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A taxi driver is dangerously obsessed by a horror movie actress. He travels to Cannes to convince her to star in the movie he fantasises he is going to direct. A series of killings start.

On the face of it this is one of the many films from the early 80's slasher cycle. However, it's hardly typical of that genre. Sure, it has the usual slasher ingredients – lots of gory violence and lots of semi-nude girls – but overall the tone is quite different. There is a definite comic feel to this one. Much of that is down to lead actor Joe Spinell who plays the deranged taxi driver. Spinell is a good enough actor to make, what could easily be a very unlikable character, sympathetic. His interplay with his mother is also kind of funny and I suppose is a jokey take on the stereotypical mother-fixated psychopaths from these types of movies. Joe's delusional world view is illustrated with segments that blur fantasy and reality. We see him as a ludicrous tuxedoed famous director interspersed with the scenes of his grim reality. All of this stuff gives The Last Horror movie a definite difference from other movies with similar scenarios.

The film also stars Caroline Munro as the famous scream queen. And she looks pretty striking with her black and white mane of hair. Interestingly she is making a movie called 'Scream' and this was way before Wes Craven came up with his post-modern slasher. In fact, you could argue that this very film was playing around with a few of the ideas that Craven would use over a decade later to great commercial success. After all, this is a film that playfully points out the conventions of the slasher film while still essentially delivering various methods of bloody murder. What was also pleasing was the way that The Last Horror film winds things up with a pretty decent ending that wasn't obvious. So, all in all, this has to be considered one of the more innovative slasher flicks of the 80's.

I had put off seeing this for a long time because, although an admirer of Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro, I am NOT a fan of gore. When the only video store in my area with a copy told me they would be closing, I finally gave in and rented it, knowing it may very well be my last chance. I was pleasantly surprised to see how little gore there was (and what WAS there was either too brief to really disturb me, or was obviously "movie-within-movie" fake), and by the cleverness of the script. The brilliant performance by Joe Spinell, however, came as no surprise. Playing an obsessed fan and would-be director, Spinell was both pathetic and sympathetic. I found myself feeling sorry for this desperate loser, even as I dreaded what he might do.

The Cannes Film Festival setting makes this a must-see for movie buffs, who will enjoy going frame-by-frame through the montages of movie posters and marquees.

Who knew watching a lonesome daydreaming New York cabbie Vinny with desires of being a famous filmmaker obsessively lament over a beautiful well-known horror scarlet to appear in his first film, while running around after her at the Cannes film festival could be so entertaining? To go along with that some unknown deranged serial killer staying in the shadows begins knocking off her entourage while filming it. Could they both be linked or is it pure coincidence?

"THE LAST HORROR FILM" wasn't what I expected it to be, mainly due to the unhinged tonal shifts. From an underlining comedic edge, it can turn depressingly downbeat to nastily macabre then back to kooky again. It's not over-the-top, but it sticks out because it puts a clever spin on the material, as it lures you into thinking it's something it is not. I kind of liked how the story evolved, being quite a delirious cocktail, as it kept you on your toes. Never too sure what direction it was heading. This led to an oddball climax to only be topped off by an enjoyably absurd ending that I don't see how anyone could predict. In all a very unorthodox experience.

What really came to the forefront is its true-to-the-facts information of the times it was shot to use as sort of a satirical social commentary of the influences of film on violence, where the script in more than one way was taking a shot at the narrow-minded assumption of those who see violent films to be blamed for the unstable descent of society instead of being a reflection of it. So with this viewpoint, making it the more interesting is having it set in Cannes, where the shot-on-location atmosphere added to the buzz. Still even with that feverish glitz of searching for stardom with a beautiful French Riviera backdrop, it's soaked in sleaze, unpleasant gore and a lingering dinginess when the killer hits the scene.

Then there's Joe Spinell. As he showed in "MANIAC", he's a live-wire that you simply work around. Just let him go, sweat and all, as his instinctive presence emits such weirdness, yet stays strangely appealing (when interacting with his real-life mom) in spite of being an emotional wreck leading to some crazy visions, and disturbing encounters in his on-going fascination towards the actress (the very capable Caroline Munro).

