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  • Raging Bull (1980)

    Raging Bull (1980)

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    Martin Scorsese is without a doubt one of the most celebrated and talented filmmakers of the 20th century and beyond. With such classics as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Casino, Scorsese has always delivered and his films are still beloved today. He’s probably one of the few directors to come out of the New Hollywood Movement with continued success. However, despite his critical acclaim, there were still some dark periods in his career. After making his biggest hit at the time, Taxi Driver, things weren’t looking too great for him. His follow-up film, 1977’s New York New York, was both a critical and commercial failure, which sent him into depression. At the same time, Scorsese had a massive cocaine addition that left him hospitalized and in poor health. Luckily, his friend and fellow collaborator Robert De Niro managed to get him back on his feet with Raging Bull.

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    The film is a somewhat loose biopic of real-life heavyweight boxer Jake LaMotta, here played by Robert De Niro. We follow his life story from his early days as a boxer to his later life as a stand-up comic. We see him in his biggest bouts with heavyweights like Jimmy Reeves, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Tony Janiro. While he’s a champion in the ring, his violent temper destroys his personal life. He leaves his first wife Lenore (Theresa Saldana) for a woman named Vickie (Cathy Moriarty). Once married, Jake on occasion beats her and accuses her of sleeping with other men. At the same time, his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) tries to help, but he’s often pushed aside. Jake starts accusing his brother of having an affair with Vickie, and he even accuses her of sleeping around. Eventually, things go downhill leading to the end of Jake’s boxing career.

    Given when this film came out, it’s easy to make comparisons between this and Rocky. While both are boxing movies that are more so character studies, they are quite different. In Rocky, the main character is flawed and not-too-bright, but he’s good at heart and the movie is very up-lifting. Here, the main character is abusive to his wife, turns away people trying to help him, and things end badly. It’s a very down and dirty film that doesn’t have very many bright spots and shows a real dark side. Even still, Jake LaMotta is a character who, while not the best, is still engaging to watch. Robert De Niro does an excellent job, especially considering how much time and effort he put into his performance. The rest of the cast, particularly Joe Pesci and newcomer Cathy Moriarty, are excellent and work well opposite De Niro.

    Considering how reluctant Scorsese was in making this film, his direction here is phenomenal. With its black-and-white photography, it really makes the boxing matches all the more vicious and visually interesting. It also helps to cement the film in the time period it’s set, giving a somewhat film noir look. While not a huge hit with critics and audiences at the time, it eventually was cemented as a certified classic. Some people might be put off by its grim tone, hard-hitting violence, and its not-so-good lead character. But for others, Raging Bull stands as a perfect example of an exceptional actor-director powerhouse with Scorsese and De Niro.

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  • Happy Death Day (2017)

    Happy Death Day (2017)

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    Have you ever experienced deja vu? You know, that feeling where you feel like you’ve been there before or already experienced something. There are times where we feel like we’re reliving the same events over and over again in an endless loop. Of course, there have been movies about reliving past events multiple times. Probably the most famous is 1993’s Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray. That film dealt with a stubborn and curmudgeonly news reporter who relives the same day over and over again. A similar concept was used over 20 years later for the 2014 sci-fi action film Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. While they were different genres, both movies told a similar tale of someone having to change their ways. Since we had a comedy and sci-fi action film, naturally we would soon get a horror film. In 2017, we got Happy Death Day.

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    After getting drunk last night, college student Theresa “Tree” Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) awakens in a classmate’s dorm. She soon storms out, and we get a glimpse of her world. She ignores her dad’s calls, tosses a cupcake her roommate made, and has an affair with her teacher. That night, Tree ends up getting killed by a masked killer on her way to a party. However, instead of dying, she wakes up as if nothing happened, and soon finds she’s reliving the previous day. While she finds it odd, Tree goes about her day like before, all the while wondering what’s going on. That night, instead of going down the tunnel, she goes to the party, but the killer from before finds her. She wakes up once again reliving the same day, realizing that she’s in a time loop. Now, she has to solve her own murder and prevent further death.

