Customer Reviews

Anguish

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This underrated horror flick from 1986 should be seen by any movie fan intrigued by the hypnotic nature of film. The movie within a movie theme is taken to an ad nauseum degree in a hallucinogenic rollercoaster of gore and killings. There's a mad killer tearing eyeballs out of people watching a movie ("The Lost World") in a movie theater which in turn is being watched by an audience watching that movie in a movie theater which in turn we are watching (unfortunately at home and not in a movie theater)--what a mind trip that would have been!...and it doesn't even end there! It's a unique thriller which takes a theme from "Demons", but increases it ten-fold. This is a stunning widescreen 2.35:1 transfer....the old P&S VHS release really destroyed the whole design of the film....you need the entire panavison frame to get the complete effect that this is a film about film. Bizarre, gory, hypnotic....but most of all clever....check this one out...and stay for the end credits!

A meditation on the interrelationship between spectator and display, this astonishing film covers the same territory (although in a different way) as Psycho, Rear Window, and Peeping Tom as tissues of reality and reference shift and change like cornea transplants. What is Real, what is illusion, and in the final analysis, does it matter?

Throughout the film the address of the eye is undercut by other sensory cues, most memorably in the scene when audio surround information suddenly reframes our "reality" as part of a movie in a movie - a moment which somehow relaxes our tension and increases it at the same time. I'm reminded here of the astonishing scene in Fritz Lang's 1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse when the audience discovers an entire frame of reference beyond the surface reality it had assumed was in place. The brilliant climax of the film predates the one in Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery as cinema becomes real becomes cinema - chinese box fashion. As a vitally important experiment in film narrative technique, Anguish is required viewing for anyone who loves the movies.

The DVD is wonderful, but this is a film which for best effect should be seen in a theatre (as Videodrome should really be seen on video).

I had the GREAT good-fortune to see this film in such a theatre. A small twin theatre in my town was playing both Anguish and Alien Nation (Imagine the fun the box office cashier had answering the phone "Tonight we have Anguish and Alienation!"). The theatre manager must have been the spiritual brother of William Castle because during the midnight show I attended, audience members (who were in on the joke) turned the movie in the movie into a movie in a movie in a movie in a theatre. On the screen, The Lost World was playing to an audience, before the screen, in The Mommy, Michael Lerner was menacing the heroine, before the screen in Anguish, the unnamed psychopath was menacing the heroine, before the screen an audience member was holding another audience member hostage while uniformed (costumed) policeman were invading not only both theatres in The Movie, but the actual theatre where I sat!!!!!

Memorable, disturbing, brilliant, freakish. See it. Your eye will shake your hand!

Great little cult film about a movie within a movie(which you don't find out about until 20 minutes in-very cool). Both Michael Lerner(BARTON FINK, SAFE MEN) and Zelda Rubinstein are effectively creepy in the movie that is being viewed by the theater which is taken hostage(sort of). My strongest suggestion for those who've seen the movie and are presenting it to their friends for the first time is to NOT tell them what it's about. Just say that it's better if they just watch and see.

I have given this film a 5 star rating, even though I have not seen the upcoming dvd release. I am also aware that this very special film is not for everyone. But unless the DVD is incrediby botched, my 5 stars stand proudly.

It's difficult to review this film because I don't want to spoil the experience of watching such a slippery, convoluted experiment in cinematic narrative. Let me just say that this film's narrative structure is highly unusual, and the frequent sudden shifts of reference could cause a bit of vertigo in the viewer as they try to figure out just what the heck is going on, only to have their hypothisis shattered (or at least tightly twisted) a few minutes later. This twisting, shifting narrative is fascinating to me, even though others may find it annoying. It's like living in a chinese box puzzle.

Perhaps I am especially partial to the film because I saw it in its original theatrical release. The theatre in which I watched it apparently had a very cool manager. During the last scenes of the film, when all the temporal and spatial references collapse, this theatre staged yet another plot twist by presenting yet another twist to the plot, enacted by a live "cast", sort of like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The effect was startling and disorienting.