This film is freely based on a true incident that happened in the early 1980s when a weird fan did an assault on US-president Ronald Reagan, just to impress his fave actress Jodie Foster whom he saw her in Martin Scorsese´s cult classic. Now, Joe Spinell plays a quite strange taxi driver who´s possessed by the idea to shoot a movie that stars his beloved horror star Jana Bates (as sexy as ever: Caroline Munro!). As soon as he arrives at the film festival in Cannes/France some bloody murders shatter the surroundings of the actress...

I know that this film was released in Germany under the title "Maniac 2: Love to Kill", however until its two main actors "The Last Horror Film" has got nothing to do with William Lustig´s explosive shocker! The gore keeps within the limits, some sedate humor is brought on and the sleaze factor is satisfied by some naked chicks running over the screen. Some surreal impressions are given by a few film-in-film-interruptions, the atmosphere of glamorous Cannes reminded me on a soap opera, though quite likeable at all, and the ending features a pretty surprise! Don´t expect a second "Maniac" or you´ll surely be disappointed! Enjoy this nice little horror thriller for the amazing appearance of great Caroline Munro and you´ll worship her like a Godess!!!

Crude, low budget shocker is undeniably fascinating for its setting, and its portrayal of the movie business. It reunites the two stars of "Maniac", Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro, in a story of NYC cabbie Vinny Durand (Spinell), a pathetic aspiring filmmaker who's obsessed with horror film star Jana Bates (Munro), tailing her to the Cannes Film Festival where she's promoting her latest film. In between Vinnys' desperate attempts to make contact with Jana, a psychotic killer is at work brutally dispatching various people in Janas' life. The film is co-written by Judd Hamilton, then married to Munro, and director David Winters, along with Tom Klassen, and Hamilton and Winters also play film directors on screen. Winters is more ambitious with his ideas and set ups than one would think, going for the surreal and laying on the creepy imagery at select points, and his framing is likewise interesting. The non stop pop / rock soundtrack helps to keep "The Last Horror Film" moving forward adequately, and there are some genuinely effective sequences, such as when a terrified Jana flees in terror from Vinny, clad in only a towel, and bemused onlookers think she's merely participating in a publicity stunt. Use of gore is entertaining - there's not a whole lot of it, but we do see a fair bit of the red stuff spilling. Cameos include June Chadwick and Robin Leach, and one truly compelling facet of this movie is the way it works as a snapshot of a particular place at a particular time, with many shots of posters of then current productions. Intriguing at every turn, "The Last Horror Film" also has a certain seedy ambiance going for it, with some nudity to go with its lurid thrills. Spinells' own mother Mary is hilarious as Vinnys' overbearing ma, and Munro is as gorgeous and appealing as she's ever been, but ultimately this is a vehicle for Spinell, who proves once again his ability to elicit some feelings of sympathy even when playing a disturbed character. This is not up to "Maniac", but it's not bad, and worth a look for fans of the stars. The final scene is especially funny, ending the movie on an irresistible high note. Seven out of 10.

I saw this movie last night. I had got it in my collection for a good while but I've only now got round to see it and I must say that the first scene does make you think this is going to be just another one of those 'video nasties' done on a tight budget using horror and are naked women to sell it. Okay granted there are quite a lot of topless women in this movie :) which is nice :) and there is also a nice amount of gore for example, people getting their throats cut, decapitated, stabbed in the back, burned in the face, electrocuted in a bath, shot and chopped up by a chainsaw. I thought it was really good gore done in a not very serious way. The main character is really good he's a taxi driver who wants to be a movie director so he goes to the cannes fim festival to see his favourite horror movie star, but he can't get to her and people start dying. The comedy in the film in great the main charactor and his mum providing most of it and it has some good surprises in it, they even surprised me! it's a great plot if not perfectly executed and it's certainly worth going through the whole movie just to see the end which I thought was brilliant and was a lot better than I expected it to be. If you can ignore the badly dubbed voices you will find this movie quite enjoyable especially if you have a sick sense of humour. Also, watch out for Cannibal Holocaust being shown at a cinema he goes to and one of the germans from Allo' Allo' as one of the cannes film board. :) 8/10