    Without giving too much away, the reveal of the killer’s identity will throw you for a loop. Despite its somewhat unoriginality, the strength of this movie lies in its main cast, especially the lead. Jessica Rothe does a great job playing a character who you still want to follow even before her transformation. The rest of the cast also play their parts well, particularly Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, and especially Rob Mello. Also, for the kind of movie this is, it’s very well shot with some nice camerawork and tilted angles. Especially in the third act, the camerawork makes this a very visually interesting watch. Admittedly, the biggest fault of the movie is the fact that it’s fairly tame at a PG-13 rating. Not saying that this should’ve been extremely graphic and violent, but the rating makes it feel like an edited-for-TV movie.

    As I mentioned before, many have said that this is the horror version of Groundhog Day. Beyond just the concept of someone stuck in a time loop, both movies also feature characters who start out despicable. As the movie goes on, both characters do learn the error of their ways and work to improve themselves. However, in Groundhog Day, learning a lesson was at the forefront, whereas it’s almost secondary in Happy Death Day. The whole point of this movie is Tree figuring out who her killer is and how to stop them. This movie works as an interesting murder mystery, with Tree listing off possible suspects and trying to evade death. Also, when she starts changing herself, you’re rooting for her, especially how well Jessica Rothe delivers the more emotional scenes. Overall, while hampered by its tame rating and somewhat unoriginality, Happy Death Day is still an enjoyable watch.

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  • The Changeling (1980)

    The Changeling (1980)

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    In the late 60s, playwright Russell Hunter was living in an old mansion located in Chessman Park, Denver, Colorado. The mansion was owned by Henry Treat Rodgers, a wealthy Denver attorney, during the late 1800s. Supposedly, Russell experienced strange phenomena in the house, including faucets turning on by themselves, walls violently shaking, and doors opening themselves. He also claimed he found an old journal detailing the life of a disabled child isolated by his parents. In short, when the boy was gravely ill, the parents secretly buried him once he died. Afterwards, they adopted a boy from an orphanage and essentially trained him to take on the deceased child’s identity. While these claims have largely been debunked, Russell still thought about that story and decided to turn it into a script. That script would eventually be turned into the 1980 haunted house film, The Changeling.

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    Following the deaths of his wife and daughter, composer John Russell (George C. Scott) moves from New York to Seattle. He rents an old victorian home thanks to an agent from the local historical society, Claire Norman (Trish Van Devere). Not long after moving in, Russell starts experiencing strange things in the house. One day, he finds the water taps turned on and hallucinates seeing a young boy’s corpse in a bathtub. Investigating further, he finds a hidden room containing a child’s wheelchair, and he works with Claire to uncover the truth. They soon discover that the child in question is Joseph Carmichael, a crippled child who was killed by his father. As he digs deeper and deeper, Russell uncovers a conspiracy where Carmichael’s father was after his son’s inheritance. It’s all a matter of Russell trying to uncover the mystery and trying to help Joseph’s spirit lay to rest.

    Without a doubt, this is one of the most suspenseful and tense haunted house movies ever made. This movie has a great foreboding atmosphere and a sense of dread all throughout, even before the hauntings start. George C. Scott delivers one of the best performances of his career, which include classics like Dr. Strangelove and Patton. He perfectly captures the feeling of loneliness and comes across as a former shell of a man. When Scott starts his investigation, you get caught up in the mystery and wonder how it all ties in. While many of today’s paranormal movies overuse cheap jump scares, this one relies on building up tension and suspense. Just when things start to slow down, the movie throws some sort of disturbing imagery that will haunt you. Given that this was released the same year as The Shining, 1980 was a great year for haunted house movies.

    The movie has developed a major cult following over the years, and many have singed their praises of this film. In fact, Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese called this one of the scariest movies ever made. Filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro is also a fan, calling the movie ‘a masterpiece’. With those glowing endorsements, how can you say no? This is a movie full of sadness and dread, but it’s also a film about redemption and finding closure. While not as well-known as other haunted house movies, The Changeling is still a masterful work of horror cinema.