SPOILER ALERT!!!! Do not read any farther if you haven't seen the film before.

Imagine This: There is a movie, a silent movie, playing on a theatre screen. In the theatre, there is a murderer holding a person hostage in front of the screen, but this, too, is a movie . . . and in the theatre in which it is playing, there is a murderer holding a person hostage in front of the screen . . . but this, too, is a movie . . . and in thetheatre in which it is playing there is a murderer holding a person hostage in front of the screen . . . but this, too, is a movie . . . and in the theatre in which it is playing -- the theatre where YOU are sitting . . . there is a murderer holding a hostage in front of the screen. Yes, this murderer and his hostage are in the theatre with you, and the hostage was sitting on the same row you are sitting on. Then the police break in to all four theatres (yes, even the one where you are sitting) and shots are fired, and the movie ends. On the screen is the interior of Theatre number 3, and the credits unfold on that screen, as people in the MOVIE begin to file out of the theatre where they were sitting, amd apparently somehow find themselves in the theatre where You are sitting, because people are also exiting from THIS theatre.

Now, of course, unless you really work on it, the live show in the theatre where you are sitting, will not happen. Police will probably not break down your door and shoot the villian holding a friend of yours hostage in front of your tv, but when you actually watch ANGUISH, why not imagine this 4th theatre, this is actually your TV room, and that this fourth layer of the plot is actually taking place in your home.

PS: As long as we're spilling spoilers, let me invite you to be sure you have your surrounds run up all the way when watching the film. There is an extremely disorienting disconnect between layers early in the movie, as we assume we are watching one movie, but then begin to hear conversation and "popcorn crunching" all about us. Then the image is reframed and you realize that you have been watching a movie within a movie.

Watch With: The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, Memento, Identity, The Tingler, and any film that has an experimental narrative structure, such as Last Year at Marienbad, Intolerance, Time Code, etc.

They sure did a great job at cleaning up the picture and sound for this 1986 flick. Zelda Rubinstein is a trip in this movie. Well the movie itself is quite a trip. This movie deserves more credit than what it received. You can really tell that alot of effort and thought went into making this movie. So as a viewer and customer of the dvd I can appreciate that. You should try too.

Bigas Luna's movie-within-a-movie is handled expertly in this suspenseful horror/thriller about an audience watching a movie about a serial killer who is in the midst of a murder spree in a theater. Little does the audience know someone is actually emulating the same crime in their theater! Stylishly directed entertainment, Anguish's high point is its middle half-hour segment, a long, superbly directed sequence that cuts back and forth between the theater's bathrooms, the lobby, the audience and the movie they're watching. Loses some momentum in the last ten minutes, and the final scenes, while pretty scary, are still a little cheap. Still recommended for horror fans seeking a creative, suspenseful slasher with a twist.
*** 1/2 out of *****

A strikingly original, intricately constructed, and extremely gruesome post-modern shocker about a short-sighted, mother-fixated optometrist orderly with an unnatural penchant for eyeballs. "Soon", whispers his mother, "all the eyes in the city will be ours" and using a form of hypnosis, she sends him out on an eye-stealing killing spree.

But, by using creepily effective close-ups and a clever Russian doll structure, Spanish director Luna (The Tit and the Moon) introduces another layer of his bizarre voyeurism in a neat little pull-back, by revealing that this is all just a movie-within-the-movie titled The Mommy being shown to a small matinee crowd at a seedy theatre in Los Angeles.

As it plays, two teenage girls in the audience, the strong-willed Linda and the squeamish Polly, discover that one of the patrons sitting near them is a real maniac. In the on-screen movie, when the scalpel-wielding John enters a movie cinema and begins killing the patrons and cinema employees one by one, and removing their eyeballs for his mother's collection, the 'real' killer in the audience, armed with a silenced .38 pistol, begins killing the patrons and employees of the cinema in a manner which surreally parallels the action on the movie screen.

