Absurd

This cult film is both the follow-up to Joe D'Amato's notorious shocker 'Antropophagus', and one of the nastier films on the DPP 'Video Nasty' list. Those two facts alone will give many fans of cult horror reason enough to see it, and I'm pleased to say that the rest of the film isn't bad either; and while it's not quite as great as D'Amato's earlier film, Absurd plays out well as an overly gory slasher flick. Of course, you can't expect things like great acting and a plausible story line going into a film like this, and rather unsurprisingly; this film has neither. However, what it does have is a great gritty atmosphere, which is bathed in a scintillating soundtrack that succeeds in making the thrill scenes more exciting. The plot is silly in the extreme, but is somehow easy to buy as we follow a priest who travels to a small town on the trail of a supposed monster, who is currently lying on a hospital bed. The doctors are baffled to learn that his blood clots far faster than normal and this somehow makes him immortal. It's not long before the monster awakes and, naturally, goes on a killing spree.

George Eastman takes the lead role again and just as it did in Antropophagus; his imposing presence provides the film's main standout, despite him basically marauding around rather than actually acting. Obviously, the most important thing about this film for many will be the gore; and overall I'd say it just about tops Antropophagus. It was only two scenes that made the earlier film such a notorious shocker, and while there aren't a great number of highly nasty scenes here; they're more common and the film is more violent on the whole. Sequences involving a drill, a table saw and a severed head are among the best scenes in the movie. Director Joe D'Amato receives a lot of criticism, and while some of it is deserved; it has to be said that he has elevated this film over and above what you would expect of a grisly slasher. The atmosphere is superb, while the locations are well used and selected - and best of all, the director clearly knows how to build suspense; as the last twenty minutes of this film are truly gripping...and that's not bad at all considering that the characters are impossible to care for. Overall, anyone seeing this film will know not to expect great things - but its well worth seeing for the Video Nasty fan, and overall I'd say it's almost on par with the first film.

While I've seen over a dozen of Joe D'Amato's films, this was my first foray into his horror films (unless you count Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, and his Caribbean Horror/Porns, which I have seen.)

For the first half of the movie I wasn't that impressed. But, the second half was relentless, suspenseful, brutal and agonizing. I've seen hundreds of horror/gore/splatter/slasher films, but the infamous 'oven scene' (which I won't spoil) had me literally covering my mouth to keep from making too much noise.

The rampage of the second act works well because the horror comes from the THOUGHT of what is happening, rather than the more visceral deaths of the first half. There is blood and gore, to be sure, but Joe D'Amato shows a modicum of restraint, letting the suspense build in a way it was unable to in the first act.

So, if you decide to give this film a try, and I hope you will, stick with it. Not only does the film really get going in the second half, the final shot of the film has to be one of the most unexpected, shocking and unexpected moments I've ever seen.

I first saw this in the mid 80s on a vhs. Revisited it recently on YouTube. The quality is fine n it is totally uncut. Eastman once again plays a killer but this time he ain't no cannibal but a product of scientific experiment gone wrong in which he turns into an invincible nutjob who can heal itself n somehow makes weird snorting voices towards the end. Compared to Anthropophagus, this film is fast paced with lots of gory kills. Comparison to Halloween is inevitable, acting n editing wise it is horrendous. The short hair blonde is cute but her death sequence is terrifying. The nurse's drill scene made me squirm.

Absurd - 1981 ( This Film Rates a C ) A man with an unusual cerebral mass has the power to regenerate dead cells. He is virtually immortal, insane and a "blood thirsty beast". Of course there is that one and only secret way to stop him. The gore and effects are fake looking but several of the kills are brutal and intense. The script is poor, the transition between scenes is poor, highlighted with terrible and unconvincing acting through out the entire film. The officer in this film has a cigarette in every sequence he is in, hell, everyone in this film smokes. The soundtrack has some really spectacular moments, a good example is at the 44:16 mark. Sadly the scare tactic during this scene completely deflated with the randomness of the bearded guy. There are several other scare tactics that were hokey and just didn't work. Overall there is enough "absurd" to keep this fairly entertaining, but ultimately it cannot overcome its consistent failings.

Joe D'Amato and George Eastman's follow-up to the notorious "The Grim Reaper" (Antropophagus) is sick, twisted and – oh yes – deliciously absurd! There's no real story and the amount of genuine chills is limited, but the gory murder sequences are sensational and they easily rank among the craziest stuff ever caught on film. Eastman once again portrays a Greek psycho-killer, though a different one than the fetus-munching monster in Antropophagus (love that title!), cheerfully butchering half the population of a small American town. Nikos isn't your ordinary madman, but a scientific guinea pig whose blood coagulates much faster and hence he instantly recovers from severe wounds, like gunshots or impalement. He's pursued by an unintelligible priest, a chain-smoking copper and his black assistant who isn't allowed to talk without permission. No wonder none of these blokes is capable of catching or even tracing Nikos and the body count increases immensely. Whenever George isn't barbarically killing someone using band saws, surgical devices or axes, "Absurd" is rather dull, slow-moving and borrowing story ideas as well as direct quotes from John Carpenter's landmark slasher Halloween. There's babysitters in peril, young kids spotting the bogeyman everywhere around the house and dangerous killers escaping from hospital beds. Still, if you're looking for really good horror cinema, just wait for the climax which is quite suspenseful and it makes the popular title "Absurd" all the more meaningful.