Arrogant and decadent singer Danny Darwin (well played with convincing swaggering bravado by Yul Vazquez) fronts the popular hard rock group Exorcist. Danny fears that guitarist Nick Bosch's (a solid performance by Paul Hipp) marriage to the disapproving Scarlett (a nicely bitchy Tia Carrere) will cause the band to break up. Sassy groupie Vendetta (a memorably sexy portrayal by yummy blonde knockout Sherrie Rose) sets Danny up with mysterious tattoo artist Farouche (an effectively smooth and creepy turn by Heavy D) in order to calm him down, but the tattoo Farouche puts on Danny's chest proves to be anything but comforting. Director William Friedkin, working from a raw and absorbing script by Larry Wilson, gives the nifty and inspired story in extremely rough, gritty, and profane edge: The full-throttle sex, graphic nudity, coarse dialogue, gnarly make-up f/x, and startling moments of brutal violence (the final image in particular is pleasingly gruesome) are all remarkably in-your-face harsh in their unflinching explicitness. Moreover, the vivid evocation of the trashy rock scene adds an extra kinetic buzz. Gregg Allman has a cool secondary part as foul-mouthed stage manager Toland. Rick Bota's slick and energetic cinematography provides a neat polished look. Merl Saunders' shuddery and spirited score does the shivery trick. A most worthwhile episode.
Review of On a Deadman's Chest
