Hanger

Hanger (2009)

* (out of 4)

Hardcore gore about a pimp who discovers that his prostitute is pregnant and when she refuses to have an abortion he decides to take care of the matter himself. In graphic detail, he sticks a hanger up her and pulls the baby out only to throw it in a dumpster. Once there, a homeless man pulls it out, raises it for the next eighteen years and now the deformed adult goes out for revenge. Granted, this film wasn't trying to win an Oscar and it wasn't meant to be some sort of art-house masterpiece but I still couldn't enjoy the film very much. HANGER is a very disgusting film that is so vile that most people would be outraged just by hearing what's in the movie let alone actually being forced to watch it. The film is about as extreme as you can get and is certainly a throwback to a few films from the 1970s, which featured graphic gore, violence and at times porn. This film here features some pretty graphic, in-your-face material and this includes the opening where we see a hanger going into a woman and then (a fake woman used here) the baby being ripped out. If that sort of thing sounds like something that would gross you out then it's best you stay clear because it only gets worse from here. Is HANGER a good movie? Not even close. However, I must admit that if you're into this type of thing then I'm sure you're going to enjoy how depraved, shocking and vile it is. I mean, there's non-stop nudity, an incredibly bizarre rape sequence and pretty much all sorts of violence from head-crushing to the abortion and a few more rapes as well. I will gladly admit that this film went way too far but it did have a certain atmosphere that no one could deny. Director Ryan Nicholson certainly isn't going to win any awards for the picture but he at least knows how to build up at atmosphere and it's clear he's not afraid to cross the line. The biggest problem for those willing to sit through the gross moments is that the film moves way too slowly and is way too boring to really work.

I guess I qualify to fit the target group of this movie, after all I have seen previous movies by Nicholson and "Gutterballs" was real fun. Sure, all his movies have a trashy flair and the sexual shocking was there every time... but "Hanger" is a different thing. You can describe this movie like a cross between "Street Trash" and some stupid 70ies Revenge Movie. Basically this could guarantee some interesting 90 minutes for fans of Movies like Pulp Fiction/Boondock Saints and underground horror. But what Nicholson delivers here qualifies for the Troma Catalog in one of the lowest drawers.

The movie is set in the dirty red light district and revolves around a prostitute who gets a back alley abortion with a clothes-hanger by her pimp (is that guy supposed to be black or what... since the Chinese guy is barely Chinese I guess tough guy Leroy is a non-black black guy??). So you get were the title comes from which is also the name of the aborted monstrosity walking the street with a deformed face, a stoma, baby-talk and toy rabbits. Now Mr. Hanger meets his father (like most characters with serious prosthetic work on his face and especially nose) and they plot some rough revenge. Funny thing is that this "plot" always tends to be dropped on the sidelines for some lame masturbation or gay sex jokes as well as ridiculous soft-core sequences of some meaningless chick (I don't get her deeper idea for the plot) working her snatch in her office.

All this leads up to one of the most ridiculous shoot outs in movie history (let me guess.... Mr Nicholson liked Boondock Saints very much but really took a deep dive here)that like everything in the movie is thrown in a pot and blended to a tasteless mush. Basically all you get is tasteless jokes about deformed retards (all those back alley hicks reminded me a lot of "Street Trash" yet "Hangers" stretches it much further), you get some guy collecting tampons and making tea out of it, a gay retard using hangers stoma for a fun ride, fart jokes, prosthetic dicks with cartoon "boing" samples, some killed prostitutes and a torture sequence with a blowtorch (Hmm, reminds me of something else) which is like many of the not so many gory moments in this movie plain ridiculous. The way the scenes are bound together and especially the dialog come across like written by a retarded horny 16year old writing a script with his dick in his hand.

Come on Mr. Nicholson... there is a boundary to stupidity on a level that the viewer feels ashamed for the director and you crossed it. The ending of your movie deserves to enter the halls of trash to serve as a warning of how it should never be done.

Like Roger Ebert, I have to give some credit to a film that does what it sets out to do and has no illusions about social value or artistry. That's "Hanger" in a nutshell. Pure exploitation from start to finish. (This review refers to the uncut edition, as though a cut edition would be any better.)

Perhaps one of the most striking things about the film (other than an obsession with genitalia) is the heavy use of facial appliances. There may be two male actors who are not heavily covered with facial appliances throughout the film (and I have my doubts about one of them). Female roles fare a little better, trading "money shots" for not having to wear prosthetics. The whole thing comes off like a medieval allegorical play, with all the players in masks representing their roles.

Overall, not as funny or interesting as "Gutterballs." It is much more extreme than "Run, Bitch, Run," which hardly rose to the level of exploitation anyway. And it's not nearly as creepy as "deadgirl," which is in a completely different class of film-making (i.e., much superior).

The best use I know of for "Hanger" is to show somebody an exploitation film that exists for no other reason than to exploit. Still, you gotta admire honesty.

Not recommended for people with reasonable standards of decency or any expectations of artistry.

Rose is a hooker who has become pregnant.Her abusive pimp Leroy decides to perform an abortion on her by using a coat hanger.But the baby doesn't die during horrible procedure.Eighteen years later Hanger gets a job and a apartment.With the help of The John they both plan to get a bloody revenge on Leroy."Hanger" is a dirty and exploitative indie horror flick directed by always reliable Ryan Nicholson.It's totally bad taste and politically incorrect.The atmosphere of "Hanger" is grubby and dirty and it resembles "Basket Case" or "Street Trash".The film is not as fun as "Gutterballs" and "Live Feed",but if you are a fan of utter cinematic smut and filth you need to see "Hanger".7 abortions out of 10.

Live Feed was a good gory movie, Gutterballs was better, so i was very excited to view Ryan new movie, Hanger. Unfortunately, it was a let down for me. Don't know why, maybe I'm getting old. Maybe. But Hanger was very boring, i watch the Uncut version, and yes, its hardcore gore, with very good bloody fx and very good looking naked bimbos but its just boring. I hope one day to watch it again and start loving it, that can happen. The first time i watched Live Feed i didn't like it and then it became a movie that i watched easily four times if not more. 4/10 for Hanger but all my support to Ryan Nicholson for always try to deliver the goods with extreme gore