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THE 10 BEST UNRELEASED HORROR MOVIES: 1993-2003
In the spirit of those “10 Best Unproduced
Scripts” lists that periodically appear in movie mags like PREMIERE and FILM
COMMENT, I’ve decided to compile my own list covering the best unreleased
films. Films, in other words, that remain undistributed theatrically, on
television or on video/DVD within the US. In keeping with the sight’s overall
focus, I’m restricting the list to horror-themed fare and, in order to keep it
manageable, included only films completed within the last 10 years.
As a sometime filmmaker myself, I can tell
you that making an independent film is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do,
but securing distribution is even more difficult. The road to US distribution
is rockier for foreign filmmakers, especially in the wake of the 90’s American
indie boom (never mind that most US indies suck). There are, however, signs of
hope: Don Coscarelli’s wonderful BUBBA HO-TEP, which waited over a year to find
US distribution, has finally been released. Ditto Takashi Miike’s ICHI THE
KILLER, which is set to show up on DVD sometime in the next few months. Other
upcoming releases include long-on-the-shelf masterworks like RUBBER’S LOVER,
AFTERMATH, WILD ZERO, CURE and
SUICIDE CIRCLE. Here’s hoping the films listed
below will get the same treatment:
1. SZAMANKA
(1996)
The astounding SZAMANKA ranks with the likes of
CRASH, SEVEN and
NATURAL BORN KILLERS as one of the decade’s most genuinely
subversive films. In this film the inimitable Polish filmmaker
Andrzej Zulawski
recaptures all the shock, rage and excess of his 1979 masterpiece POSSESSION and
creates what may be his most memorable work to date. In place of the earlier
film’s morphing cucumber monster, SZAMANKA centers on the mummified remains of
an ancient shaman, discovered by a sex-crazed anthropology lecturer. Said
lecturer takes up with an equally nutty young woman, unforgettably essayed by
Iwona Petry, whose performance is one of the highlights of the film:
smolderingly sexy yet also deeply unhinged and scary (and, I might add, rarely
clothed). As the man’s obsession with the shaman grows more encompassing (the
corpse actually sits up and speaks with him at one point), his relationship with
Petry degenerates into a series of increasingly perverted sexual encounters that
culminate in an unspeakably brain-fried finale, which I’ll leave you to
experience for yourself. The whole film, in fact, must simply be experienced,
as no words can possibly do justice to the astonishing boldness of Zulawski’s
vision.
2.
METAL SKIN (1995)
Australian filmmaker Geoffrey Wright’s violent
and kinetic ROMPER STOMPER (1992) created quite a stir. He followed it with the
even more powerful METAL SKIN, a bleak and disturbing mélange of teen rebellion,
car worship, witchcraft and madness, all encompassed within the Aussie “Rev
Head” subculture. As he did in the former film, Wright packs a blistering
amount of rage and frustration into the proceedings, which all but boil over in
a climax that might charitably be described as mind-blowing. The film is
intense, often uncomfortably so (Ben Mendolsohn, one of its stars, remarked
after a screening of MS that he was “glad to be out of there”), which probably
explains why it’s never been seen (legally) in the US. A few years ago Miramax
was supposed to release it but didn’t.
(2008 Postscript: This film is now
available on DVD in the U.S.)
3.
MOEBIUS (1997)
This haunting and fascinating Argentine horror/sci
fi pastiche was actually a film school project supervised by “Prof.” Gustavo
Mosquera (TIMES TO COME), a pretty amazing feat considering that
MOEBIUS outdoes
most professional cinema as both a dark fantasy and an ominous political
allegory. Its story of the mysterious disappearance of a subway train and its
passengers has a disturbing real-life parallel in the thousands of political
dissidents who “vanished” under the reign of Argentina’s despotic rulers during
the seventies and eighties. The film, however, works best as a mind tugging
fantasy (it’s no accident that a subway tunnel is named “Borges”). As literally
everyone I know of who’s seen this film has been deeply impressed, I can only
conclude that its non-release is accidental; MOEBIUS, in other words, simply
“slipped through the cracks.”
4.
