Just finished watching Frankensteins Army, and while it is NOT for all tastes (or stomachs), I felt it was (literally) bloody brilliant. Far from the goofy pulp-fest it might suggest, this pan-European splatter-war is the most impressive horror movie Ive seen since the French masterpiece Martyrs. Like Martyrs, this is a film I recommend with VERY strong reservations. Both movies are high-octane nightmare-fuel, combining gruesome carnage with existential terror and disturbing real-life analogs. As far as Im concerned, these are movies for the hardcore horror-fan, to be avoided by people whose idea of horror is campy or safe. Also like Martyrs, Frankensteins Army achieves amazing results with a limited budget, and displays the vastly superior approach of European artistry vs. Hollywood product. To be blunt, few American horror films come anywhere near this level; aside from the fiercely indie work of Gravestone Entertainment, the American approach fails on every level in comparison to work like this. Underneath the outrageous creations of Dr. Frankenstein (which, for strong-stomached Mage fans, provide perfect inspiration for Nephandic WWII adventures), this movie is frighteningly realistic. Its soldiers act like war-hardened men who do cruel and sometimes unforgivable things. (Insert rape trigger-warning here.) The action holds the realistic look and feel of actual violence - sudden, messy and often unexpected. The real nightmare underneath this movie, though, is the fact that the Nazis, Imperial Japanese, Soviets, Americans, and other powers actually DID perform medical atrocities on screaming live victims, and while Dr. Frankensteins work is chillingly absurd, the historical subtext makes this movie very strong stuff. The stuff of HORROR. And for that reason, as well as the sheer quality of the work on all levels, I commend Frankensteins Army to hardcore horror-fans with a high capacity for nightmares and gore. (Pinging Inky Grrl, Jason Hawkins, Steve Bunche, Thom and Cat Carnell, Aron Tarbuck, and other folks with strong tastes and artistic sensibilities.) youtu.be/PMUQ2IMuz8o
Posted on: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 18:19:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015