This is a deliriously demented early 80's horror film with a curious self-reflective feel to it, that gives this a rather run of the mill camp tone to it, but with some brutal violence thrown in for good measure. The movie is driven by its central star Joe Spinell & supercharged in a visual fever dream with production boasting a fantastic atmospheric punch & a fun fantasy infused world. Dripped in sleazy tones & unhinged mayhem.

The plot follows Vinny Durand (Joe Spinell), a mentally unstable cab driver that believes that he has the ideal script for actress of his dreams Jana Bates (Caroline Munro), he heads off to the Cannes film festival to convince her, but as soon as he arrives people on her crew start getting brutally murdered one by one, is Vinny the killer though... who knows?

Joe Spinell takes on the role of the distressed and manic Vinny with extreme grit & hopeless sympathetic overtones & he knocks it out of the park with his fantastic performance. His co-star Caroline Munro really exudes beauty with an alluring performance as Jana Bates.

There is a subtext going on throughout on whether horror films can affect the minds of the viewer, which adds an interesting layer to the whole thing. When it comes to having anything to say about the nature of horror films & horror fans, it becomes rather confused, but ignoring that this is still a fun little horror flick with some great dream like atmosphere & a rather strange feel to the whole thing. The mystery angle doesn't quite work, but this is still a delirious good time.

Before Wes Craven's New Nightmare and Scream made self-reflexivity cool in horror films, there was this unknown little gem that reunites Maniac stars Joe Spinnell and Caroline Munro to make an, at times, hilarious send up of both Hollywood and horror films.

At first glance, it might seem as if Spinnell is resuming his role from Maniac, but his Vinny is a far more sympathetic and likable guy. He has big dreams to quit his taxi driving job and make a film with his favorite leading lady, Jana Bates (Caroline Munro with a hideous skunk-like white streak in her hair). He scrambles the money together to go to the Cannes Film Festival and pretty much stalk Jana until he can be alone with her and persuade her to be in his film. Naturally, someone is killing off people in Jana's entourage and it might be Vinny.

Whereas Maniac was grim and sleazy, The Last Horror Film is pretty upbeat and silly. I really can't imagine someone not finding a lot of fun in this. Spinnell and Munro seem game for anything and some of the murder set pieces are fairly imaginative and fun. There's even a nifty twist at the end followed by one of the strangest final scenes in horror history.

Seeing all the famous celebrity cameos and movie marquees during the Cannes scenes is a treat as well. Horror fans should give this one a chance.

I was expecting a lot from this so-called horror also know as the last Horror Film. Why, because the combination of Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro is back on the screen best know for their cult classic maniac (1980). Joe plays Vinny, obsessed with Jana Bates (Munro) who he wants to play in his last horror flick. He travels to Cannes to convince Jana to play in his flick but people surrounding Jana disappear.

I thought that this would be a brutal horror but it's really low on every part. Some scene's are clearly filmed at the festival without knowledge of the organization but it just doesn't work. Spinell's acting is okay and did remind me of Maniac especially when he's projecting Jana's face over his body. It's funny to see the promoting of flicks at the festival with a lot of posters and marquees. Also funny is the ending were Spinell has a scene with his real mother.

One to see for Spinell or Munro fans but horror buffs will be disappointed because this isn't another Maniac and is a bit low on red stuff, although it contains a bit of nudity. Not as good as expected.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 1,5/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

I bought this on DVD from a Poundland for, hey! - a pound. It was re-titled as 'Fanatic'. Actually it was a double bill. Another schlock flick who's title I forget was on the flip side of the disc. So in effect, I got the Spinell picture for 50p. I'd say it was money well spent.

