HERENCIA DIABOLICA (1993)
Directed by Alfredo Salazar
??? VHS
THE FILM
Charles Band and Full Moon Pictures -- they love movies about little things coming to life and killing. A whole bunch of Mexican horror films -- they love having small men dressed as clowns killing people. I think something big was missed when Muerte Infernal Vs. Demonic Toys never happened. Although, possibly the sight of the clown doll in this one may have sent all the Demonic Toys running. When this clown doll comes to life and looks exactly like a 400-year-old, 3 foot tall version of Buster Keaton in clown makeup, wetting your pants and then running is the only viable option.
The clown guy sure is creepy. Sometimes it's just a doll. Sometimes it's the guy with a cloth clown mask over his face so you can see his eyes. And, sometimes, he's just in clown make-up, awkwardly chasing people around. His movements scare me. He doesn't seem to walk right or move as fast as they want him to. A lot of what he accomplishes is implied through strange cutting and frenzied faces and misdirected slow-mo. And, he's still alive at the end of the film so...a sequel? Might there be one?
As far as I can tell, this is Third Tier Mexican Horror Cinema. Think Terror On Tour or To All A Good Night. It looks cheap. A Couple inherits a house from Gramma. Gramma owns the doll. The House seems to be some sort of building in a park. It doesn't look like a house. There are fountains and gardens nearby and you can see people walking in the distance. Such an uncomfortable looking home. Maybe that's how Gramma got such a crazy doll. You spend your whole life living in the middle of a public park and tell me how you do. Your favorite doll is bound to come to life. At first, I thought that the title of the film referred to the upkeep on a house in a public park. That's a fairly diabolical inheritance. But, if you throw in the doll, that's a Super Diabolical inheritance.
The music is synthy and strange. Effects? Well, I guess ketchup still works as blood. Why are we so far away from everyone in this movie? The camera sits on the other side of the room, far from the actors, for so long that when it goes to a rare close-up, it's a shock.
The editing is amazing. A woman starts down the stairs. She reaches a landing, turns and walks off-camera. But, her shadow is still on-camera for another few seconds and the shot cuts after that disappears. Why? I wish I knew. Because it's awesome? Possibly & Probably. There is a very long scene of the Husband & Wife walking through the house. Cut from one long shot of him in a living room wandering around to a long shot of his wife wandering around a bedroom. Was this movie a training exercise for film school students in Mexico?
It feels like they took a plotline we'd seen before (clown doll kills wives and befriends a small child) and just had students make something. And, somehow it got on video. It's fascinating. The clown is creepy but a little sad. The plot does exactly what you think. The "horror" scenes are utilizing a definition of horror that I can't find in the OED. Everything about this film is loopy and banal and superb. I'd like to see another one of these, please.
One tip: If you're throwing a life-sized dummy dressed like a maid off of a building and the legs of the dummy are spongy and flappy, don't slow-mo the shot. It becomes pretty hysterical.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Bad and Poor. "It's almost in black & white," Joe said as he took a long look at the colors.
EXTRAS
There was a preview. But, I didn't write down the title of the movie. Some sort of high-octane, action drama thing. And, although the music and the title promised high-octane, what actually happened on screen was a little calmer.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Disjointed and strange. Those words sum up my review of this odd film. I didn't understand everything that was going on in it. Possibly if I did, it would work perfectly. But, I sure hope not.
Super Final Thought: It is enough that the camera is pointing at what it needs to point at. Shot composition and framing doesn't matter. Just make sure the camera is on and sees what it needs to...Herencia Diabolica succeeds in this almost 100% of the time. A success! But, one that is probably more fun to watch with some friends than alone. Unless, you need to be alone to appreciate that Creepy-Ass Clown Guy.
— Dan Budnik, 03.10.11 |
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