August Underground

I am not sure this would be classified as a 'true' horror movie. Instead, the horror in this movie lies in the fact that it is something 'new'; the somewhat of a shock you get because everything is so unexpected. For example, you are afraid of bugs, they are ugly and disgusting – Now imagine this bug in a different form. Maybe it has a different color and makes weird noises. You will remember this bug because it is so different, and the difference from other bugs you are used to makes it even more disgusting. This is how I would describe this movie.

The two main protagonists seem to consider themselves to be at the top of the food chain; the world is their playground and the people in it are there solely to be used for entertainment. The protagonists do everything in a really nonchalant way, and regardless of how friendly others are towards them, they always see them as objects rather than people. This is the biggest reason why I raised my eyebrows, and questions like 'What are they doing, and why?' popped up in my head.

At first, I was not really sure I wanted to watch this movie, because of what people said about it and how extreme it is. In all honesty, the movie is not that brutal and chaotic as I expected. The pure violence portrayed in this movie is not as out of this world as someone might expect. We are so desensitized to this type of extreme violence nowadays that we get to see hammers, chainsaws and axes being used to chop off this and that even in mainstream Hollywood movies. It is not the visual violence that is disturbing in August Underground, but the concept of it and the atmosphere. It is more connected to the real world than in other movies, and the fact that this actually can happen (and probably has) in the real world, together with the previously mentioned attributes makes this movie quite unique and disturbing in a way we rarely see.

How to describe this film? Try the home invasion scene from Henry, directed by GG Allin and shot through the lens of the Blair Witch Project. In a word: nauseating. I came out of the experience feeling physically ill, although I'm not sure if that was down to the relentlessly sea-sick camera work or the scuzz-fest content. Probably both. I ended up watching big chunks of it on fast-forward because (despite the gross-out set-pieces) much of it was quite tedious. From what I've read about the film makers, they're serious about what they're doing and have a genuine passion for the horror genre. However, I struggled to find any real insight or anything remotely worthwhile in this film. At this stage in the game, I guess it's about pushing the envelope, and on that level this film maybe scores. On the other hand, I don't really care and life's too short.

Only the very hardest viewers need apply to this indie. It is the absolute closest thing to genuine snuff you will ever see. Far more unsettling and realistic than the over hyped Guinea Pig series. Obviously without the use of a simple tripod August Underground assaults the senses from the first minute to the last. The movie comes off as something found stowed away in the recesses of a twisted serial killer's private collection of home videos because the basic plot is two college aged psychos tape their carnage. The acting is amazingly real, the effects are nightmarish. What makes it so realistic is the amateur way it comes off, ironically. With bad blips of home editing, camera shots up in the air and unsteady and the absence of any opening credits it's hard to believe what you are seeing is a full fledged movie. The camera person never makes an appearance but his sick laughing at his victims along with childish banter with the one killer we do see makes this feel like a homemade episode of Jackass that enters the zone of murder.

This is not a movie that most people would be able to handle. It takes a strong stomach and a numbed mind for this truly is one of the most extreme and violent pieces ever to make it to video.

OK, I heard about this series of films a while back, and read up on the director, the production company, what they have done since etc.etc. I don't really have a strong stomach for violence, but i do like to be shocked. And, to be honest, it took me a while to get round to picking this ( the trilogy ) up and preparing myself for what i'd heard was a pretty shocking ride. I was quite cautious putting it on, and expected to either turn it off or fast forward at some point. well, what a let down. Granted, it is pretty vicious, but not in a way that is going to disturb anyone, at least anyone of a reasonable disposition. I can only see anyone really enjoying this if they are using this purely as a means to fulfil some sort of need for pointless aggression, which is just what this film is, pointless. I have given it 3 stars, and that is purely down to some of the dialogue being, and i am sure many will disagree, quite witty, and i am sure it was not scripted at all. i can't believe there was a script involved in this full stop. Also, the apparent lack of motivation for any of the events in the film could be considered interesting if it were handled in a more professional fashion. I believe the director quotes 'Henry; as one of his prime influences, more precisely the home invasion scene. Well, that scene, and film in fact, is pretty shocking, and i'd recommend that over this a thousandfold. I can't quite work out what the director was aiming to achieve with this, because a certain connection with the situation, or characters, is required to engage the audience enough to care about what happens, and this just isn't the case. you don't care, you are just waiting for the next shocking thing to happen to see if it repulses you, and quite frankly it doesn't do that. I started to watch the sequel, which appears to have a far more sexual motivation, but had to stop due to having something better to do, and i don't think i'll bother watching the rest.

I don't think vogel is totally talentless. He can't direct, clearly can't script a film and his acting sucks ( there seems to be a pre-occupation with ridiculing victims because of their weight, when none are anywhere near as fat as he is, which is quite unfathomable ) but put him with a team of competent, talented film makers and i reckon you might get something really good out of him. Having said that, avoid this unless you really feel the need to watch it, i expect the reasons that most people would want to see it are because of the supposedly shocking and outrageous violence. Well, it isn't shocking, and neither is the sequel ( of what i have seen ), only a bit sad and misguided.

what exactly is the point of this movie?

I just watched a little of it, and at first I was obviously disgusted. It's not hard for me to believe people watch stuff this extreme, but I at least would like to know what the point is. It wasn't even entertaining or scary, just disgusting. The director might as well try making real snuff films. It's obviously his real passion. Another question would be why exactly there's a minimum of 10 lines to a comment. I hate reading long comments anyway. But anyway, I guess i see films like hostel and the saw movies and I thought that was extreme, and then there is underground stuff like this going on. Sooner or later there will end up being real victims in movies. I mean honestly where can they go from here? I guess we all do wanna see things that disgust us and scare us to some degree that cant be denied, but I mean how far are we willing to go?