Disembodied

Disembodied is about a young woman named Connie Sproutz (Anastasia Woolverton) on the run from the Plasmaster corporation. It turns out she is some of of genetic experiment with half-human/half-extraterrestrial DNA. She has been on the run for years and our story begins with her taking refuge in a place called the Grand Hotel which may be the dumpiest/sleaziest hotel in history.

Connie has a strange growth on the side of her face which spurts a liquid that dissolves humans down to their brains which she then devours. She later gives birth to bloody blob-like things which seem to contain the essence of theses brains. This is shown in graphic detail a couple of times. She only seems to kill transients or low-life's. Her hotel has a hole in the side of the wall which is how she meets her only friend, a nice and attractive prostitute named Trixie who doesn't seem to mind how weird Connie is.

Other than the scientist the only other character who gets much screen time is the sleazy and gross hotel night clerk who keeps trying to get the girls to watch educational films on super 8 with him. He is unsuccessful and later on tries to have his way with Trixie. He notices Connie watching from the hole in the wall and reaches his arm through to grab her. The films gory highlight happens here as Connie grabs a saw out of her dresser (where she has rocks, tools and lots of other odd items stored) and proceeds to saw his arm off in the film's bloodiest scene. He even manages to make it into Connie's room, spurting blood from his stump but he ends up like so many of her other victims, dissolved down to his brain and then devoured. Connie also has strange visions of alien worlds.

Disembodied is a strange body-horror film populated with weird/sleazy characters and a vibe/setting you'd find in most Frank Henenlotter films (especially Basket Case and Brain Damage) or something like Slime City. Fans of Frank's films should seek this out but don't expect it to be as good as his films. There is no nudity, but the actress who plays Trixie is quite attractive. There are a few gore scenes and slimy creatures. The FX are decent for the budget, all practical or stop motion. The acting is fine for this type of film. Some scenes are too dark though. It runs about 78 minutes which is about the right length. Fans of stuff like Basket Case, Slime City, The Soultangler, The Deadly Spawn, etc. should seek this out.

This film was originally released by Spectrum Entertainment, an organization that exploited independent filmmakers and never paid them any money for distribution. After screwing over the producers, this distributor promptly vanished from the earth (probably because they were subject to lawsuits). The film Disembodied, however, is going to be re-released in a Director's Cut, in both Blu-ray and DVD. It is inspired by traumatic dreams of the director, the 50s film "Daughter of Horror" and the great Frank Henenlotter's "Basket Case." A new, rich symphonic music track and special effects which were originally too complex to be produced properly will be included in this release, which will extend the stop motion animation seen in a few scenes in the original version.

new Director's Cut trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHM8I7vMI7Q

I grew up in rural Indiana. I was 13. Every weekend I'd rent as many low budget horror films as I could afford and watch them from Friday night until Sunday night. I found this movie on the Dollar Rental shelf at a family owned video store and it sparked an obsession for me. I probably rented it half a dozen times. The video store I rented it from went out of business a few years later and I thought the movie was gone forever. By happenstance, I found a VHS copy for sale in a comic book shop when I was in college and purchased it IMMEDIATELY, afraid that it'd slip through my fingers like smoke. Disembodied is my favorite bad movie of all time.

"Bad" isn't the right word for it though. It's cheap, it's hokey, it's kinda incomprehensible at times, but I LOVE it. It's violent, it's weird, it's gross, it's imaginative, it's crazy, and it deserves more credit than it gets. I have shown this movie to everyone I know. I showed it to my friends. I made my mom watch it. I watched it with my grandma (who also loves it, by the way). Every person I've dated has sat through it with me. In the early 2000s, I bought a VHS to DVD converter and burned the movie to a disc so it'd survive forever. I have multiple copies of the DVD just in case one gets scratched. I've ripped the DVD to my hard drive, just in case.

The movie is insane, and I just found out the director is making a remastered version for BluRay and I am going to buy it BECAUSE this movie has been a part of my childhood, my friendships, and my family for over a decade. I'm going to add the BluRay to my collection and when I die, I'm going to be buried with it.

I think I'm going to write to the powers that be at IMDb and urge them to adopt a zero star rating. The first film which be in that abysmal category? Why, Disembodied, of course. And to think my friend had suggested I spend my time picking the lint out of his belly button! I should've. That would've been more fun that this sub-amateurish stinker.

As far as bad movies go, this is good, if you know what I mean. The only reason to rent or obtain this film is to torture your enemy to death. You strap him in a chair, apply those clips that force your eyes open like 'A Clockwork Orange', then play this movie. Believe me, you'll get a confession out of him in no time. Forget waterboarding. Just thread this torturous film through a projector and press play. If that doesn't cause your enemy to betray his bosses, nothing will.

Disembodied is a cool, independent film filled with creepy effects, great sets and an imaginative story. Poor Connie and her troubles with her brain! It's heartfelt, funny and super gross at the same time! My favorite parts are the incredibly disgusting bathroom and hotel; the freaky night clerk and his educational documentaries; Connie and Trixie's friendship; the stop motion animation and other effects and the musical score. The film definitely has a surreal feel, but the story is compelling and easy to follow. There's also a hint of 1950's sci fi, which I appreciate. The actors, all amateurs, do a great job. Check it out if you enjoy strange sci fi and don't mind a bit of gore.