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  • Full Moon Fridays – An Introduction

    Full Moon Fridays – An Introduction

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    In the world of cult films, Charles Band is considered a legend. With a career spanning over 40 years, Band has produced almost 300 films, as well as directed over 50. While not as legendary as Roger Corman, Band is still a very popular figure in the horror and sci-fi genres. He’s responsible for classics like Re-Animator, Trancers, Ghoulies, the Puppet Master franchise, Laserblast, Subspecies, and Demonic Toys amongst others. As a way to pay my respects to Charles Band, I am introducing Full Moon Fridays. Once a month, be sure to look for a review on the last Friday of a different Charles Band movie. I will be covering his works from Charles Band Productions, Empire International, and, of course, Full Moon Features. If you have one in particular you’d like me to talk about, contact me on my Facebook and Twitter pages, or you can also email me.

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  • The Meg (2018)

    The Meg (2018)

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    These days, it seems that we are inundated with shark movies, with a new one coming out almost every year. Most of these are cheaply made, have terrible acting, very shoddy CGI, and are intentionally cheesy and ridiculous. Of course, every now and then, we get one that tries a bit more, such as The Shallows. Granted, no shark movie can every hope to live up to Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws, which still remains the gold standard. Shark movies we get nowadays include the Sharknado series, Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, Sharktopus, and Jurassic Shark. Hell, at the time of writing this, there’s a new one that premiered on the SyFy channel called Santa Jaws (yeah, seriously). Amongst these made-for-TV shark movies, now we have a big-budget version of these kinds of movies with The Meg.

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    We follow rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), who is dealing with an incident from years ago. He was rescuing people from a downed submarine when he left some to die when the hull was attacked. While many, including Dr. Heller (Robert Taylor), think he’s crazy and a coward, Taylor believes something attacked them. Cut to the present where billionaire Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson) is meeting with Dr. Minway Zhang (Winston Chao). Dr. Zhang and his team have been constructing a giant undersea research facility called Mana One, which Morris paid for. Here, we also meet Zhang’s daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), Jaxx Herd (Ruby Rose), and James “Mac” Mackreides (Cliff Curtis). They’re trying to explore the Mariana Trench, but things go south when a submersible they send in is attacked. Taylor is recruited to save the crew, but when a Megalodon shark is discovered, it’s all a matter of survival.

    From the setup, the plot of the film is pretty basic. At one point, Statham even points out some of the cliches about his character. Apparently, this is based on a book of the same name by Steve Alten, which I have not read. While I’m unsure how accurate this follows the book, I can say this movie is one hell of a ride. I’m sure some will roll their eyes at this, but it’s just pure fun that shouldn’t be taken seriously. I mean, this is from the director of Cool Runnings, 3 Ninjas, and both National Treasure movies we’re talking about. This is really the kind of movie you don’t need to think too hard about. It’s just the perfect August movie: not a huge summer blockbuster but not totally dreadful either. It helps that this has a pretty solid cast, with Statham obviously being the best part.

    That isn’t to say that the rest of the cast is bad, far from it even. Rainn Wilson is funny as always, Ruby Rose is pretty awesome, and Cliff Curtis is an enjoyable addition. Also, Winston Chao and Suyin do a great job, really selling the father-daughter relationship they have. There is a little girl here, namely Shuya Sophia Cai as Meiying, but rather than being annoying, she’s actually adorable. Of course, there are some pretty intense moments here, especially when the megalodon is masked in darkness. While it is primarily CGI, the shark is still a pretty intimidating presence, and you do get legitimately scared. It all leads to an exciting climax where the survivors have to try and kill the shark, and it’s awesome. There’s even a moment I won’t spoil where Statham officially enters the Action Hero Hall of Fame. I won’t say it, but you’ll know.

    Overall, this is a fun summer movie to end the season out on. With a great cast, some fairly decent camerawork, and a fun climax, The Meg will please any shark movie fan.

