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The Last Horror Film More at IMDbPro »

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21 reviews in total

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Great performance by Spinell..., 7 January 2000

Author: Erich Mees (desscribe1@aol.com) from Dunwoody, Georgia

I had put off seeing this for a long time because, although an admirer of Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro, I am NOT a fan of gore. When the only video store in my area with a copy told me they would be closing, I finally gave in and rented it, knowing it may very well be my last chance. I was pleasantly surprised to see how little gore there was (and what WAS there was either too brief to really disturb me, or was obviously "movie-within-movie" fake), and by the cleverness of the script. The brilliant performance by Joe Spinell, however, came as no surprise. Playing an obsessed fan and would-be director, Spinell was both pathetic and sympathetic. I found myself feeling sorry for this desperate loser, even as I dreaded what he might do.

The Cannes Film Festival setting makes this a must-see for movie buffs, who will enjoy going frame-by-frame through the montages of movie posters and marquees.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
A rather underrated film going by the votes above..., 9 December 1999

Author: Sic Coyote from Staffs, England

I saw this movie last night. I had got it in my collection for a good while but I've only now got round to see it and I must say that the first scene does make you think this is going to be just another one of those 'video nasties' done on a tight budget using horror and are naked women to sell it. Okay granted there are quite a lot of topless women in this movie :) which is nice :) and there is also a nice amount of gore for example, people getting their throats cut, decapitated, stabbed in the back, burned in the face, electrocuted in a bath, shot and chopped up by a chainsaw. I thought it was really good gore done in a not very serious way. The main character is really good he's a taxi driver who wants to be a movie director so he goes to the cannes fim festival to see his favourite horror movie star, but he can't get to her and people start dying. The comedy in the film in great the main charactor and his mum providing most of it and it has some good surprises in it, they even surprised me! it's a great plot if not perfectly executed and it's certainly worth going through the whole movie just to see the end which I thought was brilliant and was a lot better than I expected it to be. If you can ignore the badly dubbed voices you will find this movie quite enjoyable especially if you have a sick sense of humour. Also, watch out for Cannibal Holocaust being shown at a cinema he goes to and one of the germans from Allo' Allo' as one of the cannes film board. :) 8/10

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Caroline Munro is the ultimate Godess of horror!, 11 February 2002
Author: Le Froque

This film is freely based on a true incident that happened in the early 1980s when a weird fan did an assault on US-president Ronald Reagan, just to impress his fave actress Jodie Foster whom he saw her in Martin Scorsese´s cult classic. Now, Joe Spinell plays a quite strange taxi driver who´s possessed by the idea to shoot a movie that stars his beloved horror star Jana Bates (as sexy as ever: Caroline Munro!). As soon as he arrives at the film festival in Cannes/France some bloody murders shatter the surroundings of the actress...

I know that this film was released in Germany under the title "Maniac 2: Love to Kill", however until its two main actors "The Last Horror Film" has got nothing to do with William Lustig´s explosive shocker! The gore keeps within the limits, some sedate humor is brought on and the sleaze factor is satisfied by some naked chicks running over the screen. Some surreal impressions are given by a few film-in-film-interruptions, the atmosphere of glamorous Cannes reminded me on a soap opera, though quite likeable at all, and the ending features a pretty surprise! Don´t expect a second "Maniac" or you´ll surely be disappointed! Enjoy this nice little horror thriller for the amazing appearance of great Caroline Munro and you´ll worship her like a Godess!!!

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Worth a pound of anyone's money., 6 September 2005
Author: LewisJForce (gunghomonro@yahoo.com) from Wolverhampton, England

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.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Cool Joe Spinell is great as always in lovely horror flick, 12 November 2003
Author: r-kanne from stavanger, norway

Plot: Joe Spinell plays a guy who desperately wants to make a movie with his dream-girl a famous actress portrayed by Caroline Munro. His mom thinks the idea` is cuckoo but he travels to Cannes anyway to make his movie......

Form: The acting is splendid. The story has twists and hints all the way through and the ending, the finale, it`s eminent. Lovely movie by all means.

