The Last Horror Film (1982)

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.

Director:

David Winters

Writers:

Judd Hamilton, David Winters

Stars:

J'Len Winters, John Kelly, Joe Spinell

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
J'Len Winters	...	Girl In Jaccuzi / Beach Girl Teaser
John Kelly	...	Man In Theatre
Joe Spinell	...	Vinny (as Joe Spinnel)
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 (as Peter Darcy)
Filomena Spagnuolo	...	Vinny's Mother (as Mary Spinnel)
Don Talley	...	Cowboy
Mai Britt Finseth	...	Bikini Girl / Beach Girl
Valerie	...	Bikini Girl
Caroline Munro	...	Jana Bates
Robert Paget	...	Screening Room Jury

Storyline

Vinny is obsessed with famous actress Jana Bates and is determined to have her star in his movie. He travels to the Cannes Film Festival in France to try and convince her. Unfortunately, he goes about things in a rather unprofessional manner and people invloved with Jana Bates begin to disappear.

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Plot Keywords:

cannes film festival | cannes | france | stalker | cult film | 

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Taglines:

She's dying to be in his film...

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Troma

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1985 (France)

Also Known As:

Fanatical Extreme

Filming Locations:

Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shere Productions,Winters Hollywood Entertainment Holdings Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The track that plays at the opening of the fictional Stanley Kline film "Caller in the Night" that Vinny attends can also be heard in a film from the previous year, 1981's "Inseminoid". The song is called "Sandy's Metamorphosis".

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Vinny Durand: Hi, Ma.
Vinny's Mother: Hi, Vinny. You're home early. What's wrong? Are you sick?
Vinny Durand: I'm fine. Couldn't be better. I'm home early because I just got my round-trip plane ticket. I'm leaving tomorrow for Europe. I'm going to the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival, Ma!
Vinny's Mother: [as Vinny goes to his room to pack] Vinny, stop talking about those crazy ideas of yours. I made baked macaroni. You don't eat right. You need more proten so you wouldn't have to think of those crazy ideas.
Vinny Durand: I don't know why you think my ideas...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

End cast list is presented in order of appearance.

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Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'X' rating. All cuts were waived in 1983 when the film was released on pre- certificate home video (Betamax, VHS, Video 2000) even though the back of the 1983 release states "Certificate 18". No further media releases were released in the UK until the 2003 DVD release which was pre-cut and finally released uncut on the 2014 UK Blu-ray.

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Connections

References Gola profonda nera (1977)

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Soundtracks

Mammy
Written by Al Jolson
Published by E.M.I.

User Reviews

Spinell is excellent as always.

Crude, low budget shocker is undeniably fascinating for its setting, and its portrayal of the movie business. It reunites the two stars of "Maniac", Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro, in a story of NYC cabbie Vinny Durand (Spinell), a pathetic aspiring filmmaker who's obsessed with horror film star Jana Bates (Munro), tailing her to the Cannes Film Festival where she's promoting her latest film. In between Vinnys' desperate attempts to make contact with Jana, a psychotic killer is at work brutally dispatching various people in Janas' life. The film is co-written by Judd Hamilton, then married to Munro, and director David Winters, along with Tom Klassen, and Hamilton and Winters also play film directors on screen. Winters is more ambitious with his ideas and set ups than one would think, going for the surreal and laying on the creepy imagery at select points, and his framing is likewise interesting. The non stop pop / rock soundtrack helps to keep "The Last Horror Film" moving forward adequately, and there are some genuinely effective sequences, such as when a terrified Jana flees in terror from Vinny, clad in only a towel, and bemused onlookers think she's merely participating in a publicity stunt. Use of gore is entertaining - there's not a whole lot of it, but we do see a fair bit of the red stuff spilling. Cameos include June Chadwick and Robin Leach, and one truly compelling facet of this movie is the way it works as a snapshot of a particular place at a particular time, with many shots of posters of then current productions. Intriguing at every turn, "The Last Horror Film" also has a certain seedy ambiance going for it, with some nudity to go with its lurid thrills. Spinells' own mother Mary is hilarious as Vinnys' overbearing ma, and Munro is as gorgeous and appealing as she's ever been, but ultimately this is a vehicle for Spinell, who proves once again his ability to elicit some feelings of sympathy even when playing a disturbed character. This is not up to "Maniac", but it's not bad, and worth a look for fans of the stars. The final scene is especially funny, ending the movie on an irresistible high note. Seven out of 10.