It’s after hours in a small town American diner. As the late-shift waitress busies herself with the tidying, a deadly killer lurks in the shadows. He pounces…
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’ve all been here before.
You’ve never met anyone like Max Parry previously, however.
Unbelievably, The Last Horror Movie almost lives up to the impossible demands of its title. The brainchild of Darklands director Richards, this instant classic takes the psycho film to its very limits and emerges as arguably the most incisive externalisation of a murderer’s thought processes ever to be depicted in a British film - and no, I haven’t forgotten Peeping Tom or Frenzy, it’s better than either of those, honestly. The set-up reveals that a wedding photographer has taped his own documentary over the rented copy of a generic U.S. teen slasher flick, taking the opportunity to confess to committing dozens of brutal murders in and around London, many of which he has filmed (with the help of an itinerant assistant) and now excerpts here for our viewing discomfort. Though slightly outdated since DVD usurped videotape as the preferred home entertainment medium of most, The Last Horror Movie still works as a biting interactive experience, making the unsuspecting punter a captive, appalled character in Parry’s scheme - imagine suddenly finding yourself actively taking part in Cronenberg’s Videodrome, or Ray Brady’s controversial Boy Meets Girl, for an idea of the horrors in store.
This is a British shocker which seriously rivals Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer as a picture of urban atrocity, and which borrows from that Austrian study of social mayhem Funny Games and, oddly, the BBC t.v. series Marion And Geoff in its inspired use of direct-to-camera narration. Kevin Howarth is spellbinding as philosophical psycho-killer Parry, giving the best central performance in a British chiller for decades, and the ingeniously clever screenplay manages to pick out all potential flaws in its own logic and has Parry address these almost at the very moment they pop into your head! Wouldn't anyone viewing this confessional tape simply complain to the video store or take the offending evidence to the police? Well no they wouldn't, and Max explains why in convincingly erudite terms. As for the moment where our cultured maniac confronts a young schoolboy left alone after class, words fail me - this is audience manipulation at its most masterly, a scene that not even Alfred Hitchcock might have pulled off quite so deftly.
Utterly magnificent, a vast improvement on the Wicker Man-lite of Darklands and 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.
The 'false beginning' of this film set in an American diner is in fact the highlight of this film.
Murder, cheesy dialogue, murder, glass of wine, murder,etc...BORING!!!!
This film had literally ten minutes of plot, incredibly one dimensional characterisation and a completely forgetable and unrealistic ending.
The one positive thing about the film was the audiovisual aspect, remarkably achieved on a budget of £50,000.
I definately would not recommend this film to anyone else.
Posted by:
Chris Westwood
Date:
5 Nov 2003
Kevin Howarth gives off an icy charm as smug psychopath Max in Julian Richards' video-diary nasty. This nervy film is part maniac's confession, part mind-game that toys with audience expectations. You want more gore? Well, here's the same killing spree again including the bits you didn't see earlier. You want to know why Max is capable of this butchery? Don't expect any easy, pat answers.
Max simply wants you to understand that he "does" his victims because he can, without conscience, and since he doesn't feel bad it can't be so wrong. There's a touch of Colonel Kurtz somewhere in there. And when he poses the obvious question - "Why are you still watching?" - the answer is simple. 'The Last Horror Movie' is compelling viewing, appealing to that dubious part of ourselves that wants to slow down for a closer look at the car wreck. You know you shouldn't be, but you're peeking between your fingers anyway.
Wrongly handled, this could become very bleak and unrelenting indeed. In fact I'd seen a version of the script before shooting began and never got the humour at all (my fault, not James Handel the writer's). As filmed, and as portrayed by Howarth, this is more obviously darkly comedic, especially when Max deliberates on the pros and cons of being a serial killer, bodily disposal etc. "That's the advantage of being a psychopath. You don't have to take any shit from people..."
His on-the-edge performance almost burns a hole in the screen. As a psychological study, it's perfectly, scarily realized and it's to be hoped (despite this being a horror movie) Howarth receives recognition for his efforts. By the end of the lightning fast 80 minutes, you can almost believe Max is really out there, outside your window... in fact, he probably is.
Max's darker activities are nicely contrasted with the everyday and humdrum - his job as a wedding photographer, his bewildered circle of friends and family. It's as if sheer boredom alone drives him to extremes. The supporting cast is strong, the cinema verite diary approach convincing, and there's a sting in the tail that might or might not work for you; but the film doesn't depend on its final twist. By the time it arrives you've probably had your kicks.
There were signs of better things to come in Richards' earlier 'Darklands' and 'Silent Cry' but this is the real deal, a significant step beyond. See it on the big screen by all means, but if you dig scary movies and want the full effect you should rent it first. You'll soon find out why.
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