Snuff-Movie

After a long hiatus following the brutal murder of his pregnant wife by a Manson-like gang, cult film-maker Boris Arkadin (played by Jeroen Krabbé) opens auditions for a new horror flick to be filmed at his large mansion. Unknown to his chosen cast, however, Arkadin is secretly recording the actors 24/7 on hidden cameras, broadcasting their every move on a website, including, so it seems, their untimely deaths.

I've an unhealthy fascination with the subject of snuff movies, and with Bernard Rose, director of the excellent Candyman, calling the shots, I had high hopes that Snuff Movie would be an insightful exploration into one of the most disturbing possible forms of film-making. Unfortunately, Rose's movie tries to be far too clever for its own good, with a twisty-turny plot that blurs reality and fantasy, featuring 'movies within movies' and a silly surprise ending that really isn't worth the wait.

3 out of 10: 1 point for the gore and another 2 for the female nudity (Rose's film might be aimed at the art-house/intelligentsia crowd, but at least the director seems to understand the importance of those horror fundamentals: a silicone enhanced bimbo having sex and a gratuitous shower scene).

Being somewhat a fan of Candyman, I was happy and looking forward to see Snuff here at the Edinbourgh Film Festival. The subject matter looked very interesting and me and my friends thought the time is right for another Grindhouse film. I was absolutely shocked to see what I can only describe as a bad Amateur Film then. Badly edited, shot on cheap looking video, this was something you might expect from a first time filmmaker, trying to break into the business (and failing at that) and not from an experienced horror aficionado. The story is boring throughout and telegraphing the plot points 20 minutes before they occur. It also makes no sense whatsoever. It is exploitive without any justification. I might even like that, if I'd been scared or shocked at any time other than about how bad it is. Avoid!

This film is a huge disappointed. It's like Bernard Rose tried to make something disgusting yet weirdly artistic and failed. The film had so much potential, but the execution was poor. It could've been thrilling, but it feels too distant for the audience to actually fear for the characters. It leaves you with the kind of confusion that doesn't feel as good as an amazing plot twist that just comes out of nowhere and changes everything. It's the kind of confusion that just leaves you wondering, what did I just see, and not in a good way.

I just expected something a lot different. It's kind of like with Natural Born Killers - a simple plot that could be a great movie, but the filmmakers make it too artistic and deep and ruining the simplicity.

I really hope these one/two star reviewers aren't confusing this with the film 'Snuff' (which really does deserve only one or two stars) because it'd be a shame if people were put off this film by a misunderstanding.

Or perhaps it's just too clever &/or confusing for them? It twists and turns all over the place, in fact I've never seen a movie do so many u-turns! Maybe it's just too much for some people to keep up with and understand - and again it'd also be a shame for anyone to be put off for that reason.

This may not be a Candyman type horror movie (and maybe that's the problem they have - it's not a high budget conventional horror film), but even with a lower budget, Bernard Rose shows he's a great director. I only wish he'd made more horror movies over the years.

Anyway, I love this film and I can honestly say it's got better with each viewing, which is something I can't say for many films and as of yet I have not lost the urge to watch it over and over - surely the sign of a great film. If you like horror, but don't have 'big budget Hollywood' hang-ups and aren't afraid to watch something a little bit different, give this a go.

This isn't a horror film as much as it is a film about horror.

In a Don Quixote-ian attempt to create features outside of the "Holywood" norm, Bernard Rose has created another horror film..but this time, it seems, with no restrictions whatsoever. This has all the feel of the classical "content" driven horror films of the seventies. Don't Look Now - comes to mind as well as other low budget thrillers that have achieved cult status. The director takes us from Hammer Horror to online snuff footage in just a couple reels. Rose has proved himself very capable of handling the genre of horror films with his extensive catalogue, including Candyman and Paperhouse.

Rose is attempting to showing us the unreality of the horror genre and all media in general. The ultimate lies that are inherent in film making...from framing a camera shot to editing to sound design they can all be manipulated to create any response desired. Our response is utter shock at the depravity of the action in this film.

At times the film becomes deprecating and so self referential that I had to laugh. Even the characters laugh at themselves at some of the references. For instance one "actor" is told he, "is the care taker." At that point he realizes the reference himself.

There is a cavalcade of characters from recent history that the film refers to; from Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski (Boris Arkadin Character) to Private Lyndie England, It seems Rose has addressed more in this movie and he's creating more questions than he's answering. Which is fine because, quite frankly, I already forgot what happened in the last "Chucky" movie.

I am glad to see a director let loose and have total control of the production. I would like to see more of it. This isn't mindless or passive theatre and it is definitely worth a more than one viewing.

It is most certainly going to be either loved or hated.