THE
THRILL KILLERS (1964)
Directed By Ray Dennis Steckler
Media Blasters DVD
Reviewed 05.25.05
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Spending a few minutes with The
Thrill Killers is like leafing
through a vintage copy of "Monster
World" in your parents’
attic; watching an old tape of The
Beatles on Ed Sullivan; firing up
the turntable to hear Jessie Crawford’s
"Pipe Organ Magic" in
hi-fi just one more time.
Don’t catch me? Try this on
for size. Certain relics of decades
past have the power to instantly
smother you in warm escapism. They're
able to relay an exact feeling,
whether it be shared by millions
or something that triggers a sentiment
in your mind only. When that happens,
we know it, and our day is easily
made. Case in point: the early films
of Ray Dennis Steckler. In my mind,
no other director captures the raw
enthusiasm of back alley Hollywood
filmmaking during the early 60s.
No budgets, no hidden agendas, and
no posturing. This is grabbing a
Bolex, hitting the (sometimes) sordid
streets of Tinseltown, and exercising
a true love for the art of creating
weirdo films. You can feel it in
every manic shot. The fact that
Steckler's first five films were
created during the years 1962-1966
only seals the deal; no other group
of genre films represents the inherent
coolness of the early 60s with such
success. Need an example? I’m
glad you asked.
Equally intense, humorous, and shocking,
The Thrill Killers does
the impossible. While radiating
innocent charm through its use of
bongo-fied music and small scale
sets, the film pulls off a feat
which very few intentional horror
films from this era can still accomplish:
it’s unsettling. Couple that
with a gimmick-spiked theatrical
run (Hypno-Vision! The maniacs are
loose in the audience!”) and
there’s no reason why you
shouldn’t be grinning from
ear to ear.
“Hollywood, California. Joe
Saxon, one of many caught in the
web of non-reality...non-reality,”
so states our narrator (perhaps
Steckler cohort Coleman Francis,
replicating the now-brilliantly
surreal narration he provided in
his own Beast Of Yucca Flats?).
The mood is set. Joe Saxon is trying
to make it in Hollywood, living
the life of a movie star without
actually landing roles. His wife
Liz (Liz Renay, fresh out of jail
in real life) is growing tired of
the debt and facade. Meanwhile,
a bald headed, motiveless killer
named Glick (Cash Flagg aka Steckler)
has been leaving a trail of scissor’ed
prostitutes and bullet hole’d
businessmen all over Hollywood.
A radio broadcast informs us that
three lunatics have escaped from
an asylum. A woman (Steckler’s
mainstay leading lady, Carolyn Brandt)
and her husband begin to inspect
a new house they’ve just purchased.
Suspecting that something is amiss,
they proceed to investigate the
dilapidated apartment in the backyard.
Get ready to hold onto your seat,
as everyone crosses paths and things
get ferocious.
So the plot seems a little straight
forward. And yes, the film tends
to drag a bit during the climactic
chase scene (by horse, no less!).
The upside is that any surface level
critique is completely overshadowed
by the film's dark tone and quirky
nature. Approaching near-roughie
territory, the kill scenes are explicit
and dynamic, filled with odd angles,
plays on light, and a claustrophobic
closeness. The performances range
from possessed (Steckler) to pedestrian
(Renay) to real life (cameos from
Arch Hall, Sr. and Steckler's producer/partner
George Morgan), making for an odd
mishmash of varying b-level tones.
In addition to the opening narration,
Ray also peppers the film with plenty
of odd touches; a strange opening
title card, numerous anti-Hollywood
sentiments (foreshadowing the director's
later frustration within the system),
a reliance on transistor radio messages
to forward the plot, and a truly
out-of-context ending. The capper?
Steckler's always sophisticated
camera work, helped out by cinematographer
Joseph Miscelli (director of the
backyard classic Monstrosity
aka The Atomic Brain),
has never been more polished or
appropriate.
As the end credits revealed the
too-good-to-be-true names of various
Morgan-Steckler stock players (Atlas
King, Titus Moede, Brick Bardo),
I realized that The Thrill Killers
stands for much more than a typical
horror/gore/shock film from 1964.
Eccentricities have never been so
finely tuned; the aura of dirt cheap,
yet highly talented, black and white
filmmaking has never been so concentrated.
The Thrill Killers balances
weird quirks and genuine thrills
with ease; Steckler makes good again.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Presented in anamorphic widescreen,
I'm sure this film has never looked
better. I could have used a little
more contrast in the blacks, but
that's a pointless complaint. The
print is pretty nice overall, with
slight damage around reel changes
and a very strong level of clarity.
The mono sound was clear and a-ok.
Thankfully, this disc doesn't fall
prey to the authoring error that
plagued Media Blasters's release
of Steckler's The
Hollywood Strangler Meets The Skid
Row Slasher...at least
as far as I can tell.
EXTRAS
Adding to the enjoyment, this is
by far the strongest batch of supplemental
materials to tag along on a Steckler
DVD release. First up, Ray offers
up the type of commentary track
I've been waiting for him to deliver.
Like the Lemon
Grove Kids track, things
start out low key, but quickly ramp
up and fly. Ray touches on all cast
and crew details, recent rights
issues with his films, and speaks
his mind regarding freedom with
independent filmmaking in the 60s.
Aside from a few minutes of silence
about halfway through, Steckler
applies his giddy style of speaking
throughout, but never goes overboard.
The result is a breezy and thoroughly
fun listen.
From there, there's an 8 minute
segment of insert footage, which
most prominently features a "Hypno-Vision"
introduction in color. Simply put,
this footage is absolutely fantastic
and wouldn't feel out of place on
Something Weird's Monsters Crash
The Pajama Party DVD. The Amazing
Ormond (an old guy standing in front
of velvet curtains) introduces the
audience to "hallucinogenic
hypnosis" and demonstrates
the effects. The swirling effects,
which appear before scenes of violence
(signaling Cash Flagg to descend
upon the audience!), are presented
where they would pop up in the film,
immediately following Ormond's monologue.
Still more: 7 minutes of radio promo
spots, a giant image gallery featuring
behind the scenes photos, VHS covers,
lobby cards, etc., an 11 minute
interview with Steckler (nearly
all of the information he discusses
overlaps with the commentary), and
trailers for the other five Steckler
films that are available on DVD.
Only two are authentic; bah.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Thrill Killers is more
than a simple shock film. It's a
portal into 1964 and a celebration
of what makes vintage, low budget
horror movies so endearing and comforting.
Besides, it oozes with cool. Sit
back and enjoy. |
Flagg on the loose
Smooth smokes
Wall of fame
Miss Carolyn Brandt
|
