The Last Horror Film (1982)

Director:

David Winters

Writers:

Judd Hamilton
Tom Klassen
(more)

Release Date:

17 July 1985 (France)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Babes are dying to be in his movie!

Plot:

A New York taxi driver stalks a beautiful actress attending the Cannes Film Festival, which coincides with a series of violent killings of the lady's friends.

Plot Keywords:

Film Festival | Cannes | France | Actor | Chainsaw

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Caroline Munro	...	Jana Bates
Joe Spinell	...	Vinny Durand
Judd Hamilton	...	Alan Cunningham
Devin Goldenberg	...	Marty Bernstein
David Winters	...	Stanley Kline
Susanne Benton	...	Susan Archer (as Stanley Susanne Benton)
Filomena Spagnuolo	...	Vinny's Mother (as Mary Spinell)
Glenn Jacobson	...	Bret Bates
J'Len Winters	...	Girl In Jaccuzi / Beach Girl Teaser
Sharon Hughes	...	Stripper
Sean Casey	...	Jonathan
Don Talley	...	Cowboy
John Kelly	...	Man In Theatre
Simone Overman	...	Woman #1 In Theatre
Malgosia Casey	...	Woman #2 In Theatre
Patty Salier	...	Woman #3 In Theatre
Chip Hamilton	...	New York Man
George Valismis	...	New York Man
Peter D'Arcy	...	New York Man
Mai Britt Finseth	...	Bikini Girl / Beach Girl
Valerie	...	Bikini Girl
Robert Paget	...	Screening Room Jury
Katia Malmio	...	Screening Room Jury
Dennis Beasnard	...	Screening Room Jury
Richard Marner	...	Screening Room Jury
Jenny Lipman	...	Screening Room Jury
Holly De Jong	...	Screening Room Jury
Tony McCann	...	Blowtorch Man
Jane Wellman	...	Burn Effect Girl
Valerie Devereaux	...	Girl Fan
Joanne Hicks	...	Miss Bates' Secretary
William Whittington	...	Miss Bates' Secretary
John Claude	...	Delivery Boy
Noreen Kantala	...	Girl In Lobby
Corina Burkli	...	Girl In Lobby
Lavana Hakim	...	Beach Girl
Marika Laususer	...	Beach Girl
George Alschul	...	Bouncer
Ronald Dessautels	...	Bouncer
Marie Jose Welsch	...	Topless Girl On Pier
Marty Ollstein	...	Door Man
June Chadwick	...	First Reporter
Robin Leach	...	Second Reporter
John Austin	...	Third Reporter
Jane Rawlins	...	Alley Scene: Old Lady
Mark Hutchinson	...	Alley Scene: Young Boy
David Jones	...	Rock Star
Melissa Carr	...	Girl By Pool
Judy Duckett	...	Girl By Pool
John Hamilton	...	Bodyguard
Luke Walter	...	Bodyguard
Tammy Hamilton	...	Michelle Wagner, Jana Bates' Lookalike
Marty Heckleman	...	Policeman
Thomas F. Denove	...	Policeman
Henri Marchal	...	Announcer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Isabelle Adjani	...	Isabelle Adjani (uncredited)
Karen Black	...	Karen Black (uncredited)
Cathy Lee Crosby	...	Cathy Lee Crosby (uncredited)
Kris Kristofferson	...	Kris Kristofferson (uncredited)
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Marcello Mastroianni (uncredited)

Directed by
David Winters

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Judd Hamilton
Tom Klassen
David Winters

Produced by
Sean Casey	....	associate producer: castle sequence
Judd Hamilton	....	producer
Luke Walter	....	associate producer: New York sequence
David Winters	....	producer

Original Music by
Jesse Frederick
Jeff Koz

Cinematography by
Thomas F. Denove

Film Editing by
Chris Barnes
M. Edward Salier

Production Design by
Jeff Sharpe

Art Direction by
Brian Savegar

Costume Design by
Nancy Hardy

Makeup Department
Jane Barry	....	makeup artist
Toni Caine	....	hair stylist
Dovey Rohl	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Devin Goldenberg	....	first assistant director
Marty Heckleman	....	second assistant director
Marty Ollstein	....	second unit director

Sound Department
David Dockendorf	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anthony Ippolito	....	sound effects editor
Tim Lewiston	....	supervising sound editor
Don MacDougall	....	sound re-recording mixer
John L. Mack	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve O'Brien	....	boom operator
Terry Poulton	....	sound editor
Brad Sherman	....	sound recordist
David Stephenson	....	sound mixer
George Stephenson	....	sound mixer: second unit

