HANDS
OF BLOOD (1974)
Directed by Perry Tong
Image Entertainment DVD
Reviewed 06.30.04
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
I love being caught off guard. Chances
are slim, but every once in awhile,
an unheard-of film jumps up and
slaps me in the face. Textbook example:
Hands Of Blood.
It’s pictures like this one
that make seeking out bizarro, no-budget
films such a magical experience.
Sure, you’ll sometimes end
up with toilet scroungers like The
Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves
Are Here!, but it’s
the exceptional moments of crude
genius that make obscure film appreciation
all it’s cracked up to be.
Hands Of Blood concocts a lethal
dose of roughhewn production, spooky
locales, and grimy sleaze into what
may be one of my favorite “one-off”
discoveries of this year.
After a hyperactive police/ambulance
opening montage, obviously clueing
us in that something BAD is going
to happen, things get underway.
Norma and Thorpe are an extremely
dysfunctional married couple. Cheating
frequently on each other, the two
live in an inherited Texas farmhouse
in the middle of nowhere. They bicker
constantly for no good reason. One
day, Norma’s stepsister, Diana,
breezes into town, shacking up with
the happy couple. Norma has a late
night tryst with a mysterious, leather
booted visitor and Diana picks up
a local gas-pumper. An axe murder
occurs! Soon enough, tempers begin
to boil over, as Thorpe starts hanging
out with Diana, taking her to the
clouds in his chartered plane. Thorpe
and Norma continue with the surprisngly
crass knock-down-drag-outs (“Stinking
slut!”). Baffingly, Thorpe
manages to seduce Diana; at first
she screams, then gets hot and heavy
after a few boob-squeezes. So what
naturally follows? Thorpe and Diana
plan to bump off Norma, so Thorp
can make good on his inheritence
and new life with Diana (while smoking
boatloads of cigs). But you just
know director/writer Terry Pong
couldn’t resist throwing in
a twist ending or two, right? And
maybe a country song summarizing
the plot at the end?
I know what you’re thinking.
The above synopsis sounds like a
typical soap opera, just sprinkled
with grime and blood. You’re
probably right. However, in the
case of Hands, it’s
all in the unique presentation.
The claustrophobic old mansion,
where the bulk of the film unfolds,
exudes dirt, creepy hiding places,
and lonely emptiness. The photography
is filled with unexpected jump cuts,
erratic random editing, and some
effective camera set-ups. The acting
is non-existant, the characters
are mean-spirited, and the expoitive
elements of the film are actually
quite tame (no nudity, despite the
frequent swarmy sex scenes, and
a bit of gore). For laughs, there’s
an absolutely hilarious chase sequence
involving a knocked over chair.
And dare I forget sure-to-be-four-track-recorded,
boogie-woogie soundtrack?
That’s why Hands Of
Blood works so well. It’s
a supurbly surreal mess, flailing
about and begging to be watched.
At only 70 minutes long, how can
you not oblige?
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Given the grainy and "spare
film ends" origin of this movie
(and the techniques on display),
the full frame presentation is very
fitting. Dirt is at a minimum and
the desaturated colors are way 70s.
The transfer looks just as gritty
and raw as it should. The mono sound
was a bit muffled at times, but
that was most definitely due to
the orginal recordings.
EXTRAS
As Hands is another
notch in Sam Sherman’s Independent-International
stable, this disc contains the identical
trailers that appear on Image’s
Blood Island DVDs
and other Independent-International
releases. In addition, there’s
a very infomative ten minute interview
segment with director Perry Tong.
Tong comments on the six day, $17,
000 shoot, Texas locations, and
his feelings on the film today.
Lastly, the disc is packaged with
an excellent insert, featuring lengthy
liner notes by Jim Arena. He clears
up some of the plot holes and relates
oodles of trivia about the film,
including a few quotes from Sam
Sherman. A great read, especially
since I enjoyed the film so much.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There’s only one way to put
it. Hands Of Blood is an unknown weirdo classic that
deserves a larger audience. It’s
unintentionally artsy, somewhat
befuddling, and extremely low budget.
Lovers of these types of films,
you’ve found a new purchase
to make. |
Norma gets physical
Thorpe and his tokes
Our girls
Hands of what?
|