GEMINI (SOSEIJI; 1999)
A recent film by Japan’s foremost cult auteur
Shinya Tsukamoto, who specializes in frenzied and horrific explorations of
violence like TETSUO and TOKYO FIST.
GEMINI may seem like a departure, at least
on the surface: it’s set in the 19th Century and has a quiet, even
stately veneer. But its story of a wealthy doctor terrorized by a guy from the
slums who happens to look just like him is pure Tsukamoto, right down to the
deadly love triangle that rounds things out (by now something of a ST
trademark). Stunningly photographed, powerfully disturbing stuff that deserves
a much wider audience than it’s gotten thus far--Tsukamoto remains one of the
most vital filmmakers on the scene, even if American distributors have lost
interest. BTW, Tsukamoto’s ’02 follow-up A SNAKE OF JUNE likewise remains
without US distribution, and is also highly recommended.
(2008 P.S.: Now available on DVD)
5.
THE LEGEND OF THE SACRED STONE (SHENG SHI CHUAN SHUO; 1999)
I can guarantee you’ve never seen anything quite like this Taiwanese
jaw-dropper. It’s a special effects-filled horror/fantasy/martial arts epic
very much in the mold of classic eastern fare like ZU WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC
MOUNTAIN and A CHINESE GHOST STORY...but here’s the thing that really
makes this movie unique: it’s done entirely with PUPPETS! And it’s almost
certainly the most impressive puppet movie I’ve seen, with incredibly elaborate
miniature sets and characters with an amazing range of movement--these puppets
run, dance, fly and engage in numerous martial arts duels. The story is a bit
of a jumble, but it does contain the requisite evil demons, sorcerers and
magical talismans any self-respecting Asian film fanatic might reasonably
expect; the film is far from perfect, in other words, but it’s FUN!
6. THE NAMELESS (LOS SIN NOMBRE; 1999)
This masterful Spanish chiller has all
the things we’ve come to expect from a great horror movie: a creepy and
unpredictable storyline, a vivid atmosphere, some genuine shocks and great
performances all around. The kidnapping of a young girl by a creepy cult makes
for an extremely compelling story, and the ending provides a good, nasty jolt.
THE NAMELESS seems to have satisfied nearly everyone who’s seen it—everyone,
that is, but Hollywood studio execs, who seem to view horror as consisting of
buckets of blood and little else.
(P.S.: Now available on DVD)
7.
LOVE GOD (1994)
Director Frank Grow’s
LOVE GOD is an
unrelentingly kinetic assault that mixes rapid-fire experimentation with
old-fashioned B-movie thrills. It may possibly have been released theatrically
on the East Coast, thus disqualifying it from this list, but I’m far from
certain about that. I am sure, however, that it never turned up on the
West Coast (believe me, I’d have known if it had!), and certainly not on video
or DVD, which is a shame. It’s definitely the only movie I can think of that
combines irredeemably loony ex-mental patients, an out-of-control brain
parasite, a mother-daughter crime scene clean-up team, lumbering prosthetic
creatures, a homeless serial killer and lots more. Not all of it works, but the
damn thing moves so fast it’s impossible to ever grow bored.
8.
THE BABY OF MACON (1993)
The only one of British iconoclast Peter
Greenaway’s theatrical features not to have been released in this country, and
easily the most depraved, satanic and grotesque film he’s ever made. Starring
future Hollywood hotshots Julia Ormond and Ralph Fiennes, it’s the story of an
old woman who gives birth to a baby with magical powers. The woman’s virgin
daughter (Ormond) claims the baby as her own, uses it for her personal gain and
has her loving mother locked up. She’s found out before too long, and the
church further exploits the BofM by selling its blood. In a jealous rage, the
baby’s “mother” smothers it to death. The church wants to execute her for the
crime, but their own laws prohibit the killing of a virgin. No problem:
every man in town is called upon to rape her...and then she’s put to
death! A singularly bleak, mean spirited film, although its nasty edge is
softened somewhat by Greenaway’s conceit of presenting the whole thing as a play
presented to audience members who are frequently called upon to join in the
onstage action. Beautifully photographed and staged, like all Greenaway’s
features, and a fascinating play on illusion and reality—plus, for those who
like gore, the sight of a naked Ralph Fiennes graphically maimed by a bull’s
horns should more than satisfy.
