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Horrible

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Joe D'amato's 'Horrible' finally arrives on DVD after years in the video nasty wilderness. Actually more commonly referred to as 'Absurd' in the UK or 'Monster Hunter' in the USA, Horrible is actually the French title of the film. Made as a cash in on the success of the notorious 'Anthropophagous the beast' but not a sequel as such although both star D'amato regular George Eastman as the killer. Absurd is actually not bad of it's type ditching the cannibal exploits of Anthro for a more conventional Slasher type flick. Eastman on the run after escaping an asylum impales himself on a spiked gate and ends up as a guinea pig for a new drug that regenerates body tissue which in turn makes him extra strong and seemingly impervious to anything other than a shot to the brain. Ok the stories a stinker and doesn't make a lick of sense but that's not what your paying for. Our resident psycho then goes on a killing spree drilling a nurse through the skull, using a bandsaw to give a hospital orderly a nice middle parting and most gloriously a long 7 minute sequence where he shoves a babysitters head in an oven and waits patiently for her face to fry. He meets his match in a couple of terrible child actors, one who stabs him in the eyes with a compass and eventually a young disabled girl who axes his head off (The 80's, gotta love em) There's the usual time filling sub plot of the cop on the killers tail and there's a renegade priest who on the original usa poster seemed to be the monster hunter referred to in the title (frankly, he's rubbish at it) D'amato's movie ended up on the uk's infamous video nastie's list so is ultimately going to be bought by loads of people needing to fill that gap in their collections and compared to most of the stuff on the list of 72 it's actually very entertaining. The acting is bad and it's typical Italian monster fare but it's paced well and the gore scenes are actually quite good especially the nasty oven scene. MYA's transfer is however not so hot as like alot of these lost classics the film has been sourced from different masters so although the bulk of the movie has been cleaned up quite well compared to the early Pre cert tapes there are several instances that have been sourced from VHS so you can instantly see a huge drop in quality, luckily it's only to a few odd scenes that seem to have no relevance to the movie and bearing in mind at one point it seemed this movie was going to languish in legal hell forever it's a small price to pay. Horrible (Absurd) is no classic but as a shining example of Italian gore pics from the early 80's is as good as you would expect it to be. Pointless but rather fun, loads of blood and bad acting but all the better for it and for the nasties completists another tick on the list.

Joe D'Amato and George Eastman's follow-up to the notorious Antropophagus is sick, twisted and oh yes absurd! There's no real story and the amount of genuine chills is limited, but the gory murder sequences are sensational and they easily rank among the craziest stuff ever caught on film. Eastman once again portrays a Greek psycho-killer, though a different one than the fetus-munching monster in Antropophagus. The gore is not going to let you down. It's well done, brutal and often drawn out and mean spirited such as the babysitter's head held in the oven for what feels like at least 5 minutes and the scene with the band saw and some poor guys head. For fans of Italian shock like Anthropophagus and City of The Living Dead, it's definitely worth viewing. However unlike the predecessor Anthropophagus the storyline is barely noticeable, and huge chunks of the film are padded out with endless conversation scenes that have no relevance to the plot. In fact the majority of the middle section of the film is wasted. Once again the music is fantastic unquestionably overused, but classic 80's synth none the less. While the end result, sadly didn't reach the levels of first film, it is still a nice slice of Euro-horror sleaze. It is not truly a sequel, but still has some connections to the first film (the Greek origin; Nikos now being named Mikos).

Riffing more off John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN and HALLOWEEN II, the follow-up has the main villain popping up in the U.S. and is being pursued by a priest. Oh, did I mention that monster now has flesh regenerating powers and almost seems indestructible? That is about all the plot you get before Eastman escapes a hospital and shows up at a house to harass a babysitter and a 7 year old boy and his crippled teenage sister. The babysitter feels like her life is in danger so she apparently decides to send off the kid out alone in the middle of the night and in the dark to go and get some help GENIUS!. The end of the movie was also hilarious for all the wrong reasons, but you know what I still thought it was entertaining, thanks to another creepy performance by Eastman, great music score and brilliant gore scenes, it picked up the pace during the last 20 minutes and became an awesome gorefest. The atmosphere is superb, while the locations are well used and selected - and best of all, the director clearly knows how to build suspense. The huge Eastman really is one menacingly-looking fellow, who always fits in his mostly sardonic roles. His greatest moments were Mario Bava's 1974 masterpiece Cani Arrabiati (Rabid Dogs), and Antropophagus, but Eastman truly is an enrichment to any of the films he starred in, and Horrible is no exception. Highly recommended.

