive Fulci-style gore and violence. We went in expecting a full-on “exploitation” movie, but instead got a really solid, well written story full of tons of unpredictable twists and turns and vibrant energy. Directed by Joaquin Romero Marchent in 1972, CUT-THROATS NINE follows a group of nine vicious convicts, all chained together and being transported, by wagon, to jail. A bandit and his crew ambush them after hearing that this wagon is also transporting a healthy load of gold, and they kill all the troopers on board, minus the sergeant and his beautiful daughter – whom the bandits spare and force to head back for the gold, otherwise the bandits will execute the rest of their troops. With all 9 convicts in tow, they are forced to make their way back through the mountains in harsh weather conditions with no wagon or horses. But with this crew of deviants and murderers, will any of them make it back?

Half the fun comes from sizing up and trying to figure out the strange personalities of each and every one of these “villains,” one of which the sergeant knows murdered his own wife. Early on, the convicts figure out that they were in fact transporting gold, in the very chains and shackles that have bonded them together! From there on, there are so many interesting and unique directions that the story takes, I was constantly in awe of the next revelation or kill. Because let’s face it, with a motley crew like this, they’re going to end up killing each other. This is the sort of thing that I guarantee is a favorite of Quentin Tarantino’s and feels like one of the more prominent influences on his latest THE HATEFUL EIGHT.

With approximately 5 minutes left before the end credits, Elric turned to me and said, “Even after everything we’ve already seen, I have absolutely no idea how this movie will end.” And that’s part of the joy of discovering a cult classic like this. It kept us enthralled and guessing until the very last frame.

These two films share nothing in common, but did they work as a double feature? They sure did. Both were filled with surprises, shocks and pure entertainment. Two completely different types of movies, and yet they complimented each other perfectly.

CUT-THROATS NINE has never been available in a decently cleaned up format, but there is a Blu-Ray release from Code Red DVD. It’s as clean a digital restoration as we’re ever going to get of this film, and it still has all the cigarette burns and basic scratches from time wear that only add to the authenticity of the movie. It really made it feel like you were seeing something truly special. While the single Blu-Ray release is now out of print, Code Red offers a Spanish 3 pack set that features CUT-THROATS NINE, along with VAMPIRE NIGHT ORGY and PEOPLE THAT OWN THE DARK for $65 bucks.

Both of these are highly recommended!

‘Til the next double feature…