This was shot on the hoof at the 1981 Cannes film festival. Joe is a taxi driver who goes there to seek out his idol/wet dream Caroline Munro. Caroline appears with her then real life spouse Judd Hamilton. Husband and wife are both dubbed, and Caroline looks pretty much as she did when she was a hostess on '3-2-1' with Ted Rogers. The film bears little resemblance to the previous Spinell/Munro vehicle, 'Maniac'. That was grim, gory and reprehensible. This is light, silly and incomprehensible.

'The last horror film' seemed to receive an inordinate amount of coverage in the British film fantasy magazine 'Starburst' at the time. I can now see why: Spinell appears reading a copy of said periodical. Reciprocal publicity. There are also numerous references to other films, especially Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' (which Joe appeared in). In fact, there is a vaguely interesting blurring of film reality and fantasy and 'real' reality and fantasy throughout. Generally, though, it's a mess. Scenes just seem to rear up out of nowhere. But if you're interested in such things, the footage of Cannes and the general nakedness of the female cast will provide fifty pence's worth of entertainment.

There's a nice story on the Spinell documentary included on the Anchor Bay 'Maniac' disc which pertains to the making of this film. The cast and crew were staying at a rather expensive Cannes hotel, and due to the penurious nature of the budget found themselves unable to foot the extravagant bill. Spinell, Winters, Munro and all concerned therefore decided to do a runner in the middle of the night and catch the nearest plane home. Pity they didn't film that little episode and stick it in here along with everything else.

Watch out for Joe's verbal sparring with his real life mother Filomena (aka Mary). Pretty funny.

Despite it's low user score on IMDb, "The Last Horror Film" or "Fanatic" is competently made and acted meta horror movie 4 years before "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" and 14 years before "Scream". In fact, fictional movie "Scream" and "Stab" are mentioned in this movie. Was Wes Craven fan of this movie? But I digress. "The Last Horror Film" is a psychological horror movie depicting a loser who is obsessed with a famous actress. He then proceeds to stalk her at the Cannes Film Festival. The whole thing isn't scary and even has some comedic moments, but it's very well made and definitely worth the watch for genre fans. Let it also be said that the movie showers the viewer with nudity and good nudity at that! Joe Spinnel is great in the main role and the whole thing really feels made by someone who knew what he was doing. Also, the music in this movie is great and I didn't hear a single bad track in the whole movie. All in all, while not perfect or God forbid tense or scary, "The Last Horror Film" is a great piece of fun and good filmmaking and I wholeheartedly recommend it to real genre fans. However, the casuals should skip it as I doubt they would find anything to love here. 7/10!

Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro, co-stars of William Lustig's grimy sleaze-fest Maniac, reunite for this tacky slasher that was shot almost entirely on location during the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, and, thanks to its technical shoddiness and pretty awful script, also feels like it was written, produced, and edited during those few weeks as well.

In typical slasher fashion, The Last Horror Film opens with a nekkid blonde being murdered in a hot tub, but, in the first of several plot twists (there is a double whammy right at the end), this death is quickly revealed to be a scene in a film that is being watched by Vinny Durand (Joe Spinell), a sweaty, lank-haired, delusional low-life who, infatuated with horror-star Jana Bates (Munro), travels to Cannes to try and convince the actress to appear in his non-existent movie.

When members of the cast and crew of Jana's latest flick (called Scream) begin to disappear, only to turn up dead several days later, the finger of suspicion naturally points to Vinny, the crazed, drooling fan who has been stalking poor Jana, but is he really responsible, or is someone else killing time by killing in Cannes?

Spinell, who was completely convincing as a deranged psycho in Maniac, fails to generate the fear this time, instead putting in a rather weak performance which sees him rapidly switching from 'threatening' to 'whimpering mummy's boy' in a rather laughable manner. However his performance is practically Oscar worthy when compared with that given by his real-life mum, Filomena Spagnuolo: she plays his on-screen mother and somehow even struggles to make this role convincing!

