ANOTHER
SON OF SAM (1977)
Directed By Dave Adams
Neon Video VHS
THE FILM
I'm usually not the night-clubbing
type, but tonight was different.
Right up the street, Johnny Charo
was performing at the Treehouse
Lounge, a new exotic-themed hangout
for struggling hipsters. How could
I say no? Soaking in the cigs and
spit, I was having a good time.
Then people's mouths started freezing
in place, but I could still hear
their voices. I started inexplicably
moving in slow motion. I was not
on drugs, but the same exact images
kept repeating...again and again.
What was the problem? Then it hit
me.
I was so completely enthralled with
my television screen during the
opening minutes of Another Son
Of Sam that my essence had
been transported from couch to Treehouse
Lounge. I thought the movie had
started, but there was no proof.
Now that's what I call filmmaking.
Bored of the escalating shock treatments,
a psychotic named Harvey escapes
from a mental institution. He’s
clad in moccasins, Dockers slacks,
and a Sears dress shirt. Harv makes
his way across a park, possibly
killing some people in the process.
A very special chase ensues. The
cops interview people and a girl
named Tina is obsessed with money.
Eventually, our baggy eyed fiend
(and that's all we get to see until
the end, believe me) makes it to
a girl's dormitory, where the putzy
cops form a stakeout. Mr. Killface
holds a few beach babes hostage...until
the effing SWAT team is called in!!
Endless wall scaling unfolds ala
Nicholas Hammond on the Spider-Man
TV show. Momma, Harvey is coming
home.
Filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina
by one-time director-writer-producer-editor-stunt
coordinator-casting director (sonofabitch!)
Dave Adams, I'm hard pressed to
think of a film that composes itself
more strangely than this one. Scotch-taped
and showing it, Another Son
Of Sam relies on awkward, mid-sentence
freeze frames, drunken camera stumbling,
and ambient noise to tell the tale.
Dialogue is nearly impossible to
make out and several shots zone
in on inanimate objects, if only
for a second or two. And the acting...dear
god. Surely the extended Adams family
laid it on the line for young Dave's
debut.
Feeling alienated already? That's
the catch. See, if it wasn't for
the ground breaking ineptitude on
display, our pal Sammy, er, Harvey
and his pithy, bloodless story would
shiver up into a boring void. Unintentional
or not, there's nothing quite like
losing yourself in a dirt cheap
film that makes no qualms about
misplacing reality. Even the title
means nothing in the context of
the film.
If you're not interested yet, just
move on. You'll never get it. That'll
just mean more Johnny Charro for
me...who, incidentally, shows up
again to cheer you up after the
terminally downbeat ending. Thanks,
Johnny. You’re one of the
good ones.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Since I could only understand one
fourth of the dialogue and had to
squint to make out most of the actors'
faces, I'm going to have to rate
this one pretty low. By far one
of the most challenging VHS tapes
around; cloth-covered audio tracks
and pantyhose-lined visuals. The
tape that DARES you to watch!
EXTRAS
Nothing on the program, but that
cover art'll do it for me.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Standing alone in its unique "presentation,"
Another Son Of Sam is a
treat for the surreal film enthusiast,
a crime-slasher with no foothold
on reality. Something Weird recently
added it to their bulging catalog,
so hopefully a full-on DVD release
will grace our world in the future.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 08.10.05 |
Our crack team
Mr. Harvey
Bath-time fun
Unsuccessful kegger
|
