Directed by:
Joe GiannoneScreenplay:
Joe GiannoneCinematography:
James LemmoComposer:
Stephen HorelickCast:
Gaylen Ross, Tony Fish, Harriet Bass, Jan Claire, Seth Jones, Alex Murphy, Tom Candela, Frederick Neumann, Paul Ehlers, Michael SullivanPlots(1)
Gather around the campfire, and hearthe tale of Madman Marz – an ill-tempered farmer who, one dark night, chopped up his wife and two children into pieces. When the locals learned of his heinous crimes, they exacted revenge – sinking an axe into his head and hanging him from a nearby tree. But the next day, Marz’s body was gone. Thus the camp counsellor finishes his tale, closing with the warning never to say Marz’s name above a whisper, lest the hideously-deformed farmer comes looking for them. Naturally, the first thing that one of the young campers does is calls out Marz’s name – precipitating a terrifying night of murder, mayhem and sexy Jacuzzi vignettes! (Arrow Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
A decent slasher, interchangeable with any other camp slasher (that’s why I don’t like this subgenre very much), with the great advantage that the killer is a massive disfigured bloke with an axe and all the action takes place at night in the woods, so the atmosphere is very good. On the other hand, the plot and the characters are so incredibly stupid and that it’s almost hard to believe what you’re seeing. Fortunately, today hardly any creator would dare make this kind of bollocks. As a tour to yesteryear, however, it’s fine, so three stars.
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“One by one you'll start to fall. Before night is over, I'll get you all..” Scary campfire stories awaken a moldy old man in overalls who neglects his nail care. The actors, chosen via advertisement, are as wooden and hysterical as Wendy in the Overlook Hotel, and a mysterious killer with an axe and a penchant for hanging around mumbles like an old grizzly, occasionally dispatching someone amidst endless minutes of filler, all with atmosphere and believable tension nearing zero. After a scene with a jacuzzi, where breasts made a 0.4-second appearance and the camera romantically circled the lovebirds, I opened the window and shouted into the darkness for Madman Marz to end it already. And that was just the first third. Cult slasher? As they say, "Not even fucking close."
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