Killer’s Moon(1978)
Directed by: Alan Birkinshaw
Cast: Anthony Forrest,Tom Marshall,Jane Hayden,Alison Elliott
Entitled as the “most tasteless British movie ever” Killer’s moon hardly lives up to its title, no matter how menacing or disturbing the subject matter is, as long the overall execution is as haphazard as it is in killer’s moon case , all we are left with are some great moments of uninhibited grande guignol nature and with the excellent, oftentimes harrowing British locations that fortunately amplify the , relatively tame, horror of the proceedings.
A coach full of schoolgirls breaks down in the Lake District, forcing the girls to take shelter for the night in a remote hotel. Meanwhile, strange and macabre things are happening to the locals (and their pets) and it is revealed that four escaped mental patients- Mr. Smith, Mr. Trubshaw, Mr. Muldoon and Mr. Jones – who have been dosed with LSD as part of their treatment, are roaming the area, convinced they are living a shared dream in which they are free to rape and murder – both of which they choose to do numerous times before the belated arrival of the police.
Killer’s Moon is another case of Appropriation, this time Birkinshaw lifted a fair share of features from Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus “A clockwork orange”, in particular the uniformity of the mental patients’ outfit and the casual, jolly way in which they perform their hideous deeds are straight nods to Kubrick’s “droogs”. However the similarities end at this point, since Birkinshaw’s flick is standard exploitation fare with no intention for social commentary, choreographed violence and overall poignancy.
Take Killer’s moon for what it is, namely a paradox , a tame mix of Clockwork orange and last house on the left or simply a toothless home invasion film whose ominous atmosphere establishes itself very quickly and permeates its entire duration, but whose chills and thrills are few and far between.
Political correct it is nevertheless not, the depiction of rape as an act is disturbing and the use of a crippled dog as an actor is pure exploitation.
Killer’s moon is another curio from the era of video nasties, an era long gone. A movie that is more controversial than it is actually good , Killer’s moon could appeal to exploitation fans, if they get past the relatively bloodless plot.
Παρά την παραφιλολογία και το status του, το Killer’s moon αποδεικνύεται μάλλον αναιμικό. Τα δάνεια από το clockwork orange και το last house on the left έχουν ένα σχετικό ενδιαφέρον αλλά η εκτέλεση τελικά είναι μάλλον αδύναμη,αφού ο σκηνοθέτης Birkinshaw υποτάσσεται σε αφηγηματικές συμβάσεις τηλεταινίας και η βία ενώ έχει τις προυποθέσεις να σοκάρει τελικά παρουσιάζεται με προχειρότητα,ίσως λόγω προυπολογισμού.
Όπως και να έχει το «φεγγάρι των δολοφόνων» παρακολουθείται με σχετικό ενδιαφέρον,αφού η ατμόσφαιρα του εδραιώνεται από τα αρχικά στάδια της κινηματογραφικής αφήγησης και προσφέρονται στο θεατή αρκετά στιγμιότυπα κινηματογραφικής φρίκης που λειτουργούν καταλυτικά ως ο συνδετικός ιστός της πλοκής,χωρίς βέβαια να καθηλώνουν τον έμπειρο exploitation θεατή.
Σε κάθε περίπτωση οι Ιταλοί θα το έκαναν καλύτερα.