Hanger

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.

A clothes-hanger abortion survivor? Whoa! Who's turned into a blood-thirsty freak? Whoa mama! Graphic nudity? Mama mia! It's directed by Ryan Nicholson? Oh...hmmm...I guess I'll check it out.

I've gotta admit, even though this flick seems to have all the ingredients to sound like a pretty sweet and f'ed up flick, it's almost a chore to watch. Scratch that. It is a chore to watch. My biggest issue was how the story played out. The pacing was horrendous. Mix that with a cast of entirely unlikeable characters and bingo, a chore. And why are the characters unlikeable? Well, you can blame that on the amateur acting, and subpar writing. Just like Ryan's past movies he seems to not have a problem with giving his actors full reign of their characters. And when you have actors who aren't so hot at acting, it more than likely ends up being like this.

A thought that popped in my head a few times while watching this was how close it came to becoming a porno. And actually how it even felt like a porn flick at times. Ryan, you add some penetration to these films, and you'll instantly become the best horror porn director ever. Or at least the best working at the moment. Maybe think about it, eh?

There aren't many film-makers out there that are as carefree and in love with the horror genre as Mr. Nicholson, and that is the sole reason I keep seeing his movies. I hope instead of sticking to human horror he tackles something a bit more 'traditional', but leaving his trademark sickness to it. A creature feature or a big foot movie, but with the works.

Hanger was a gross, sleazy, dirty flick that should have been a crazy fun time, but ended up being boring, unlikeable, and felt like it tried much too hard to be funny and shocking. The handful of disgusting scenes and graphic nudity can only go so far.

p.s. Edward Lee's Bighead just called you a copycat.

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.

Quite possibly the most pathetic piece of crap ever, to waste perfectly good celluloid on! I mean it. What on earth could have crawled so far up this directors nether regions and died, forcing him to give birth to this gigantic, infected, steaming turd? The mind boggles at the apparent lack of true friends this guy must have for so many to tell him that yes, this is an acceptable product to release to the viewing public! Pathetic SFX, coupled with actors who wouldn't even pass an audition for Big Brother, & topped off with a cameraman who can't even keep the "action" in screen OR focus provides one of the all time lows in movie making history! And all that before the opening credits!! I'm embarrassed to have seen this and for anyone who had the misfortune to be caught up in this mess. Could rate as the worst thing I have ever, or will ever see in my life. Watch this if you find things like vaginal discharge or rats milk, appetizing.

"Hanger" is NOT a good movie. It is, in fact, repulsive and low budget and I dare recommend this but for a select few. There are problems galore. The acting is pretty substandard, the cinematography is less then stellar, and the plot is pretty thin. There are HUGE holes in this bad boy... Yet, it does have it's charm. There is a large does of humor to be found, alongside some grotesque imagery and a brave, if not poorly conceived, script. This is a splatter revenge flick with gumption and originality though it's window dressing is of the hand me down variety. There is a liberal amount of sexuality that serves little purpose beyond getting pre- pubescent teenage boys to watch it...so it has it's desperation as well. If your looking to round out your low budget, monster/revenge movie list then by all means look into it with a healthy amount of skepticism. If your looking for the next cult classic...there MIGHT be enough to give it credence. However if your looking for a movie to sustain the weight of it's shocking plot description you will be disappointed. It's a movie that 2 out of 10 will think was "alright".