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  • Dr. Strangelove (1964)

    Dr. Strangelove (1964)

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    After the end of World War II in 1945, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union began to arise. While both were allies fighting against the Nazis, the two were still wary of one another. The US feared the threat of communism, while Russia viewed Americans as cowards. The USSR began spreading their communist influence throughout Eastern Europe as the US and England provided aid to Western Europe. This led to a decades-long conflict known as the Cold War, a term coined by George Orwell in 1945. For the next 40+ years, the two were engaged in a stand-still, threatening one another with total nuclear annihilation. As paranoia continued to mount, Stanley Kubrick, following his 1962 film Lolita, decided to show how absurd this conflict was. In 1964, he created the black comedy, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

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    At Burpelson Air Force Base, General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) has gone insane. He is convinced that the Russians have poisoned our drinking water through fluoridation, threatening our “precious bodily fluids”. As such, he orders Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) to put the base on high alert. Ripper also issues “Wing Attack Plan R”, wherein several B-52 Bombers attack various Russian targets. Meanwhile, at a secret underground base called the War Room, several officials have been assembled. As General Turgidson (George C. Scott) explains the situation, President Muffley (Sellers) tries warning the Russian premier. We also follow a crew of one of the B-52s, led by Major TJ Kong (Slim Pickens), as they prepare their run. With the threat of nuclear annihilation looming, the president’s nuclear advisor Dr. Strangelove (Sellers) tries working out how to survive. It’s a race to try and avert the situation before getting worse.

    Despite how dire the situation is, the movie presents this as an absurd black comedy. The characters are intentionally over-the-top and exaggerated caricatures and things spiral out of control to a ridiculous level. Peter Sellers plays three roles in this film: Captain Mandrake, President Muffley, and Dr. Strangelove. He does such a great job that you can buy these characters as three different people. George C. Scott is also memorable as General Buck Turgidson, who acts almost like a spoiled child. He pouts whenever he’s scolded at has an adolescent view of women and sex. Slim Pickens is fun as the stereotypically Texan Major Kong, and watch for an early role for James Earl Jones. Sterling Hayden plays General Ripper seriously enough to where he’s believable in spite of his ridiculous lines. The cast assembled does a great job between playing it straight and being as crazy as possible.

    This being one of his first major studio productions, Kubrick does an outstanding job staging these scenes. In spite of how absurd things get, this movie does have a message that’s still relevant today. Today, we live in a world where our leaders can wipe out entire countries with the press of a button. At anytime, the US, Russia, North Korea, or any other country can use nuclear weapons to take out their enemies. This movie was very ahead of its time, given that the Red Scare was still prevalent. Admittedly, some of today’s audience might find this movie to be dated and not as funny as one would believe. There is a lot of dialogue and it can be hard to follow at times. However, if you have an open mind, you’ll find that Dr. Strangelove is a great slice of absurd counter-culture satire.

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  • Along Came the Devil (2018) – Only on We Are Movie Geeks

    Along Came the Devil (2018) – Only on We Are Movie Geeks

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    If you’ll recall, I was asked by We Are Movie Geeks to write a review for the science-fiction film, Hover. Well, not too long ago, they called upon me again for another review. This time, it was for an indie horror film called Along Came the Devil. Unfortunately, unlike the last one, this movie was pretty abysmal. While Hover wasn’t exactly the new sci-fi masterpiece, it was at least decent. Along Came the Devil, however, was probably one of the weakest films I’ve seen this year. I found it to be nothing more than another lame attempt at making an exorcism film. Still, I am glad for the opportunity to work with WAMG again, and I encourage you all to visit their site! They have some great stuff on there, such as reviews, news, and giveaways.

    ALONG CAME THE DEVIL – Review

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  • Caddyshack (1980)

    Caddyshack (1980)

    [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Harold Ramis was probably one of the greatest comedic talents who ever lived. It’s because of him that we have comedy classics like Ghostbusters, Stripes, and Meatballs. Prior to this, he worked for Playboy as the magazine’s joke editor and reviewer. Eventually, he worked with the famous Second City Improv Troupe and The National Lampoon Show. He worked alongside other people from Second City like John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Bill Murray. His first major break was penning the script for 1978’s Animal House. On a budget of $3 million, the movie went on to make over $140 million. Following that film’s success, Ramis not only wrote but also worked as a first-time director on the cult comedy classic Caddyshack. The film not only helped cement Ramis as a comedy genius, but also helped Rodney Dangerfield become a comedy superstar.
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    Synopsis

    It’s somewhat difficult to discuss the plot of the film since it doesn’t really have a straightforward narrative. The film plays more of a series of sketches that’re somewhat interconnected with one another. Essentially, the main plot has to do a young caddy named Danny Noonan, played by Michael O’Keefe. He’s down-on-his luck and has aspirations to go to college, but he can’t afford it. His best bet is to get in good with Judge Smails, played by Ted Knight, for a chance at a caddy scholarship. At the same time, Smails is dealing with newcomer Al Czervik, played by Rodney Dangerfield, an eccentric real estate developer who likes to party and have fun. Also, the local groundskeeper Carl Spackler, played by Bill Murray, is hired to kill a troublesome gopher. And there’s Chevy Chase as Ty Webb, more or less the straight man in all of this.

