Snuff killer - La morte in diretta

This film is terrible. Every line is stolen from 8MM (the Italian dubbed version, at least). If you like trash... real trash, give it a try; but beware: this ain't the "so bad it's good" kind of flick. In its cheapness, it may really look like a porno but, believe me, if you're looking for "snuff", s & m, hardcore, softcore... or even an ordinary erotic thriller, go find something else in store! I'm telling you this, 'cause the absolutely uninspired and unconvincing shooting, acting, plot, dialogues (the only good lines, as I said before, are the ones they stolen from Joel Schumacher's 8MM!) will bore you to tears in a few minutes and the "happy ending" is absolutely revolting! I'll give it one star: a half for the sudden shot in the back scene, after "the eyes of the victim" monologue (stolen from 8MM as well) and a half for mom & daughter's sexy bodies (that didn't manage to keep me completely awake while watching this turkey, anyway!)

I just came across this kinky flick due the director Bruno Mattei who I knew from a few flicks made in the heydays of the horror genre like his zombie flick Hell Of The Living Dead (1980) amongst others.

What did it offer me, not a lot except that it is shot in a typical Italian way and only made to offend people who aren't used to see shocking flicks. I mean, just watch it, and be offended I guess because this the story is rather simple, daughter being abducted by people who like to make snuff. The mother goes out to find her daughter all over Europe into the dark and sinister world of porn, but not the usual stuff but the world of bondage and fetish.

So no gore this time but a lot of faked shootings of porn. But it do has a lot of nudity of course and some fetish that as said earlier can offend people. High heels crushing testicles and burning candles used to drip on girls you can guess what's it all about.

Weak story however, the acting is mediocre it's all about the snuff...

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

Are we really making 'video nasties' again? In the guise of a digital wide screen big budget remake of 8MM, this is quite a ride. Unfortunately there is a bit too much story and at times this becomes like a travelogue as our heroine searches the sleaze spots of Paris, Hamburg and Amsterdam. I am however being rather churlish for the 'depraved' scenes, including everything from, hot wax, harsh whipping and rough sex to drowning, beheading and some. These scenes are immaculate and it's a pity Bruno and his budget couldn't stretch to make all the many characterful creatures introduced become more than simply caricatures.

After reading a very favourable review in a very popular Horror review magazine (which i won't name), i had very high hopes for this film. My hopes faded very quickly when i saw that BRUNO MATTEI was credited under the pseudonym of PIERRE LE BLANC for the on screen titles. This is never a good sign. The film is shot on video and is a very cheap effort all round. The acting, if you can call it that, is lousy and laughable throughout. The main problem is the distinct lack of gore or sleaze. Come on guys where was the red stuff we crave in flicks like this? If this is the best Italian film makers can come up with then the Italian film industry is better off dead. This really is a waste of time and i feel i have just lost 90 minutes of my life watching it. Don't be fooled by the title into thinking this will be a sleaze fest - it is nothing more than an amateur bore fest. I am off now to watch a Fulci flick to remind myself just how good Italian films once were.

Snuff Killer otherwise known as Snuff Trap is an Italian thriller that is all too familiar yet doesn't give credit where credit is due.

What I mean by that is this is a blatant remake of the excellent 8mm (1999) but doesn't acknowledge itself as such. The plot is the same just with a minor character tweak, many scenes are near identical and it randomly flicks to 8mm's script to the very letter.

I'm not keen on movies being remade at all truth be told but when a filmmaker doesn't even have the decency to tip his hat to the source material that's seven shades of disrespect.

But putting that aside what is the film like? Well it's not actually that bad. It tells the story of a woman who learns that her missing daughter may have been kidnapped to be put into the seedy world of extreme cinema and snuff. To save her daughter she must dive into the bowels of the industry and put herself at risk.

The tweeked plot of 8mm does give the film its own identity, right up until the point it suddenly decides to reinact a scene line for line.

As for the content it manages to be both tamer and more hardcore at the same time. 8mm was grittier, darker and more brutal while Snuff Killer/Snuff Trap opts for considerably more nudity yet little actual unpleasantness by comparison.

I sadly couldn't get over the 8mm remake factor, but I could still recognise that this piece of Italian cinema is perfectly watchable and not the needless T&A or torture porn movie many might assume.

The Good:

All round passably made

Lead was surprisingly competent

The Bad:

Shameless remake

Couple of plot points made absolutely no sense

Weak dub

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Even the sight of people smoking makes me nauseas

I'm glad I've never been asked to pay the go down payment!