Product Details

• Actors: Zoë Lund, Eric Bogosian, Brad Rijn, Kevin O'Connor, Bill Oland
• Directors: Larry Cohen
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: June 1, 2004
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001VTPVI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,046 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Special Effects" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-JUN-2004
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rough-hewn movie buoyed by great lead performance., October 24, 2004

By 

D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Special Effects (DVD)

The presence of Ms. .45 star Zoe Tamerlis was what made me rent this DVD in the first place. Unfortunately, since her role in Ms. .45 was as a mute, I had no idea how bad her dialogue delivery could be. She has physical presence and an unusual beauty, but her performance in Special Effects is simply amateurish, like watching an acting student in class. This effectively ruined her character, no matter how much flesh she was willing to show and how victimized the character is.

Luckily, bug-eyed Eric Bogosian delivers the goods big-time as an obsessive, borderline psychotic film director who recreates his murder of an actress in his own film. Bogosian doesn't overdo the mental instability of the character (unlike, say, Joe Spinell in Maniac), relying on low-key menace and internal intensity to do the job, and it succeeds grandly. Fortunate for the film, because Special Effects is an otherwise rough, oftimes pretentious movie with a laughable music score that makes the whole thing look like a porn parody. However, one or two effective thrill sequences (the lights-out ending is great, as well as the murder by film strip) added to Bogosian's terrifically unnerving presence make for a watchable thriller whose strong moments do reward you for enduring through the weak ones. Worth a look.

3.0 out of 5 stars "The actress shown in the dailies looks so realistic when getting murdered. When can I meet her?" "Well...", December 22, 2010

By 

Dr. Nocturna - See all my reviews

This review is from: Special Effects (DVD)

Keefe travels from Oklahoma to Manhattan and tracks down his wife, a struggling model (Zoe Lund with an awful southern belle accent) still looking for her first big break. Still wanting to pursue her career and having no interest in returning home to resume the role of mother to their toddler son, Andrea sneaks out the bathroom window of her apartment and leaves her hubby (again). In a last ditch effort at stardom, she ends up at the home of Chris Neville, a recently fired director after budget issues on his latest film, in addition to a recent flop. Andrea assumes gaining the attention of a filmmaker when they're down and out should make getting noticed in the business much easier. But refusal to have sex with Neville while on camera leads to being a reluctant participant in a snuff film. Will she finally get her 15 minutes of fame in the afterlife, as Neville prepares a comeback (and, secretly, an alibi) using the footage of her death? And what are the odds of Keefe (the number one suspect in his wife's death) finding an exact look-alike to Andrea (also Zoe Lund, this time in a more natural European accent) in New York? An unusual thriller that only seems to be in the horror subgenre as well due to writer/director Larry Cohen's track record and the snuff film part of the storyline. Intriguing the first time around, but a second viewing may not be necessary. 5.5/10

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing Cohen film., September 2, 2006

By 

NoWireHangers (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Special Effects (DVD)

Larry Cohen usually made entertaining movies based on interesting concept, and there's nothing wrong with the concept here; a film director makes a movie about the murder that he himself committed. Unfortunately, a good idea isn't enough to make a good movie and the script here is much below average for Cohen and the pace is much too slow. The soundtrack distracts from the suspense rather than add to it. Don't bother with this movie unless you feel you need to see all of Larry Cohen's movies.