Who is it for?: Sensitive viewers should be advised, the movie is pretty harsh and contains violent images and a haunting atmosphere in the horror-filled scenes. It is not suitable for kids. Adult horror-fans with a taste for blood will probably enjoy this movie a lot.

Grade: 7 out of 10

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4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Joe Spinell why did you have to go??, 20 April 2002

Author: stefant from stockholm, Sweden

A very underrated master piece that i liked much more than, William Lustig´s Maniac, this is far off better not as brutal as the earlier mentioned Maniac, but has a much more interesting plot, the story in short is that Spinell thinks he´s a movie director, but he´s not, he becomes obsessed by the beautiful Caroline Munroe from the Spy who loved me, Spinell wants her in his movie (eventhough he hasn´t got a movie to put her in) I laughed a lot in this very sick study,of the mind of the deranged serial killer, played byJoe Spinell. It has a lot of strong violence, throat cutting stabbings and some strangulation. Watch out for Spinells real mother that plays the killers mother also. I gave it a 10 out of 10

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5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Released by Troma as FANATIC, 3 September 2004

Author: Ton_O (toncyn@casema.nl) from The Netherlands

Scream…. but so much better. This film start the inimitable Joe Spinell in a part that only he knows how to deliver. Aspiring filmmaker Vinnie (Spinell) is an obsessive fan of scream queen Jenna Bates (Bond-girl Caroline Muroe) and wants to make his own film, with her as a star. This doesn't quite work out, and he stalks all the way to the Cannes film festival where things go from bad to even worse. This film from 1981 is made on a budget that wouldn't cover the first week's catering on some of the slick so-called Horror movies (i.e.: some teens running around screaming) but is so much better than most of them. The characters are a lot more believable than the stereotypes you see in the mainstream Hollywood so-called horror flicks in Scream and the Bad Guy (with all his good intentions) is much scarier than the ridiculous Freddie in his own much too famous film series. The atmosphere is extremely unsettling, which is enhanced by little things one could easily miss (like a theatre at Cannes advertising to show Cannibal Holocaust - a film you would hardly expect to play at today's Festival). One prophetic scene is saying a lot about the aforementioned Blockbuster Horror movies that Hollywood chunks out. During a press conference the star in the film Jenna Bates is asked if she is at the Cannes Festival to promote her new film. "Yes, and it is called 'Scream', is her answer. 'Now, that is bound to sell a lot of popcorn'. And this is fifteen years before Wes Craven released his ridiculous kiddies-horror - just an example to show where many filmmakers get their inspiration: from TROMA, of course. Highly recommended.

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
The Last Horror Film, 23 November 2007

Author: Scarecrow-88 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

New York taxi driver, with aspirations in directing a big horror film, Vinny Durand(Joe Spinell)is obsessed with female horror icon Jana Bates(Caroline Munro)and follows her to Cannes Film Festival willing to go to any lengths necessary to see the actress star in his picture. The film paints him an oddball right from the start as we see Durand masturbating in a darkened theater to the scene of a horror flick featuring a naked woman frying from an electrical wire in her hot tub..this ought to let the viewer know from the get-go what they're in for.

The film is mostly set in Cannes and director David Winters shoots exact streets, movie posters, and people on locations trying to capture that spirit of movie-making as the film transpires with sweaty Durand, quite bonkers as he endlessly fantasizes of being a star director appearing before crowds of adoring fans applauding at a movie premiere dressed in fancy black suit and cape(..this is a gas!). Soon those associated with Jana Bates who turn Durand down, when he approaches them with his great desire and script for her, wind up murdered in various ways(sliced throat, ax to the back, knife-stabbing, and gun-shots to the back of the skull). Is Durand the man responsible for these crimes?

My favorite scene has poor, frightened-out-of-her-wits Munro running from crazed Spinell from her bathroom, through her hotel, and into the Cannes streets in nothing but a towel! Love those scenes between Spinell and his mom(ESPECIALLY the final one!). Those expecting the graphic blood-letting of Spinell and Munro's previous "Maniac" will probably be disappointed with this film. I don't think the film is very good, (quite sloppy actually), but Spinell delivers enough lunacy in his wacko to entertain those horror fans looking for it.