     

    Review

    As mentioned before, this movie doesn’t so much have a plot so much as it’s stuff happening that’s somewhat connected. Plus, while you could argue that there is a central plot, there are several different subplots that come and go. There’s Danny trying to get the scholarship, Carl trying to get the gopher, and Smails trying to get rid of Czervik. Because of that, it can sometimes be hard to follow how one scene relates to another. However, what makes it work as well is the writing and especially the cast. The way it’s written, it feels less like you’re watching a movie and more like you’re watching the daily goings-on at a country club. While dominated by Dangerfield, Knight, Murray, and Chase, the rest still do a great job. O’Keefe is very likable, his relationship with Sarah Holcombe is sweet, and Cindy Morgan is a knock-out.

    Most of you reading this have already seen this movie several times over and can quote the most memorable lines. For those who haven’t, I won’t spoil any of the gags or lines here. Suffice to say, this is probably one of the best comedies ever made. Also, shoutout to Kenny Loggins, who’s title song I’m Alright is instantly catchy. It’s no wonder why the song is so popular even to this day. Regardless of whether or not you’ve already seen it, Caddyshack is the sort of movie you can watch over and over and still find hilarious. And, the less said about the sequel, the better…

     

    Buy Caddyshack on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3YM2fvw.

    Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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    Where to watch Caddyshack (1980)

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  • Combat Shock (1986)

    Combat Shock (1986)

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    The Vietnam War is arguably one of the most controversial wars in history. From 1955 to 1975, American troops were sent in to fight against the Vietcong. By the end, more than 3 million people lost their lives in the conflict, including over 58,000 American troops. But for the survivors, the worst was not over for them. After the war, many American troops started experiencing shell shock, aka Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This led drug abuse, depression, and an overall detachment from reality. There were even cases of veterans committing suicide. Soon after the war, filmmakers started exploring what such a conflict could do to someone. Films like The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now were among the first. Then, in 1984, aspiring filmmaker Buddy Giovinazzo brought us a film showing how a Vietnam veteran tries and fails to reintegrate into society with disastrous results. That film was Combat Shock.

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    The film centers around Frankie Dunlan (Rick Giovinazzo), a Vietnam veteran who is struggling to make ends meet. He has been out of work, his wife Cathy (Veronica Stork) is stuck at home taking care of their deformed baby, and they are about to be evicted. We learn through flashbacks that Frankie had been held captive and tortured for months before being taken to a hospital. While he was physically fine, he was and still is emotionally scarred from what he experienced. Back home, things are even worse: he goes to the unemployment office only to be told that there are no jobs for him, he owes money to a mob boss who won’t take no for an answer, and a childhood friend of his has become a junkie. This ultimately leads to Frankie spiraling out of control until he just can’t take it anymore.

    Without a doubt, Combat Shock is one of the bleakest and most shocking films of its kind. While it does have similar elements to Taxi Driver, the two are quite different. As dark and gritty as Taxi Driver is, Travis Bickle still saves the young girl, lives and has his job, and ends up with the love interest. Such is not the case with Combat Shock. It starts out bleak and depressing, and it stays that way. Even though the film is clearly low-budget and not the most well-made, this actually works to the film’s advantage. The gritty and grimy look really captures just how bleak the situation is. Plus, the performances here, especially from lead Rick Giovinazzo, are excellent. Just from his facial expressions, you can see the pain and anguish Frankie is going through. The music is also top-notch, capturing just how isolated and alone he feels.