Horrible is Italy's answer to Silent Rage, only no Chuck Norris to save the day. In some places it's known as Anthropophagus 2, but aside from having the same star and director, it's not a sequel.
It's about a silent hulking killer(George Eastman of course!) running about making things terribly unpleasant for those he crosses. He's a bitch to kill since he's able to heal himself quickly. Some shady science experiment(overseen by a priest!) has made it possible for Eastman's blood to coagulate very fast, but it's also made him crazier. The only way to kill the brute is to destroy his brain. I'm no doctor and don't claim to have a bunch of medical knowledge, but simply having blood that coagulates quickly wouldn't just make you downright invincible, would it?
Anyway, Eastman is pursued by the priest who had a hand in the experiment. After injuring himself, being rushed to the hospital and escaping, Eastman goes wandering around and killing folks. The streets are nearly deserted as everyone is indoors glued to the screen for the big Rams/Steelers game.
Eastman ends up at the home where he was injured in the beginning of the film. From there, D'Amato seems very influenced by Carpenter's Halloween, as there are many scenes that feel inspired by that movie. Hell, there's even a young "Tommy Doyle"- type kid who is trying to warn everybody about the presence of the "Boogeyman", but no one believes him.
All in all, not a bad Italian horror film. Like Anthropophagus, it's slower paced. It's also not as gory as you'd believe it'd be. It has a few moments, but most of D'Amato's other horror films are gorier(except maybe Porno Holocaust, but then again, gore wasn't really the focus for that film).
Not the best work he's done, but certainly a must for D'Amato fans and Italian horror fans in general.
The MYA DVD is bare bones and featureless, but a good job is done in restoration. It's one of those deals where it was pieced together from different sources, so there are a few scenes that have a very washed out, grainly look to them, but thankfully there aren't all that many.

Truly one of my favorite b-horror flicks! I've always known this flick to have titles such as: Absurd, Monster Hunter (the vhs I had was under this title), and Anthropophagus 2. i never knew this flick was under the title as, 'Zombie 6'. That's strange because I don't see it relating to the Zombie series at all. After watching 'Horrible' -aka- Anthropophagus 2, I began to wonder how in the world is it even connected to Anthropopahus, besides the two films using the same director (Joe D' Amato), and actor, (George Eastman), playing the same crazy-experiment-gone-wrong killer! That's really the only strong connection. Both films are AWESOME, in my opinion. The gore is shown more in 'Horrible' than in 'Anthropophagus', but the two films put out the same eerie vibe! 'Horrible' is most certainly needed in ones slasher collection! It's really its own movie. There are some similarities in this flick compared to 'Halloween 1&2', but I wouldn't go as far as to say that 'Horrible' is a rip-off. I am so sick of horror fans turning down a flick just because there happens to be certain scenes that resemble those of a more popular, well-respected flick! Anyway, try this flick out! It has a nice pace with very little slow parts! Again, George Eastman RULES as being a monstrous killer!!!

"Sequel" to Joe D'Amato's Anthropophagus has George Eastman "acting" as Nikos, a psychopathic maniac (or something) who after being near fatally wounded and taken to a hospital, some how gets transmorgofied into an indestructible superman (who, of course, is still a psychopathic maniac) anyway, Nikos runs off and raises all forms of mayhem, eventually finding his way to a country home where the films prolonged, terrifying climax occurs, and yada yada yada. A priest pursues Nikos (don't recall his connection to the character, but who cares), there's a bedridden, paralyzed chick, an annoying little hellion of a child and a lot of awful 80's euro decor and music. Plus, a handful of incredibly violent murders. So whats not to like (if you enjoy this sort of thing)? Well the slow pace is the films only real issue. I mean, come on! If your honestly considering purchasing the quasi sequel to a film titled Anthropophagus the Grim Reaper, then I'm confident you'll be able to overlook the stale acting, "special" effects and drab locations. If your a fan of these awful, but so fun, euro trash splatter flicks, then you know to expect these short comings. To be honest, I don't remember a great deal of this film other than the gore set pieces. While not very frequent, the films murder scenes are violent, drawn out and appropriately low tech. The effect work ranges from good to lacking. A surgical drill through the temple of a young nurse for example, looks quite good in the long shot. The intense expression of agony on her face as Nikos forces the instrument into her skull, blood flooding down the side of her shirt. Then we get the close-up of the thin, nonthreatening drill bit, burrowing into an obviously false, obviously precut flap of...I don't know..of what looks like a piece of flesh colored rubber with some locks of hair attached to the sides, and when the drill exits out the other side of her head, after the drill delves into her cranium, eviscerating her brain matter, when this deadly spinning spike punctures through the opposite temple, NO BLOOD! NO BLOOD on the drill bit! NO BLOOD flowing from the wound! I mean, come on! Other murders (which, lets not BS, this is what you'r here for) include a mans head sliced open with a table saw (another fantastic set piece just exploding with carnage!), a pickax through the skull, and the much talked about "oven scene"...which to be honest is pretty ridiculous. Woman is forced into an oven, its turned on and in practically real time, we witness the oven heating up and cooking the woman alive. This scene lasts for no less than five minutes (that's how it feels at least) and, again, is pretty illogical as is the entire film. Illogical is a good word to describe Horrible (aka Absurd, aka Monster Hunter, aka Zombie 6, aka you get the picture)as is "violent", "tasteless", "depraved", but hey, this is the same director who brought us such subtle , personal films like Porno Holocaust and Hard Sensations, and who could forget Caligola: The Untold Story. One of the more sought after, notorious "Video Nasties", Horrible was for some time only available on bootlegged copies and (from my "research") a German DVD. Well, here it is. Finally, after all these years of salivating over the thought of owning an official region 1, US DVD, here it is...What more did you expect? i for one am quite content with this release. The transfer is quite good minus a few brief, minor scenes that only exist in VHS format. All gore is from existing film elements and is clear as day so don't get all nervous. These short VHS segments are here to present the entire film, uncut, unabridged for the first time ever on DVD. Not a feature or supplement to speak of, understandable when you consider the age and obscurity of the film. Audio is fine, with one big exception. The choice is here to view the film in English or Italian. Problem is there are no subtitle options to be found. I'm a bit baffled as to why the option would be presented on a region 1, US DVD if subtitles would not be provided. Another gripe, that cover art is Horrible (haha, see what I did there...), why not use any of the films numerous lurid, colorful VHS or poster artwork? This seems to happen quite frequently with DVD releases of these old Italian exploitation pictures. Any-who, I've babbled for far too long. If you want to see Horrible, this is the way to go (for now). A good transfer, completely uncut, just a shame about that cover and lack of subs. still a solid (bare bones) release. I was able to order this a while ago for about $3!!! Seeing the prices its going for as of today, maybe thats why I'm so positive in my review. Eh, whatever, get it. Fun movie...awful...but fun.