9. THE
ATROCITY EXHIBITION (1997)
Unlike most of the other films on this list, I
can fully understand why US distributors gave this one the cold shoulder: it’s
so out there that the only potential audience would be an extremely
limited one. Think David Cronenberg’s
CRASH was weird? The nonlinear
ATROCITY
EXHIBITION, also based on a novel by J.G. Ballard, gives Cronenberg’s film some
serious competition in that area. TAE is beautifully filmed, though often quite
agonizing to sit through...and so makes for an excellent companion piece to
Ballard’s heavily experimental book (which is anything but an “easy read”).
Director Jonathan Weiss crafts some compellingly bizarre imagery—a woman getting
banged in the back seat of a car with a picture of Ronald Reagan wrapped around
her head; a space suit wearing jogger; a lady chased through a ware house by a
toy helicopter—spiced with references to Vietnam, Marilyn Monroe and the JFK
assassination. Having read the book beforehand, I still understood very little
of the film--Weiss appears to be onto something, but I’m not sure what.
10.
DEADLY MARIA (DIE TODLICHE MARIA; 1994)
German filmmaker Tom Tykwer became an arthouse
darling in the wake of his international smash RUN LOLA RUN (LOLA RENT; 1997).
He subsequently made two higher budgeted films, THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR and
HEAVEN, and his middling 1996 effort WINTER SLEEPERS was even granted American
distribution in the wake of LOLA’S success. I find it rather puzzling, then,
that Tykwer’s first film, the stylish and macabre DEADLY MARIA, has never been
released in this country. I vividly remember viewing it at the 1994 Vancouver
Film Festival and being impressed by its superbly delineated atmosphere of
oppression and claustrophobia. It’s set mostly within the confines of the dark,
cavernous house where the meek and mousy Maria (the excellent Nina Petri, who
also appeared briefly in LOLA) lives with her abusive, domineering father. Her
situation is a hopeless one, to be sure...but, as the title implies, Maria’s
true nature isn’t nearly as benign as it might appear. Not having seen this
film since ‘94, I’ll confess I’m hazy on quite a few details; I have a German
language VHS (currently the only way you can see it) on order, so expect a
fuller review sometime within the next few months.
Other worthy non-releases: THE DEAD MOTHER (LA MADRE MUERTA; 1993), MEMENTO MORI (YEOGO GOEDAM II; 1999), FAUSTO 5.0 (2001), ELECTRIC DRAGON 80,000V (2001), PULSE (KAIRO; 2001), RING VIRUS (1999), RINGU 2 (1999), 99.9 (1998) and, although it’s not really a horror movie, SHELF LIFE (1993). (P.S.: All these films are currently available on US DVD but for THE DEAD MOTHER and SHELF LIFE) And while I’m at it, I’d like to profile one more film as an Honorable Mention:
BATTLE
ROYALE (2000)
I’m not a huge fan of this Kinji Fukasaku
thriller about pre-teens killing each other on a deserted island. There’s
really no point going into much more plot detail, as you’ve most likely seen the
film already. It’s become quite popular on the American cult movie circuit, so
much so that its Japanese distributor now manufactures DVDs designed expressly
for importation into the US. Even the 1999 novel that inspired the film has
been translated into English and issued as a trade paperback...so why
hasn’t the movie been officially released in the US? A lack of consumer
interest? The above info doesn’t support that hypothesis. Perhaps movie
distributors fancy they’re “protecting” us from this film’s malignant power.
Sorry, but the film is extremely accessible—and quite popular—as a DVD import.
I’ve heard the “official” rationale, that the film’s copyright holders are
asking for too much money, but I don’t know if I buy that. Miramax, after all,
shelled out a reported $10 million for the US rights to HAPPY, TEXAS (anyone
remember that film?) and even the deeply under whelming CABIN FEVER
inspired a costly bidding war at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. If
BATTLE ROYALE or any of the above listed films prove anything, it’s that American movie
lovers will seek out the films they want regardless of what “normal”
distribution channels decree.
--11/7/03
(9/2/08)