Horror fans know already what it means when you hear the
words Pittsburgh and horror in the same sentence: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Yes
all of the zombie films created by director George Romero were created and
filmed in that area. But he wasn’t alone.
Alongside Romero were a group of friends who decided that if
he could make a feature film they could do so as well. They had worked with him
and watched how it was done. Now to make a movie on their own. With local
make-up legend Tom Savini, who had done the special effects make-up on Romero’s
DAWN OF THE DEAD and the movie MANIAC, what better topic to use than effects?
In addition to that at the time in the early 80s there was a
large amount of attention being paid to “snuff” films, movies that were
supposed to have filmed actual murders and seen only by viewers willing to pay
the high price to watch them. Not to mention being some sick individuals.
The story here is of a low budget film crew working on a
horror film in a remote location in Pennsylvania. As viewers we would think
that something is amiss right away as scenes are combined that would not have
been shot a particular way but that would have been edited to appear as they
do. But the film makers here have decided to set that aside for the moment.
As the movie progresses we realize that there is a movie
being shot within the movie as well. The director of the initial movie, Lacy
(John Harrison), is shooting behind the scenes with hidden cameras placed all
over the house and area. A trip to a secluded basement area finds him meeting
with the crew he has watching over what happens on various monitors.
The story takes several turns and twists as we begin to
wonder just how far Lacey is willing to go for either of his movies. Is he just
shooting items for a making of type special or does he have something more
going on? When he sits with the cinematographer of the initial film Dom (Joe
Pilato) to unspool for him an actual “snuff” film, we start to wonder if
perhaps that isn’t his goal in the end. With that in mind the questions of who
will survive and who is in on the whole thing come to mind.
The main question becomes is the movie any good or not? Well
yes and no. The quality of the film is much in tune with low budget films from
the time period. Colors seem washed out at times and no amount of restoration
can change some of the filming that was done. The acting ranges from quite good
to passable. The effects are very bad, which is odd for a movie called EFFECTS.
Few effects are used in the film if at all and when they are its most often to
show how the effects would work in the initial film.
What makes the movie interesting from a fan point of view is
that it comes from what could be termed the Romero school of film making. The
methods used here were the same he used and he even gave advice to them while
they were making the film. An extra included here has footage of the cast
members talking about making the movie, some at what appears to be a backyard
part for them to get together at which Romero appears to have attended.
In the end I couldn’t whole heartedly recommend this film
for everyone. But fans of Romero and the type of guerilla film making he did
early on will want to check this out. Horror fans will want to give it a look.
And completest will want to add it to their horror collections.
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