Joe D'Amato's "Horrible" was a film for horror fans. true horror fans. it's nothing special, but was intense to say the least. I wouldn't call this a sequel, but it stands on its own.
Someone wrote, "no plot". Who cares?!?!! i'm tired of the "horror/thriller" that focus too much on developing 'the plot' and not the action!!! We want action!!! gore and fright. This film does it!!!!!!!!

Oh man, I just love those cheesy/sleazy Italian horror movies! They're just so bad that they're awesome! This movie isn't as entertaining as Burial Ground, Zombie Holocaust, Patrick Still Lives, Hell of the Living Dead, Rats: Night of Terror, Cannibal Ferox, Nightmare City, Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Massacre in Dinosaur Valley, Zombi 3, Zombie 4: After Death, etc... It's pretty slow in parts like Anthropophagus, but it has deliciously bad acting, hilarious dubbing, some pretty damn (unintentionally) funny bits of dialogue, a soundtrack that would fit well in an old porn movie and some nice gore scenes! If you enjoyed some of the movies that I mentioned, watch it!

great bloody italian slasher film by joe d'amato. doesnt drag like anthropophagous did at times. recommend

[.....] .I like a lot of these low-budget stinkers,but this one was boring,strongly lacking of gore and the soundtrack wasn't that great,(cool electronic?)as the one amazon reviewer stated(A big FU very much 4 trapping me into this purchase). The source material is chopped and patched up with different source materials ranging from dark and fuzzy to then suddenly clean and clear.
There are 4 death scenes,2 of which where the victims are strangled.The other 2 death scenes include a small pen sized surgical saw and an oven that last for about 5 seconds,but are hardly enough to hold up the rest of the movie.There is barley a drip of blood ,let alone gore!.I have to also mention there wasn't a morsel of sex,sleaze,nudity(none)laughs(unintentional or not comedy!?!) to be found at all.That's just unacceptable considering there wasn't much of a plot and the gore and sleaze is why I buy Joe D'Amato movies with titles such as 'The Grim Reaper' to begin with.It's not as if you go into one of his movies expecting to be moved by the script that was written,as if there was any real story other then the sex,blood and guts set up there to shock and gross you out.I want gore and sleaze!!!!!Mr. A'Amato,that is what I expect from an A'Mato film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!No less!!!
What we get here is a waste of time!!!!!!!!!!!No fun to be had at all.Take it from me.I own many bad horror movies that entertained me enough that I would watch again .I can even enjoy a lot that tend to drag a bit so long as they are tension builders and there is a pay off!!!!!!!
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BTW;Laura Gemser isn't in this movie and beside having George Eastman cast,this has nothing to do with Anthropophagus 1(Grim Reaper 1),which was also a bit of a bore,but made up for it with the creepy atmosphere and(cheezy)gross out kill scenes.

HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANTHROPOPHAGUS, AND REALLY HAS NO PLOT. A GUY IS HOSPITALIZED FOR IMPALING HIMSELF ON A FENCE, HE HEALS OVERNIGHT CAUSE HE'S A NUCLEAR TEST DUMMY GONE WRONG, THEN HE ESCAPES GOES TO A RANDOM HOUSE AND TRIES TO KILL EVERYONE INSIDE UNTILL HE GETS DECAPITED BY A LITTLE GIRL. THERES NO STORY HERE, BAD GORE, AND TRUST ME I LOVE OTHER D AMATO FILMS LIKE BEYOND THE DARKNESS ECT.. AND ITALIAN HORROR IN GENERAL, BUT THIS MOVIE IS HORRIBLE. ITS ONE OF THOSE YOU WATCH ONCE WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO BREAK BUT IT NEVER DOES, NOT SOMETHING YOUD WANNA REPEAT, DEFINITLY NOT WORTH SPENDING 20 BUCKS ON.