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SCREAMING
DEAD
& BITE
ME!
Shock-O-Rama
Horror Collection
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Review
by
Troy Howarth
Films:6
:
DVD:7
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| NOTE:
DVD Rating is for entire 4-film set |
| Screaming
Dead: Misogynistic artist Roger Neale (Joseph Farrell)
hires three vacuous models (Misty Mundae, C.J. DiMarisco, Heidi
Kristoffer) to participate in a macabre photo shoot in an abandoned
mental institution... |
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Writer/director
Brett Piper (Raiders of the Living Dead)
is responsible for this entertaining hybrid of horror, comedy
and soft (very soft) erotica. Screaming
Dead — not to be confused with the Jess
Franco Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein
(1972), also released in some areas under the same title — doesn't
take itself too seriously, and the end result is surprisingly
charming and entertaining. |
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On
the downside, it has to be admitted that for a film from the E.I.
Independent/Shock-O-Rama label, the film is extremely restrained
when it comes to sex and nudity. There is something to be said
for avoiding an excess of softcore groping, but given the abundance
of photogenic starlets on display, it's kind of a bummer that
so few of them actually get their kit off — speaking personally,
I was rather looking forward to seeing more of Heidi Kristoffer...
Whether the absence of more T&A is really to the film's detriment
is open to debate, but viewers who approach these films expecting
a little more 'action' should therefore proceed with caution. |
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The
story plays with every cliché imaginable, and Piper is
only too aware that this is part of the fun for the dyed-in-the-wool
horror/exploitation buff. It all builds to a wonderfully over-the-top
torture chamber finale, and it's all done with such a sense of
campy fun that it never becomes unpleasant. |
Piper
is ably assisted by his cast. Doe-eyed scream queen Misty Mundae
is always a welcome presence, and it's easy to see why she became
such an instant sensation in the DTV market. Not only is she
ravishing to look at, she also displays some genuine acting
ability. In terms of her physical appearance, she is a welcome
change from the run of surgically enhanced/inked-up bimbos who
usually dominate these films — she's cute, she's all natural
and she has an air of sweet naïveté that makes her
all the more appealing. Rob Monkiewicz does a competent job
as the requisite muscle-bound hero, but he's upstaged by Joseph
Farrell as the venomous artist and Kevin G. Shinnick as the
ghost of the asylum's original owner; both actors are in full-blown
Vincent Price mode, and they add immeasurably to the fun. Rachael
Robbins (Vampire Lesbian Kickboxers),
C.J. DiMarisco (The
Lord of the G-Strings) and the aforementioned Heidi
Kristoffer (Mother's Day Massacre)
add to the eye candy appeal, though only Mundae and DiMarisco
are required to shed their clothes in the name of art. Striking
Sylvianne Chebance (recently seen in an episode of the hit HBO
series True Blood) makes a fleeting appearance.
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It
will never be mistaken for great art, but Screaming
Dead is fun for horror and exploitation buffs. If it's
a little too reticent to really score in the latter category,
it still moves at a good pace and looks good considering its low
budget and rushed shooting schedule. There are other Independent
Cinema releases that pack in more sex and nudity — but few have
proved to be as agreeable as films. |
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Bite
Me!: A strain of killer marijuana makes its way to
a run-down strip club; vicious bugs hiding in the weed get loose
and cause all kinds of havoc... |
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Much
like Screaming Dead, Bite
Me! continues writer/director Brett Piper's attempt to
pay homage to '50s B cinema while trying to come to grips with
the realities of contemporary exploitation cinema. The end result
is a bit sexier than its predecessor, but it's still pretty tame
compared to some of the other films in the Independent Cinema
lineup. |
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Piper
reassembles a few of the same actors from Screaming
Dead, and they all are rewarded with better roles. Misty
Mundae graduates to lead actress this time, playing a stripper
whose exposure to the killer bugs turns her into a kick-ass action
heroine in the film's finale. Rob Monkiewicz is far more amusing
— and charming — than he was ever allowed to be in the previous
film; his performance as a slowwitted exterminator provides the
film with some of its most amusing moments. Best of all, gorgeous
German-born Sylvianne Chebance is actually given a meaty role
this time — she was just barely a presence in Screaming
Dead, but here she steals a few scenes as a man-eater who
turns lesbian after being bitten by one of the bugs. Among the
new additions to the ensemble, the real standouts are Caitlin
Ross (Shock-O-Rama)
as a stoned-out stripper and Michael R. Thomas (House
of the Wolfman) as the foul-mouthed owner of the strip
club. Softcore favorite Julian Wells (An
Erotic Werewolf in London) is initially restrained, but
she cuts loose to good effect after being bitten on the ass by
one of the bugs. |
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As
for the bugs themselves, Piper's use of stop-motion animation
is key to the film's retro feel. The effects are deliberately
old fashioned, and that's as it should be in context. Piper's
intent is to evoke the old school, and relying on contemporary
digital effects would have detracted from this. The effects work
very well in context, and the production as a whole has enough
gloss to look professional without coming off as an unduly airbrushed
affair. |
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Ultimately,
Bite Me! is a fine companion piece
to Screaming Dead. Among the directors
working in the camp horror/exploitation DTV market, Piper displays
an affinity for the subject matter combined with the skill required
to pull it off. As with Screaming Dead,
however, those looking for more kink and less chuckles would be
better off to peruse other Independent Cinema titles. |
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| Screaming
Dead
and Bite Me! have recently been packaged,
together with Shock-O-Rama and Bacterium
(also directed by Piper), as part of Shock-O-Rama Cinema's Shock-O-Rama
Horror Collection. All four films are presented on their own
individual DVD; basically, the company has simply assembled the
four original releases as part of a handy box set. Both Screaming
Dead and Bite Me! are presented
4x3, in their original fullscreen aspect ratio. Picture quality
is very good on both titles — colors are nicely reproduced, and
given that these are new titles shot on digital, print damage
and the like are never an issue. The stereo soundtracks are very
good; dialogue is easy to understand, music has plenty of presence,
and there are no issues with distortion or background noise. |
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Both
films contain making-of documentaries as well as stand-alone interviews
with the adorable Misty Mundae. Mundae comes off as wise for her
years, and her enthusiasm for the genre and her fanbase seems
genuine and unaffected. In addition to these features, both films
have plenty of trailers for Shock-O-Rama product; the Bite
Me! disc also includes a music video featuring Mundae,
whose star was on the ascent at the time these films were being
marketed. Booklets for both films are also included.
7/11/10 |
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