Now let me get this straight. I love extreme cinema.
The August Underground trilogy is something of a revered thing amongst lovers of gore, horror, and extreme cinema. Mordum, the 2nd part of the AU trilogy, is considered by many to be something of a milestone in those three areas.
Filmed in an ultra-real fashion and seeming like a 'snuff' film, it follows the paths of a gang of three who terrorise and murder various people over the course of a night (?). The film contains a constant barrage of abuse (sometimes the verbal shockingly more disturbing than the physical) as we witness numerous forms of torture and depravity. The protagonists portrayed are possible some of the vilest characters I have ever witnessed; the violence is amongst some of the strongest I have seen (baring in mind that at times the excellent special effects are sometimes exposed due to the zero budget here); and the tone and atmosphere is continually grim. And it is this constant atmosphere that made me revile this film like no other I have seen before it. Having witnessed, and often appreciated, the many examples of extreme cinema, I seemingly have found my limit. Even with last year's controversial A Serbian Film being a million miles away from being this disturbing. Possibly the closest feeling I have taken away from a film to this would be Salo: 120 Days of Sodom or the hard-to-find Snuff 102.
And that is exactly the point of the filmmakers' intentions, who clearly have a talent for this sort of thing (in fact, the latest from co-director Fred Vogel, Sella Turcica, is making ripples in the underground horror scene). But it is nasty and will ruin those not akin to this sort of thing. Although there is clearly not a chance of ever getting a release here in the UK anytime soon, and a cut form would be pointless.
I'm not saying that August Underground: Mordum is a terrible film, it's very effective indeed. I just don't think I have the stomach I clearly thought I had. It certainly shouldn't be banished away by the powers that be just because people can't 'handle' it. It has a place in cinema whether you or I like it or not.
So job done then, Toetag Pictures! Just keep telling yourself: "It's only a movie, it's only a movie, it's only a movie ."
The August Underground trilogy is something of a revered thing amongst lovers of gore, horror, and extreme cinema. Mordum, the 2nd part of the AU trilogy, is considered by many to be something of a milestone in those three areas.
Filmed in an ultra-real fashion and seeming like a 'snuff' film, it follows the paths of a gang of three who terrorise and murder various people over the course of a night (?). The film contains a constant barrage of abuse (sometimes the verbal shockingly more disturbing than the physical) as we witness numerous forms of torture and depravity. The protagonists portrayed are possible some of the vilest characters I have ever witnessed; the violence is amongst some of the strongest I have seen (baring in mind that at times the excellent special effects are sometimes exposed due to the zero budget here); and the tone and atmosphere is continually grim. And it is this constant atmosphere that made me revile this film like no other I have seen before it. Having witnessed, and often appreciated, the many examples of extreme cinema, I seemingly have found my limit. Even with last year's controversial A Serbian Film being a million miles away from being this disturbing. Possibly the closest feeling I have taken away from a film to this would be Salo: 120 Days of Sodom or the hard-to-find Snuff 102.
And that is exactly the point of the filmmakers' intentions, who clearly have a talent for this sort of thing (in fact, the latest from co-director Fred Vogel, Sella Turcica, is making ripples in the underground horror scene). But it is nasty and will ruin those not akin to this sort of thing. Although there is clearly not a chance of ever getting a release here in the UK anytime soon, and a cut form would be pointless.
I'm not saying that August Underground: Mordum is a terrible film, it's very effective indeed. I just don't think I have the stomach I clearly thought I had. It certainly shouldn't be banished away by the powers that be just because people can't 'handle' it. It has a place in cinema whether you or I like it or not.
So job done then, Toetag Pictures! Just keep telling yourself: "It's only a movie, it's only a movie, it's only a movie ."