Customer Reviews

Slaughterhouse Of The Rising Sun

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

5 years before Tarantino came up with the "Grindhouse" concept, a small low budget film called, "Slaughterhouse of the Rising Sun" was shot in early 2002. In 2005, it was picked up by the prestigious art house distributor Think Films (Academy award winner "Born into Brothels", the always funny Amy Sederis in "Strangers with Candy" and Terry Gilliam's "Tideland") to little/no fanfare. Tarantino is notoriously known for liberally borrowing ideas for "Resevoir Dogs" ("City on Fire") and referenced Sonny Chiba/Spaghetti Westerns (and "Once Upon a Time in the West") for "Kill Bill 1&2", Having the same problems that the marketing people at The Weinstein Co. did for "Grindhouse", "Slaughterhouse of the Rising Sun" was victim to the marketing folks at Think not wanting to market it 70's-style like the way "Grindhouse" and "Black Snake Moan" did a few years later -- as neo-retro-exploitation films. Instead, they marketed "Slaughterhouse..." like a slasher/"Saw" type film which it is far from being. This mislead many people who were expecting super-gore and were either disappointed, upset or felt cheated when they saw the film which is a funky, stylized film that most people actually thought was shot in the early 70's and ThinkFilms slapped on some modern gory cover art which gave people different expectations. This film is far from a gore/fright fest. The filmmakers set out to emulate exactly all those creepy late 60's pre-disco/post-Vietnam psychedelic horror films (that are now pretty disturbing in their "laugh-ability factor" such as; "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" (an obscure classic that Paramount just released after being out-of-print for 20 years), "Last House on the Left", Russ Meyer films and countless stoner horror exploitation films.

The thing about "Slaughterhouse..." is that it fully commits to being a film from that time. However, the problem with "Grindhouse" (while a lot of fun) didn't fully commit....the budget and effects were too over the top/expensive looking for "Planet Terror". No film from that time could afford such constant over-the-top explosions and effects (including makeup effects). Even in "Death Proof" the characters are using cell-phones and self-consciously referring to the film "Vanishing Point" multiple times that influenced them. Clearly Tarantino wanted to make sure the audience either went out and rented those films, or for us movie buffs, jogged our memories of watching these on a Sat afternoon on cable.

So give "Slaughterhouse of the Rising Sun" a chance. Don't take it seriously and don't expect to be scared. It's a film that is a stoner art house film that is tries to be unintentionally funny (such as those films it pays homage to) with the actors at times taking themselves too seriously (on purpose) such as the Manson-esque villain Damon Grey. The tough chicks (Violence Onelove and Guilty Karma) are right out of an number of Russ Meyer flicks (and the Bambi/Thumper sequence in "Diamonds are Forever), a great synth score (similar music cues show up in "Planet Terror") and the cheesy America/Bread-esque title song, Illuminated .

As a horror film junkie i can't help but have a sweet-tooth for this goofy hoax/homage to great low-budget horror films of the 70's such as'THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT(1972)''SLAUGHTER HOTEL(1973)''DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT(1973)''TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE(1974)''PIGS(1973)''I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE(1977)' & 'THE HILLS HAVE EYES(1977)'. I truly enjoyed this little gem & in my opinion if this film was really made back n tha day it would not only had fit in perfectly it would've stood out as one of the better cult classics of that era with out a doubt! So it seems that Vin Crease n tha gang acomplished exactly what they set out to acomplish & i for one appreciate & applaud them for horror fans makeing a horror movie for horror fans. Excellent film!

Slaughterhouse Of The Rising Sun (2003) is a strange, disjointed, and meandering tale that follows the adventures of a group of free spirited young people. The film is the vision of Vin Crease, who wrote the screenplay, directs, and also acts in the movie, that is apparently meant as some kind of homage to 1970's American horror films.

The film adopts the pretense that it was made around 1971, and the print has a kind of fuzzy desaturated look, along with various artificial blemishes and imperfections, and weird fadeouts and transitions. Apparently set in California, the story is centered on Jennifer (Cheryl Dent) a mentally unstable young woman, who is institutionalized after turning violent, while making a grungy porno flick. She is released after receiving some treatment, but rather than returning to her parent's home, she heads out on the road, where she soon runs into trouble.

Jennifer is forced off the road by a truck containing a couple of punks, and they are about to do her some harm, when a dune buggy pulls up, and two hippie type chicks (Michele Morrow and Heather Justine Thomas) jump off, cast a net on the men, and put them out of commission, perhaps permanently. At the wheel of the buggy is Damon Grey (Crease), a polio victim who walks using crutches, and is the leader of a fun loving group of free spirits. With her car undriveable, Jennifer decides to tag along with her rescuers, ending up at their campsite where more members are hanging out, telling stories around the campfire, and imbibing narcotic substances.

The next day, the group hits the road in VW van, where it becomes evident that they are seeking to channel their karma in some radically alternate directions. They later arrive at an empty house in the woods, where as the group unwinds, more strange things begin to occur. Tension builds, as it appears that something bad may happen to Jennifer. Weird supernatural elements then figure prominently in the bloody events that follow.

The title Slaughterhouse Of The Rising Sun, is a riff on the blues classic, The House of the Rising Sun. The film however, has little connection to that song. Likewise, the meat hook that appears on both the DVD disc and DVD cover, is not even featured in the movie. Somewhat unfocused, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, the muddled story makes little sense, as some unknown evil force is apparently to blame. A homicidal hippie group with a Manson-like leader, is a cliché associated with the 70's, but beyond being an odd curiosity, Vin Crease's pet project is probably not a film that is very worth seeing. The violence is kind of muted, the acting campy, the dialog silly, and the story ultimately unsatisfying and pretentious. Two stars for this effort, is being generous.

One of the extras is a valueless making of featurette, which continues the fiction that Vin Crease was killed in 1972, shortly after the completion of the film. Crease does not appear in it, and what you get is a bunch of phony interviews with cast and crew talking about film, and Crease's considerable talents. This self indulgence adds little to the understanding what this jumbled mess was about, and may leave some asking "Vin who?"

Too bad it's from 3 years ago.

I'm giving it two stars only because it was one star better than the one stars I've watched recently. Don't bother with this one. When I thought it was from the seventies, I stopped asking questions. When I found out it's actually from 2005, I laughed. Watch the special features, and see how ridiculous they actually get with the side-story...

*Hands up in the air* DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A woman named Jennifer tries to escape her past. She is released from a mental hospital and instead of heading home she hooks up with some hippies in the desert. This film was made to look like a 70's film, it does a poor job though. The entire movie was confusing and foolish. The clothing was not correct, the slang was incorrect, there was very little gore, and lots of talk. It's one of those films that makes you think you're on something crazy while watching it. I didn't like it much at all. I kept hoping it would get over with, and fast. 1.5 stars out of 5.

do you remember all those terrible 70s horror movies that made no sense and didn't even attempt coherent plot lines? well the directer of this movie got the bright idea to emulate this long dead(and rightfully so) style. he pawned it off as being a "long lost classic" and concocted some story about vehicular hommicide to explain its lostness. it was really just made last year. this is a terrible rehash of ideas that were terrible to bigin with. its not even humerously bad. its just intentionaly bad. sickenngly boring and the acting is beyond medeocre, and its all done on purpose. its movies like these that make people dislike indipendant film.