Also disappointing is Munro, an actress who usually compensates for her wooden acting by looking absolutely stunning; here, however, sporting big hair with blonde streaks, she looks far from her best (who the hell thought it would be a good idea to make her look like a cross between The Bride of Frankenstein and Elvira?). And she doesn't even get her kit off, despite a scene that requires her to run full pelt down several flights of stairs in nothing but a towel!

Fortunately, despite the iffy plot, and even iffier performances, The Last Horror Film isn't a COMPLETE waste of time: there are a couple of squishy murders (a throat slashing/decapitation and a bullet to the head); lots and lots of topless ladies (this is Cannes, after all!); clever references to some thematically appropriate current affairs stories (John Hinckley's assassination attempt on Reagan and the shooting of Pope John Paul II); and the film also acts as a nifty time-capsule—a reminder of days gone by, where titles like Cannibal Holocaust could be found adorning the billboards of sleazy flea-pits around the world.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of The Last Horror Film; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00

Three things surprised me about The Last Horror Film - The Story, I wasn't expecting a brilliant piece of narrative, but I found it more substantial than Maniac. The Direction - especially the use of news broadcasts; it's a marvellous way to move the story forward while setting the scene and displaying the world's frame of mind at the time. The Audacity - the crew clearly used stock film or their personal footage of the Cannes Film Festival; at least it saved on set costs.

The primary element I admired most about the story was its complexity and objective. We have the Walter Mitty character of Vinney, who suffers from the misconception that he's a great movie director who is fated to make the best horror flick ever starring the light of the silver screen, Jana Bates. Jana is an actress who has split from her producer husband and taken up with her director boyfriend. All three of them are in Cannes to promote her latest film, and she's up for the Best Actress award. Vinney scrounges up enough money to fly over to the festival with his camera and a plethora of Janna Bates photographs. Once he's settled in his hotel and his piccies are reverently pinned up, he heads out on his mission to get Jenna in his film. It's his destiny. However, Vinney isn't in the best of health. His mind doesn't just delude him; it berates him and stresses him to the point of a breakdown. And, when he cannot get a meeting with Janna, his anxiety grows...and the murders begin. The writers don't do a terrible job presenting Vinny's mental illness and the oddness it creates in the real world. And when we're introduced to Vinny's Ma, it becomes clear why he's a broken man. Nothing that he does is right or good enough, and she's all too willing to put him down and call him and his dreams crazy. But is he deranged enough to butcher people? The other individuals in the story are okay and present themselves credibly. However, this is chiefly Vinny's showcase.

The director gives the audience a hearty slice of respectable moviemaking. Not only do we have some smooth pans and close-ups, but he also stretches his imagination with a few more artistic clips. I particularly liked the scene where Vinney has fallen down the rabbit hole into wonderland, and we see him cavorting in the dark while a full-facial of Jana is projected on his bare chest. Very artistic and, in conception, a very eerie image. But the thing that brought a smile to my face most was the use of Hotel lobbies, outside locations, and the odd celebrity appearance. Well, if you're in Cannes during the film festival, why not take advantage of the free crowds, the free sets, and the free stars? What's more, it works brilliantly to set the scene and add to the story's credibility, as do the radio broadcasts. We hear about the assassination attempt of Reagan and the subsequent connection the assassin believed he had with a young Jodie Foster. Then the news moves on to the murders in Cannes, which helps to propel the story along - Ingenious concepts that work well. The broadcasts also help pull the viewer deeper into the film, especially if, like me, you can remember all the events that happened - nostalgia is always a good hook.

It's good that the story and the filmmaking are decent because the cast is hit and miss. Luckily, they are more on the hit side. For the most part, Joe Spinell is terrific as Vinney, even in the hammed-up moments of his dreamscapes when he's the Oscar-winning director are splendid. However, when he gets all wet-eyed and mopey in the phone booth and around dear old ma, then I had a problem. He comes across as Spinell acting as a crestfallen Vinney, and you should never think, hey, this guy's acting. It should be natural and realistic. And there's something strange going on with Caroline Munro. She's there on the screen, and she's not dreadful, so why can't I make her out as a distinct character? It's hard to describe. It's like her entire persona, written and physical, is artificial and illusory - which it is, but in The Last Horror Film, I can see and sense it. Weird!

