Death Warmed Up (1984)

After deciding to take a break last night to watch Monday Night Football and Castle, I decided to jump back into my Pure Terror Collection with the 1984 import Death Warmed Up.

Plot/ Michael is hypnotized by a scientist to kill his parents and ends up in a mental institution. Years later, as a grown up, the boy returns to seek revenge over the scientist.

Honestly, I have no idea where to begin with this flick. It is so weird and incoherent, that even the parts that make sense may not really make any. The storyline is choppy, full of bizarre twists (motorcycles in the tunnels, really?) and enough plot holes to make it like Swiss cheese. Sure, there is a ton of violence and gore (OK, not the best special effects), in fact, some of the killings are actually pretty vicious (shotgun blast to the crotch has to hurt), couple that with a variety of Saw-like brain surgeries and unplanned impalements and you have plenty of blood to go around (and I have not mentioned zombies yet, yes, there are even zombies). Unfortunately, all of those moments cannot save the viewer from the totally unbelievable conglomeration filmed. Sure, there are some interesting camera angles, decent editing and a respectable soundtrack that really work within this one, but the terrible acting, poor characterization and totally laughable dialogue (and did I mention bizarre plot and poor effects?) really bring this one down. In the end, I have to admit that I enjoyed this flick on some levels (especially the ending, I did not see that coming) and I may watch it again to try to understand it. That being said, I cannot recommend anyone running out to buy this one, but if you have it as part of a cheap box set, go ahead and give it a whirl. It may not be perfect, but it will make you scratch your head and laugh at the same time.