Dirty Fred - Der Schock-Killer

I saw this on local TV in Detroit over 20 years ago and thought it was fantastic, though quite violent. I've searched for it on TV or video over the years, but to no avail. Hardly anyone seems to have seen this flick, though it is mentioned in the Blockbuster film book. I'd love to see this film again, but not living in Toronto or Vancouver, I may be out of luck!

I found this film to be unusual in the sense that it wasn't a predictable, hollywood-type film complete with the obligitory happy ending. Tension builds slowly as the struggle between good and evil takes some unexpected turns. Low budget and largely unknown but well done.

Gay Rowan was a very good actress, I liked her in the TV show, The Starlost, with Keir Dullea. She seems to have stopped acting around 1984. Ms. Rowan gives a stellar performance in this film as the mistreated wife. This film is suspenseful all the way, and never gets boring. The farmers wife, played by Hollis Mclaren is an absolute hottie. Big on action, paranoia, and diabolical lunacy. Well made for a low budget film from the mid 1970's. The husband played by Dominic Hogan is a complete nut job. The costumes in the film are so 1970's they need to make a comeback. Hogans three piece suit is great. Though not a masterpiece, I give this an 8 out of 10.

Big shot Hollywood producers take a pencil and a notebook, because this ultra-cheap and sadly obscure 70s exploitation thriller succeeds - almost effortlessly - where practically 99% of all nowadays attempts fail miserably. I'm talking about sheer and genuine tension from start to finish, a simple but original and compelling plot, unpredictable and shocking story twists, being horrific without the use of a single special effect, etc. "Sudden Fury" honestly deserves to be wider known, or is at least entitled to an immortal cult status, as it truly was one of the most engaging viewing experiences I've had in the past couple of years.

Never heard about writer/director Brian Damude before, but he surely deserves utmost respect and credit for his screenplay that continuously sets you on the wrong foot. At the very beginning of the film, you automatically sympathize with lead character Fred, because he finds out that his wife Janet is unfaithful and lying to his face. Shortly after, when the two of them are driving along the godforsaken roads of rural Ontario, it becomes abundantly clear that Fred is a naive dreamer, an entrepreneurial failure, and an ill-tempered brute! When they get into a car accident that seriously injures Janet, Fred thinks up a series of diabolical schemes that even turn him into a genuine psychopath! One of the sliest and most loathsome psychopaths ever, in fact! I really don't want to reveal everything that happens next, but rest assured Brian Damude still has many nasty, courageous and startling surprises in store. Also, the ending may feel unnatural and unsatisfying at first, but it's actually quite brilliant.

Of course, one could righteously state that films like "Sudden Fury" have badly dated. These days everybody has mobile phones and reliable GPS-systems (although they probably wouldn't find a signal on these backwoods roads), but seen in its mid-70s frame, it's a nightmarish thriller. The film makes excellent use of the awesome remote filming locations, and there's a good old-fashioned moody country-soundtrack. The performances are terrific all around, but I simply must put Dominic Hogan in the spotlights for his role as Fred. Unfortunately, he died shortly after the release of "Sudden Fury", and Brian Damude incomprehensibly also never made another movie after this hidden treasure.

Judging from the date and location, I must have caught the same broadcast the previous poster got!

I generally dislike the movies my country makes, both for their terrible production values, and for their obsession of making movies about sexual perversion and/or depressing topics that no sane person wants to see. (Other countries, seeing our movies, must think we are freaks!)

SUDDEN FURY, on the other hand, is an exception to that rule. It's hard to believe that the usual "art-only" government film funders funded this movie, since it's more or less a suspense thriller that was made to entertain an audience! Also, since the movie is almost totally shot outdoors, the usual cheap production values associated with Canadian films is seldom seen.

The story actually has some suspense, and I was frequently wondering what was going to happen next. However, the movie goes on too long, and the last few minutes play out like the filmmakers suddenly ran out of money (two characters actually talk out loud about what they are going to do, instead of actually playing it out - which would have been more suspenseful.) Also, there were some glaring clues and circumstantial evidence(one involving different guns and bullets) that are never brought up. Either the screenwriter didn't think about these details when writing this movie, or that there was indeed a different written ending that would have brought these up.

Still, above average for a Canadian film. Certainly better than the movies the government funds these days, including that HORRIBLE movie "Paint Cans"!!!