| The Last Horror Movie | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Julian Richards |
| Produced by | Zorana Piggott, Julian Richards |
| Written by | James Handel |
| Starring | Kevin Howarth Mark Stevenson |
| Music by | Simon Lambros |
| Cinematography | Chris St. John-Smith |
| Editing by | Claus Wehlisch |
| Release date(s) | 2004 |
| Running time | 80 min. |
| Country | U.K. |
| Language | English |
The Last Horror Movie is a British horror film directed by Julian Richards, starring Kevin Howarth, Mark Stevenson and released in 2004. It is filmed in a found footage style.
Contents |
A disturbed wedding video cameraman and his assistant tape over a horror film that the audience has supposedly just rented, breaking the fourth wall and using meta-reference he then shows the audience his gruesome activities as a serial killer. The film raises questions surrounding visceral pleasure, this can be seen in one scene in particular during which the audience cannot see the victims (two at once) being murdered, Max Parry then asks the audience "I bet a part of you wanted to see that, and if you didn't, why are you still watching?"
At the end of the film the audience is left to think that the copy of Last Horror Movie they are watching is the only one, and that they will become part of Max Parry's sick lesson.
The Last Horror Movie was the first film to be released in US cinemas by Fangoria and premiered at The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas.
It was released in UK cinemas by Tartan Films.
This film is distributed on DVD by Fangoria's Gore Zone Label and is available at most DVD retailers.
In 2005 Tartan Films UK release reached number two in the Blockbuster Inc. DVD rental charts.
In 2006 Tartan Films withdrew the film from distribution in the UK after it was linked to a double murder.
Critical reaction was generally mixed with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 56% "rotten".
'A full blooded portrait of amorality run amuck...designed to rob its viewers of a good nights sleep' - Dennis Harvey, Variety (magazine)
'A philosophising serial killer films his exploits in order to make the ultimate horror movie, in a British film that is actually pretty scary - and extremely violent.' - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
'Insidiously scary video diary of a vainglorious serial killer' - Ian Johns, The Times
'Effective Brit horror...scary and inventive' - Derek Malcom, The Evening Standard
'Gore Blimey...sick as hell. Horrifically funny Brit Flick...just don't take your mum to see it' - David Edwards, The Daily Mirror
'Chilling and flamboyant' - Perry Seibert, The New York Times
'One long confession of modi operandi from a gloating psychopath. Has much to say on the topics of horror films and societal violence and the bloody intersection of the two' - Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle
'Richards "Last Horror Movie" has a lot to recommend, not the least of which is its unflinching integrity. Max has a hypnotic way about him. His Ginsu gaze stabs deep, his unctuous British charm coils around you. It's an unpleasant grip, especially when the blood oozes and the screams curdle on screen. Cerebral, realistic and troubling...a meditation on the morality, complicity and hypocrisy of voyeurism in the age of reality TV' - Chris Garcia, American-Statesman
'Knowingly ironic, gut churningly authentic and highly watchable' -Anwar Brett, Film Review (magazine)
'Smart British flick...with censor-baiting scenes of murder most foul' - Jamie Russell, Total Film
'Offers a potentially intriguing take on the horror movie as audio-visual relic" - Ben Walters, Time Out
'Grubbily authentic and shockingly brutal...one sick little puppy' - Jamie Russell, BBC
'A decent enough stab at that sub-genre of horror films, where we not only accompany the killer as he goes about his bloody business, but almost come to see him as the most nihilistic of anti-heroes.' - Richard Luck, Channel Four
'Stomps in the clay footprints set by Henry:Portrait Of A Serial Killer' - Jay Slater, Hot Dog
'One of the cleverest films I have seen in a long while' - Jeremy Knox, Film Threat
'Wincingly nasty...one of the best British movies of this year' - Alan Jones, Shivers (magazine)
'Takes the notorious home invasion scene from HENRY: Portrait Of A Serial Killer and multiplies it by 10' - Tony Timpone, Fangoria
'Disarmingly real...an ice pick meticulously inserted into your temple'- Rod Gudino, Rue Morgue (magazine)
'Darkly witty' - Nigel Floyd, SFX (magazine)
'Gripping, funny and frightening, an occasionally wicked commentary on horror movies, reality TV and that uneasy line between audience voyeurism and participation'. - Don Kaye, Dread Central
'A clever narrative twist, intelligently handled themes, thought provoking dialogue; a multi layered lead loony and a biting bleak sense of humor...this was more than just a film, it was a visceral experience. From the performances; to the way the flick was shot, to the grounded and brutal execution of the murders… I truly forgot that what I was watching was a piece of fiction' - John Fallon, Arrow In The Head
'Violent, sadistic and amoral' - Kevin O Reilly, DVD Times
'The most incisive externalisation of a murderer’s thought process ever to be depicted in a British film. A picture of urban atrocity which takes the psycho film to its very limits. Utterly magnificent, a film that may well consign the likes of Dog Soldiers and 28 Days Later, to dim and distant memory. Do not miss this one - in fact, kill to see it'. - Darrell Buxton, The Spinning Image
'Think MAN BITES DOG with a RING style punch line and you'll get somewhere close to the fear this film delivers' - Lee Bailes, The Rumour Machine
'Perverse charm and uncompromising violence, this is one genre film that deserves to be huge. A horror film that makes you think while scaring the hell out of you' - Kevin Lyons, EOFFTV
'An intense film that has an intelligent excuse for each and every horror it drops on us' - Paul Higson, The Zone
'Goes for the jugular and does more than deliver on the gore and body count quotas, enough to satisfy even the most desensitised gore hounds among us. Be careful what you rent' - lee Bailes, The Rumour Machine
'Combines the reality-style filming of The Blair Witch Project, the self-awareness of Scream, and the shocking brutality of Cannibal Holocaust and puts them together into one unforgettable package. I was blown away by Kevin Howarth as Max, the serial killer. This is the kind of performance that an Oscar should be handed out for' - Eric Newell, Bloody Good Horror
'Reveals a relationship between director, killer, accomplice, victim and viewer that is a little too close for comfort. Disturbing, funny, and grim, it cuts much deeper than your average slasher' - Anton Bitel, The Movie Gazette
'A grainy glimpse into a modern urban nightmare that will jolt the viewer out of their soft-focus ITV daze' - Matt Hill, New-Noise.Net'