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Funny Rather Than Creepy, 28 December 2010

Author: Benjamin Gauss from Salzburg, Austria

"Fanatic" aka. "The Last Horror Film" (1982) is sometimes labeled "Maniac 2", which cane merely be interpreted as an attempt to cash in on William Lustig's ultra-nasty 1980 shocker "Maniac", which featured the same cast. The incredibly creepy-looking Joe Spinell played the eponymous girl-butchering maniac in Lustig's film, and he once again plays a rather demented role here. However, as opposed to "Maniac" which is easily one of the most disturbing American Horror films of the early 80s, "Fanatic" is rather a dark comedy, or a darkly but strongly satirical Horror film to say the least.

Spinell plays Vinny Durand, a New York taxi driver, mama's boy, total psycho and fanatical film fan, who plans to make his own Horror movie starring the star he worships, Horror beauty Jana Bates (played by Caroline Munro, who also played the female lead in "Maniac"). He follows her to the film festival in Cannes, where he tries to stalk her, but never manages to come close to her. In the meanwhile, more and more of Jana's associates in the film business end up in gory massacres...

"The Last Horror Film" satirizes the 80s controversy whether watching violent and gory Horror films will turn viewers into violent psychopaths. Some fellow reviewers seem to state that the (gory) film absurdly agrees with that ridiculous assumption, but, as far as I am concerned, the opposite is the case: Some people's cry for censorship in the 80s (the decade of the UK's infamous 'Video Nasty' list) is ridiculed by the film. Joe Spinell is always great for extremely sleazy, perverted and creepy roles, and his performance is doubtlessly the main reason to watch "The Last Horror Film". Caroline Munro is a beauty as are most other female cast members, all of whom are eager to expose their breasts. Sadly, "Fanatic" features no suspense at all, and while there is some gore it is not comparable to the disturbing nature of "Maniac". The film has its very funny moments though, mainly provided by Spinell's character's extreme eccentricities. The film is certainly no must-see, but it nonetheless provides a good laugh.

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Joe Spinell really struts his singularly wacko stuff in this entertaining slasher schlock, 6 July 2009

Author: Woodyanders (Woodyanders@aol.com) from The Last New Jersey Drive-In on the Left

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Deranged, obsessive and delusional psycho cab driver Vinny Durand (a gloriously crazed and off the wall performance by Joe Spinell) fantasizes about being a great famous director. Vinny goes to the Cannes Film Festival and stalks horror actress Jenna Bates (a perfectly cast Caroline Munro). Folks close to Jenna start getting bumped off in various gruesome ways. Is Vinny the killer? Director/co-writer David Winters soaks up the heady and raucous festive atmosphere with tremendous aplomb, relates the engrossing story at a constant snappy pace, and gives Spinell free reign to totally ham it up in a rare substantial lead role. Moreover, the murder set pieces deliver the gory goods, with a hot tub electrocution, a throat slashing, and a juicy decapitation by chainsaw rating as the definite grisly highlights. Better still, we even get a bunch of hot chicks baring their breasts with pleasing regularity and a deliriously trashy throbbing rock soundtrack. June Chadwick and Robin Leach briefly appear as reporters while such people as Karen Black and Cathy Lee Crosby can be quickly glimpsed as themselves. There's even a nice subtext about illusion vs. reality and a heavy theme on how movie violence possibly influences people to do horrible things (there are then timely and topical references to John Hinkley's bungled assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan and the shooting of John Lennon). Of course, Spinell's sweaty histrionics are the key attraction here and Big Joe certainly doesn't disappoint with his eye-rolling turn as one totally nutso dude (the scenes with his real-life mother Filomena Spagnuolo in particular are absolutely hysterical). The scene where Vinny chases Jenna through a hotel lobby gets mistaken for a publicity stunt by onlookers is genuinely clever. The fake-out ending is very cool as well; the closing scene with Vinny and his overbearing mom is hilarious. Tom Denvoe's bright cinematography gives the picture an appropriately glittery look. The shuddery and spirited score by Jeff Koz and Jesse Frederick likewise hits the spot. A fun piece of junk.

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