A bold concept and another great reel-Versus-real movie (to rank alongside The Blair Witch Project, The Last Broadcast, Cannibal Holocaust, Scream and eXistenZ).

An overbearing mother hypnotizes her middle-aged son into collecting human eyeballs from various members of the community. What more can you ask for in a film?! A stylishly gruesome, one of a kind horror flick that is absolutely impossible not to thoroughly enjoy. "Anguish" is sure to go down in history as the "Citizen Kane" of horror films. Hold on to your eyeballs!!

Anguish brings us back in 1987, when the horror movies productions and popularity were at their highest peak. Its in those years that the best horror movies were released, real horror movies with elements of magic , fantasy and sex as well as gore, not just violent slasher films that we have today like "Saw" or "Hostel", not that i hate them or anything, i still have respect for the whole "horror" genre but they don't even come close to the quality and level of entertainment of those awesome 80's films. Directors like Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Wes Craven and George Romero pushed the limits of horror and fantastic by releasing some of their best work in career with movies like OPERA, DEMONS,NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAY OF THE DEAD and so on......

Anguish always been an underrated movie since the director, Bigas Luna, was not very known at that time and that movie was probably his first attempt at horror movies. The result was an astonishing 86 minutes flick with unique special effects and hypnotic suggestion that were never tried since by other directors in the genre. NO JOKE, THIS IS A HELL OF A RIDE!!!!......very similar to DEMONS by Lamberto Bava

We also have a real "special" warning on this DVD before the film starts, explaining what we are about to experience, hypnotic suggestions, some strobing and very intense special effects. The warning also says that they, (the movie producers) had provided real medical service which was free of charge upon presenting your ticket, OXYGEN MASKS WERE AVAILABLE!!!! (no joke, serious stuff!!) as well as medical personal. While this crazy warning is going on, you can see another one that's actually written on the screen and basically says that yes, if you get dizzy, scared, if you start panicking, if you start feeling out of place, YOU MUST LEAVE THE AUDITORIUM RIGHT AWAY!!!. And yes, its true, having seeing it myself, there is really a moment in the movie where you actually lose your sense of balance and perception to a point where you may actually turn around to make sure your still in your living room watching a movie.......sounds freaky doesn't it???....but its true!! It is extremely well done!!!

The photography (director of photography) is really good!!! They used some techniques here that you probably never seen before. Without giving away one of the important surprise effect here, i would say that at some point, you will really feel that other people are joining you to watch the movie (yes, despite the fact that your in your living room alone..lol..).....hhhmmmm.....curious?..............

As for the story, it is a good and original plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat!!. Michael Lerner is an eye clinic physician who's work doesn't seem to be appreciated by some of his clients and co-workers, After being hypnotized by his mother, who's completely on her sons side, he goes on a crazy mission to get all the eyes of the city in order to get revenge....i know it sounds weird for a movie plot but trust me.... this one deserves a try! It has special effects and concepts that you won't find anywhere else.....5 stars well earned for a really original flick!!!!

ENJOY!!!!!!

I first rented this when it came out on video 20 years ago. I've watched it on dvd once since I bought this, but the second time I couldn't finish it in one night? Why? It's not that it's so "scary", but the film is devised with almost a subliminal stress factor, the mood, the music, the camera-work, the sounds. It made me anxious and gave me a headache before bed, I turned it off.

I LOVE THIS FILM...!!!

So, I'm trying to relay the fact that while it may be bunched in with horror films from the 80's, which are a risky bet for some fans, this isn't your run-of-the-mill horror story. Some mother issues, the wonderful, late Zelda Rubenstein, the often funny Michael Lerner being not so funny, and a... well if you haven't read the "concept" don't. Just rent or buy and sit down, and honestly, clichés aside you DO need popcorn for this one. Pretend you're in a theatre, keep the room dark, few distractions.

THIS is what horror movies were meant to be like!