I'd willingly recommend The Last Horror Film to lovers of the Darker Thrillers and Mysteries. It's entertaining, nostalgic, and well-made. It's not a rush out and grab a copy, but it is worthy of your time for one watch should you come across it on a streaming service or in the hands of a friend.

Please feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chillers and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where I ranked The Last Horror Film.

Take Care & Stay Well.

The Last Horror Film (1982) is about a sweaty and sleazy New Yorker named Vinnie (Joe Spinell) who's totally infatuated with a B-movie starlet (Caroline Munro). He claims that he's going to make a "masterpiece" with her as the star. Vinnie has very strong psychotic tendencies and drips with sweaty ooze. The film-makers had no idea what to do with Spinell in this picture. Basically, it was an expensive shot-on-the-spot film. The movie had a huge budget (compared to the classic Maniac) and half the wit and charm. How can a director go wrong with Spinell hamming up the joint? Well, these guys did. Bad movie.

Pseudo sequel to Maniac. A.K.A. Fanatic.

This movie is not underrated. I think it deserves being rated poorly. Even though I do think the main guy is good at acting like a slimeball, the story is not very exciting. I also do not like the main woman's hair, she looks like a skunk. There are some moments of slapstick that seem a little odd (like the cake falling on the sun bathing torso).

All in all, this movie is not very memorable. 3/10 for a potentially interesting idea and a good lead character.

An obsessed cabbie heads to Cannes with the hopes of attracting his favorite starlet to star in his movie. As the corpses start to pile up, the audience might start thinking this cabbie will go to desperate lengths to get a star for his movie.

Smart with good performances and some interesting meta moments. Also has a plentiful helping of gore and nudity. You could do much worse.

A taxi-driver in the Big Apple is also a wannabe film director (Joe Spinell) who travels to the French Riviera to make connections at the famous film festival, particular with the starlet he wants to perform in his movies (Caroline Munro). People start mysterious dying.

"The last Horror Film," aka "Fanatic" (1982), is a fun, but curiously obscure American slasher that only cost $2 million, yet that's more than enough to make a quality slasher seeing as how "Halloween" cost just $325,000 four years earlier (the bulk of the budget was spent on expensive location shooting and permits).

Caroline was 32 during shooting and attractive, but she was already beyond her physical prime, which can be observed in "The Spy Who Loved Me" five years prior. She has hair highlights throughout that detract from her beauty. However, there are peripheral beauties, which is to be expected given the setting.

Despite the gory kills, this is not a scary slasher, such as the first "Friday the 13th." There's a wink of amusement to the proceedings, like it's all a joke. But it can be enjoyed if you roll with it; it's just not meant to be taken too seriously.

The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot New York City (opening scenes) and France (Cannes, Pont de la Vierge Noire and Château de Pelly), as well as Los Angeles (strip club) and Lake Geneva, Switzerland (castle sequence).

GRADE: B-/C+

I don't know about a film that starts off with a man (Joe Spinell) pleasuring himself in a movie theater as an inflated babe (J'Len Winters) gets electrocuted in a hot tub.

This film brings back Spinell and Caroline Munro, who made Maniac two years prior.

In this film Vinny (Spinell) is a taxi driver and wannabe director that stalks Jana Bates (Munro) at Cannes trying to get her in his film. Thing is, people around Jana are dying and she is receiving ominous notes. Is it Vinny? Set in Cannes, you can be sure that there is an overabundance of boobage. There are more tatas than blood. Vinney is getting nowhere as his New York cabbie appearance doesn't get him in any doors at Cannes.

So the whole film is Vinney trying to get in touch with Jana with the background of a film festival.

You've seen enough to know how this is going to end.

Good job by Joe Spinell, but there just wasn't enough to keep the interest for a full 87 minutes.