    This film has an interesting production history behind it. Director Buddy Giovinazzo grew up in a family of musicians, though he was more interested in film. Since youth, he was always fascinated by classic horror films like Frankenstein and The Wolf Man. He was captivated by the sympathetic monster or the man becoming a monster against his free will. For his first film, he wanted to examine what it would be like if someone had a day where everything that could go wrong does. Filmed for very little money over the course of a few years, Giovinazzo struggled to make his vision a reality. The film was eventually picked up by Troma, the studio behind The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ‘Em High, and Troma’s War amongst others. Unfortunately, they had to cut the film for an R-rating and was marketed as more of an action film.

    In spite of this, Giovinazzo has nothing but nice things to say about Troma and understands why they had to cut the film. In fact, Troma president Lloyd Kaufman didn’t want to have the film cut at all. Sadly, with the way the market is, audiences wouldn’t have been ready for a film like this if it were marketed correctly. Thankfully, more and more people have seen it and recognized it as one of the better films from Troma. It’s a very atypical film from the studio known for their over-the-top gore, gratuitous nudity, and generally comedic tone. Not only is this a film that explores how someone’s life can go downhill so fast, Combat Shock also shows how passion and talent can create such a breathtaking film.

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  • The Undertaker (1988)

    The Undertaker (1988)

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    Joe Spinell is probably one of the most prolific character actors of all time. Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve probably seen him in at least one movie. Spinell has been in some of the biggest movies of the 70s, including The Godfather, Rocky, and Taxi Driver amongst others. For cult movie fans, he’s probably best known for movies like Starcrash, The Last Horror Film, and most notably Maniac. Despite his rough exterior, he was one of the kindest and most well-liked people to work with. In the 80s, he wasn’t getting as much high-profile work as before, but he still found work nonetheless. Unfortunately, Spinell was in failing health, not helped by his alcoholism and drug use. He sadly died of a heart attack in 1989, but is still thought of fondly. Prior to his death, he was featured in the forgotten 1988 horror film, The Undertaker.

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    The film features Spinell as Uncle Roscoe, a local mortician who goes around killing young women and taking their bodies back to his basement. His nephew Nicky (Patrick Askin) suspects something is amiss with his uncle, so he tries to get the help of his teacher Pam (Rebecca Varon). She doesn’t believe him at first, but after Nicky gets killed by Roscoe, Pam decides to investigate further. All the while Roscoe is killing both young women and people who either annoy him or are suspicious of his actions. As Roscoe continues his killing spree, the police aren’t having much luck taking him down. Pam, along with her friend Mandy (Susan Bachli) and her boyfriend Kevin (Joe Magle), tries to figure out what Roscoe is up to.

    Unfortunately, that’s all I can really say about the plot without giving it away. However, there’s another reason why it’s somewhat difficult to talk about what happens here. I’ll get into that later as it ties into some of the problems I have with the film. Without a doubt, Joe Spinell is easily the best part of the whole film. Regardless of what follows, he is insanely captivating as the depraved mortician Uncle Roscoe. While not as menacing as his Frank Zito character from Maniac, Roscoe is so creepy and sleazy that it works. You can tell that Spinell is really giving this role his all, which is unfortunate given the rest of the cast. But going back to the positives, the film has a good look to it. It has a very grimy and gritty quality that makes it slightly more sleazy and disturbing.

    Sadly, that’s where most of my positives for the film end. Aside from Spinell, the rest of the cast is really not that interesting. A lot of the acting is pretty bad, and I doubt many of them acted again. Also, the movie is very slowly paced to the point of boredom. No joke, the first time I watched this, I nearly fell asleep. Normally, I don’t mind a slow burn that takes time out to establish the characters and what not. But here, there are times where the film really feels like it’s dragging. In addition, there are numerous subplots that are either given no introduction or are just dropped. This honestly feels like a film that’s both finished and unfinished. While it clearly looks like it’s completed, it also feels like they didn’t quite get to finish it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was more here originally.

    In the end, it is pretty easy to see why this film was largely forgotten. It’s pretty slow, the acting isn’t very good, and it feels like a jumbled mess. There is some gore and gratuitous nudity, but it doesn’t help much, especially since there isn’t much. Even still, the movie is worth it just for Joe Spinell alone. His performance is honestly way too good for this film. I don’t mean to bad mouth the filmmakers since it seems like they tried. For that reason, The Undertaker is worth discovering, but be prepared for something with this many flaws.

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