It honestly hurts my head trying to figure out what to call these cheap Italian horror films. Whether you call it Zombie 6: Monster Hunter, Monster Hunter, Anthropophagous 2, or The Grim Reaper 2, many know this film as Absurd. Absurd was released in 1981 initially (though apparently not seeing the American market until 1986 according to IMDb) and was directed, produced, and shot by Joe D'Amato (Anthropophagous, Death Smiles on a Murderer, and 2020 Texas Gladiators) and stars the film's writer, George Eastman (Anthropophagous, Warriors of the Wasteland, and Metamorphosis) and also stars Annie Belle (House on the Edge of the Park, The Alcove, and Forever Emmanuelle), Charles Borromel (Ladyhawke, Waterloo, and The Blade Master), and Katya Berger (Nana, Stories of Ordinary Madness, and An Almost Perfect Affair). Absurd is often seen as a spirtual sequel to Anthropophagous, but the only similarities here is D'Amato is directing and Eastman returns as this film's writer and menacing lead. The film was notorious for being one of the many film's to be put on the UK's "Video Nasties" list due to the extreme gore. The inclusion of this film on the list led it to be a cult film as is the case with most of the film's included on the list.
A man named Mikos Tanoupoulos (George Eastman) is being chased by a priest. After being severely wounded, Mikos is taken to the hospital where the doctors and nurses find out that he has the ability to regenerate. In other words: practically unstoppable, as seen when Mikos escapes and stalks a family in a quite suburban town with the priest and police in pursuit.
Not being a huge fan of D'Amato's and Eastman's earlier collaboration, Anthropophagous, I was questioning whether or not to give anymore of D'Amato's films a watch. Needless to say, I found one that I seem to have a bit more enjoyment with. This film is widely criticized for borrowing way too much from Halloween and Halloween II. Yes, the film does do that but then again, what horror film from the early 80's on both sides of the pond wasn't heavily influenced by Halloween? Also, it's not uncommon to have these Italian horror films to be knockoffs/rip-offs. What these Italian filmmakers try to do is to be influenced by American films and add a bit of variation to at least try and make it feel somewhat unique. The film, at times, lacks enough variation in that a lot of the scenes are ripped straight from Halloween and Halloween II. The death scenes, while boasting some grisly practical effects, are like if you take the death scenes from Halloween II and give them a pair of glasses to wear. Hell, even the music in this film is way too similar to the classic Carpenter Halloween score. Compared to Anthropophagous, The film's pacing is more bearable with the kills being spaced apart quite nicely but still falls victim to having a bit too much filler in the second act where all the juicy bits and pieces occur in the first and final acts. Come on, do I really need to see people eat spaghetti and watch football? Absolutely riveting. George Eastman (standing at 6'9") seems to have a much stronger presence here in this film than in Anthropophagous because he actually has plenty of screen time throughout the film.
Honestly, you simply cannot go into a D'Amato film and expect the next Apocalypse Now. Go into these film's knowing what you are going to get yourself into and be able to turn your brain off will other's get their brains cut out. As much as it is a rip-off of Halloween and Halloween II, it really doesn't bother me. Sure, I'd rather watch those Halloween movies over this one, but as it is, this film is not offensively bad and has a few moments that stand out and as someone who enjoys the horror genre as a whole, it's solid enough to view during a fun Horror Movie night.
A man named Mikos Tanoupoulos (George Eastman) is being chased by a priest. After being severely wounded, Mikos is taken to the hospital where the doctors and nurses find out that he has the ability to regenerate. In other words: practically unstoppable, as seen when Mikos escapes and stalks a family in a quite suburban town with the priest and police in pursuit.
Not being a huge fan of D'Amato's and Eastman's earlier collaboration, Anthropophagous, I was questioning whether or not to give anymore of D'Amato's films a watch. Needless to say, I found one that I seem to have a bit more enjoyment with. This film is widely criticized for borrowing way too much from Halloween and Halloween II. Yes, the film does do that but then again, what horror film from the early 80's on both sides of the pond wasn't heavily influenced by Halloween? Also, it's not uncommon to have these Italian horror films to be knockoffs/rip-offs. What these Italian filmmakers try to do is to be influenced by American films and add a bit of variation to at least try and make it feel somewhat unique. The film, at times, lacks enough variation in that a lot of the scenes are ripped straight from Halloween and Halloween II. The death scenes, while boasting some grisly practical effects, are like if you take the death scenes from Halloween II and give them a pair of glasses to wear. Hell, even the music in this film is way too similar to the classic Carpenter Halloween score. Compared to Anthropophagous, The film's pacing is more bearable with the kills being spaced apart quite nicely but still falls victim to having a bit too much filler in the second act where all the juicy bits and pieces occur in the first and final acts. Come on, do I really need to see people eat spaghetti and watch football? Absolutely riveting. George Eastman (standing at 6'9") seems to have a much stronger presence here in this film than in Anthropophagous because he actually has plenty of screen time throughout the film.
Honestly, you simply cannot go into a D'Amato film and expect the next Apocalypse Now. Go into these film's knowing what you are going to get yourself into and be able to turn your brain off will other's get their brains cut out. As much as it is a rip-off of Halloween and Halloween II, it really doesn't bother me. Sure, I'd rather watch those Halloween movies over this one, but as it is, this film is not offensively bad and has a few moments that stand out and as someone who enjoys the horror genre as a whole, it's solid enough to view during a fun Horror Movie night.