Directed By: John R. Hand
Writer: John R. Hand
Runtime: USA:77 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Aspect Ratio: 1.33
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Company: JRH Films
The Review:
Some movies make us laugh, some make us cry, and some simmer our brains in a skillet full of savory sensation. Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare achieves the latter, and it was one imaginative dining experience.
At this point in my reviews I typically like to give my own little rundown of the movie at hand. Discuss premise, plot, characters, actors and so on. With Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare I'm going to have to skip this part completely, because I honestly have no idea what is happening.
What I will write about instead is the overall feeling that FBN captures so well. The movie was shot primarily on vintage Super 8 with all voices and sound effects dubbed over in post production. The film is grainy, over-saturated and beat to a bloody pulp in its confining 1.33 aspect ratio. Various colored gels are used in certain scenes to intensify colors.
The camera movements are mostly slow, carefully crafted pans that rarely reveal much of anything. There are frequent, extreme close-ups of unrecognizable and poorly lit objects. Key bits of dialog are garbled and mixed at a nearly indistinguishable volume. Practical, jaw dropping visual effects I still can't quite figure out add even more confusion. All the while the visuals are enhanced with a chilling, even nerve-wracking original score from director John R. Hand performing under the name of The Greys.
Each of these elements are crudely stitched together at the hands of a definite madman. That said, Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare is not about a monster. It is a monster.
This is what makes FBN so incredibly unique...and most definitely not for everyone. This is a horror film for fans of bizarro, the surreal and the intangible. If you're into this often-neglected-niche, watch FBN as soon as possible. If all you want is blood, guts and sex (which can be fun, don't get me wrong) don't even bother.
All I really have to complain about is that sometimes the sound is annoyingly bad. During some scenes I had to max out my volume to even begin to hear anything...and then out of nowhere BAM my speakers would nearly be blown out from a sudden jump in the audio. If this issue were resolved, and if the opening and end credits were handled a little more skillfully (ie, no cheesy drop shadows and modern typefaces), I would give this little flick a perfect score.
Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare is a visual and aural acid trip that is more an experience than mere entertainment. JRH Films: I've got my eye on you.
VISUALS: You won't want to look away.
SOUNDTRACK: Absolutely perfect.
VIBE: Makes quite the impression!
No comments:
Post a Comment