Special Effects by
John Humphreys	....	special effects technician
Mike Jones	....	special effects technician (as Michael Jones)
Peter McKenzie	....	special effects
Jean Scott	....	special effects technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Berry	....	electrician
Dave Erwin	....	electrician
Ian Henderson	....	camera operator
Stephanie Lamotta	....	still photographer
John Matthews	....	gaffer
Allen McKellar	....	grip
Bruce Morgan	....	electrician
Francois Mouries	....	still photographer
Marty Ollstein	....	director of photography: second unit
Paul Ostrer	....	still photographer
Alan Peacock	....	electrician
Dave Rutter	....	grip
Neil Simon	....	still photographer (as Doc Simon)
Bryan Sullivan	....	electrician

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Barbara J. Boguski	....	assistant editor (as Barbara Boguski)
Jill Bowers	....	assistant editor
Randy Phillips	....	second assistant editor
Larry Richardson	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Assa Drori	....	concert master
Jesse Frederick	....	music producer
Jesse Frederick	....	musician
Terry Griffey	....	additional orchestrator
Udi Harpaz	....	additional orchestrator
Jeff Koz	....	musician
Douglas M. Lackey	....	music editor
Michael Mancini	....	music mixer

Other crew
Jean-Claude Cartier	....	production assistant
Frances Dugay	....	production assistant
Ian Franks	....	production assistant
Terry Gurule	....	production assistant
Chip Hamilton	....	production assistant
John Hamilton	....	production assistant
Tami Hamilton	....	production assistant
Joanne Hicks	....	production assistant
Terry Hunt	....	production assistant
David Jones	....	production assistant
John Kelly	....	production assistant
Stephanie Lamotta	....	production assistant
Gine Lui	....	location assistant
Roger Macer	....	production assistant
Bernard Masarac	....	location manager
Jimmy McDonald	....	production assistant
John Paul	....	production assistant
Victoria Pearman	....	continuity
Antoine Sabacas	....	location manager
Martin West	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Shere Productions
• Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation

Distributors

• Media Home Entertainment (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Troma Entertainment (2009) (worldwide) (DVD) (special edition)
• Troma Team Video (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (video)

Other Companies

• Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation  funding

Also Known As:

"Fanatical Extreme" - USA (video title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | France:-12 | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:(Banned) | Canada:R (Ontario) (cut version) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Shere Productions

Trivia:

Vinny Durand's apartment was the same New York City apartment Joe Spinell lived in.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: A crew person can be glimpsed laying down on the ground throwing fake blood up at Brett while Vinny is slashing him with a chainsaw.

Quotes:

[last lines]
[after watching the rough cut of Vinny's movie in a screening room]
Vinny's Mother:Vinny, I'm real proud of you. You finally did make your movie with Jana Bates.
Vinny Durand:Thanks, Ma. But this'll be the first and last horror film I'll ever make. Let me tell you about my next movie. You got any more baked maccaroni?
Vinny's Mother:Nope.
Vinny Durand:Anyway, let me tell you about my next picture.
Vinny's Mother:Vinny...
Vinny Durand:It's a science fiction drama. I'm on a ship in outer space... just me and Jana.
Vinny's Mother:Vinny...
Vinny Durand:Lost in space, fighting off aliens and space pirates. Protecting the princess that...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010) (V)

Soundtrack:

You're Just a Dreamer

Worth a pound of anyone's money.

I bought this on DVD from a Poundland for, hey! - a pound. It was re-titled as 'Fanatic'. Actually it was a double bill. Another schlock flick who's title I forget was on the flip side of the disc. So in effect, I got the Spinell picture for 50p. I'd say it was money well spent.

This was shot on the hoof at the 1981 Cannes film festival. Joe is a taxi driver who goes there to seek out his idol/wet dream Caroline Munro. Caroline appears with her then real life spouse Judd Hamilton. Husband and wife are both dubbed, and Caroline looks pretty much as she did when she was a hostess on '3-2-1' with Ted Rogers. The film bears little resemblance to the previous Spinell/Munro vehicle, 'Maniac'. That was grim, gory and reprehensible. This is light, silly and incomprehensible.

'The last horror film' seemed to receive an inordinate amount of coverage in the British film fantasy magazine 'Starburst' at the time. I can now see why: Spinell appears reading a copy of said periodical. Reciprocal publicity. There are also numerous references to other films, especially Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver' (which Joe appeared in). In fact, there is a vaguely interesting blurring of film reality and fantasy and 'real' reality and fantasy throughout. Generally, though, it's a mess. Scenes just seem to rear up out of nowhere. But if you're interested in such things, the footage of Cannes and the general nakedness of the female cast will provide fifty pence's worth of entertainment.

There's a nice story on the Spinell documentary included on the Anchor Bay 'Maniac' disc which pertains to the making of this film. The cast and crew were staying at a rather expensive Cannes hotel, and due to the penurious nature of the budget found themselves unable to foot the extravagant bill. Spinell, Winters, Munro and all concerned therefore decided to do a runner in the middle of the night and catch the nearest plane home. Pity they didn't film that little episode and stick it in here along with everything else.

Watch out for Joe's verbal sparring with his real life mother Filomena (aka Mary). Pretty funny.