Better Late Then Never

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

This film actually is a shot-for-shot remake of Pole Romanski's suppressed 1968 flick HELTER SKELTER HONEYMOON, the infamous American version of Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi classic, TRIUMPH OF THE WILL. Shown primarily at the seediest inner-city flicker houses, a bootlegged print of HSH found its way onto the Manson family ranch, and the rest is history. Before Watergate, so the story goes, the Dirty Tricks Division of the White House rounded up and destroyed the few copies existent. My campus was open-minded, so it was double-billed with PINK FLAMINGOS--prior to Manson making headlines, of course.It is easy to see why D.C.Mann (an obvious pseudonym) choose the second fake name of "Vin Crease" and renamed this film SLAUGHTERHOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. At least when Gus Van Sant perpetrated his uncalled for similar remake of PSYCHO, Hitch already was pushing up daisies. Whoever Mann or Crease REALLY is, how did you get your hands on a script or print of HSH? More to the point, how do you sleep at night? I get shivers just thinking about it, and Charlie's not even paroled yet!

An excellent re-work of Seventies film clichés - or really a Seventies film, how the prologue will suggest? It's pure fun to point out during watching this very charming genre bastard, which contains several elements of 70ies road movies, hippie movies, horror movies, drug movies and a little bit Russ Meyer touch. And also a bit of David Lynch-like atmosphere. Okay: Lynch is not very typical for the 70ies, but anyway. The acting is great (especially the director himself as crippled hippie leader), also the dialogues and the cinematography. And there is also a lot of strange humour and irony in this generally strange, funny and likable independent movie.

Rarely do you find a horror film with so much going on in the text and subtext. Both nerve-wracking and funny at the same time, it's a example of cinematic artistry, a perfect homage to its 1970s low-budget predeceases, and a compelling night at the movies all around. The tone of the film is eerie. The pacing is excellent. I can see why Oscar-winning distributors THINK FILM picked up this gem of a movie. Production quality is first rate. Amazing when you consider that it was not a huge budget film. I had nightmares. And funny dreams. This movie takes you places you might not want to go. Or do want to go.

Saw this at the Fearless Tales Genre Fest in San Francisco and it went down a storm! Really enjoyed this movie and recommend that everyone go see it. The acting is great, the costumes are great, the cinematography is great and the sound design absolutlely spot-on! This is a very enjoyable and remarkable film - I look forward to seeing in again... 9/10 Rob