Scum of the Earth

All my high school friends and I saw this movie at a drive-in. We still quote lines to this movie still! "Bo, git me a jar!" It was retitled as "Poor White Trash, Part II" - but there never was a Poor White Trash - Part I. I've been trying to get this on video for over 20 years, with no luck. It's so bad, it's funny. I think the budget for this flick must have under $50,000. The dialogue is laughably bad, the actors are godawful, the plot has so many holes like a broken colander. But to its credit, this movie is far worse than anything Ed Wood did - "Plan 9 From Outer Space" and "Glenn Or Glenda," etc. don't hold a candle to this flick. Possibly "Eraserhead" might come close, but I don't think so. To set the mood to watch this movie, you must be either drunk (half-in-the-bag) or stoned or both.

This is pure gold, a hicksploitation proto-slasher thats going to be a new regular watch for me this thing needs a cleaned up blu ray asap.

A young couple go to a remote cabin and the husband is immediately killed by a mysterious figure with an axe. The wife runs into the woods and encounters Odis Pickett, the patriarch of a white trash clan living deep in the woods. He takes her in, but it becomes clear that he has no intention of letting her leave. Meanwhile, the axe wielding stranger starts picking off members of his family. This regional curiosity is from Texas exploitation exploitation maven S.F. Brownrigg, best known for "Don't Look in the Basement". Like that film, this is a grungy, downbeat little film that, while not as good, is a great example of low budget regional horror of the period. Pickett is played by Gene Ross, who's also in "Basement". He is a decent, creepy actor, who I quite like.

If anyone knows me, they know that I am a huge fan of the low-budget chiller "Don't Look in the Basement!", a highly underrated early 70s classic. My review for that film is one of the few positive reviews for it, read it and you'll see why. I researched extensively the works of director S.F. Brownrigg and especially the work of his amazingly talented cast. I discovered that Brownrigg used many of the same cast members in his other movies, so I jumped at the chance to find this film and several others.

While "Scum of the Earth" does not in any way challenge "Basement!" scare-wise, it does feature excellent acting, sleazy atmosphere, and a grat storyline with many surprises. It was originally released in 1974, then re-titled in 1976 as "Poor White Trash II" and made more money than when it was originally released! Such a shame it has been neglected for such a long time because of its title.

Camilla Carr, Gene Ross, and Hugh Feagin return from "Basement!" and all are excellent; Feagin is a lot better than his Sgt. Jaffee in the previous film. Carr easily steals the show; she was great as Harryette, the baby-obsessed murderess in "Basement!" and is better here as the white trash daughter of Gene Ross' drunk farmer. Ross was superb as Judge Cameron in "Basement!" and is just as good here. Brownrigg certainly knows how to build atmosphere with his low-budget potboilers. "Basement!" has a claustrophobic atmosphere with an overlying aura of madness; "Scum" has an isolated atmosphere with an overlying aura of filth. The setting is inside Texas backwoods and is just filthy; every scene in the house hints at humidity, sloth, and bad smells.

Added to Brownrigg's familiar cast are Norma Moore as the heroine in peril, Ann Stafford as Emmy, Ross' abused wife, and Charlie Dell as Bo, the idiot son of the family. Well, Moore isn't any Rosie Holotik, but does well in her earlier scenes, only to slide into overacting heaven by the end of the film. Stafford is superb, the ultimate burdened Southern wife! Dell does well, too, bringing much sympathy from the audience for his sorry state, hated by his father and sister and pitied by his mother. Another note: Brownrigg uses some music from "Basement!" and the theme song, "Death is a Final Affair", is excellent! Ultimately, "Scum of the Earth" is a movie that must be seen to be appreciated. No review can do it justice, just as no review can do "Don't Look in the Basement!" justice. You can only find it under the false title of "Poor White Trash Part II", but I hope that someone re-releases this on video in a clean print with the original title.

Helen (Norma Moore) has just discovered her husband Paul with an axe as a fifth appendage and then has the misfortune of running into a reprehensible hillbilly Odis Pickett (Gene Ross). Odi takes her to his cabin where she meets his mentally challenged son Bo (Charlie Dell ), mean spirited daughter Sarah (Camilla Carr) and kind wife Emmy (Ann Stafford). The Odious Odi drinks and intimidates the rest of the family while the killer lurks outside. This film could have turned into a disaster but the Actors overcame at times silly dialog and made a fine low budget movie. A special shout out to Ms. Stafford who's soothing voice and kind way really added balance to the rest of the characters. I was surprised to see that she was only in a couple of films. The empathy and gentle gaze of her character Emmy were reminiscent of something one would expect from a fine actress like Liv Ullmann for instance. This one's going to stick with me for a bit in the same way Gal Young Un has.