SMASH CUT (2009)

Available to rent on Amazon Prime!
Directed by Lee Demarbre
Written by Ian Driscoll
Starring David Hess, Jesse Buck, Michael Berryman, Ray Sager, Sasha Grey, Jennilee Murray, Michael Dubue, Barry Blake, Peter Michael Dillon, Meghanne Kessels & Herschell Gordon Lewis

SMASH CUT, from beginning to end, is a love letter to the Godfather of Modern Gore Herschell Gordon Lewis, so much so that the filmmaker makes a few appearances in the film to give it his endorsement.

Anyone who knows the work of Herschell Gordon Lewis knows that the filmmaker has been known for his maverick style of guerilla filmmaking, shunning the notions of permits and planning and just going for broke with what little means he’s got to get the movie done. I reviewed THE GODFATHER OF GORE a while back, which did a fantastic job of illustrating how rebellious this seemingly pleasant man actually is behind the camera. Much like that film, SMASH CUT illustrates that notion by casting the late great David Hess as a director who will stop at nothing, even murder, to complete his film.

Though the acting is spotty at times, director Lee Demarbre does a great job of capturing the essence of Lewis’ style and mixing it with a story quite reminiscent of Vincent Price’s classic THEATER OF BLOOD, where the filmmaker lashes out at the critics and anyone who gets in the way of his making a film.

Filmmaking as metaphor has been a concept often in cinema. SMASH CUT does so well, following a director in love with making films, though his films are panned by the critics and suffer from financial and other woes. Hess stumbles his way through the production and does end up killing quite a few people, but it’s a testament to the actor’s skills that I actually felt for the character’s plight despite his lack of respect for little things like the lives of others.

With cameos by THE HILLS HAVE EYES’ Michael Berryman and H.G. Lewis himself, if you like classic low budget horror, this film should definitely be on your to watch list. Sure, some of the comedy falls flat, but serving as a swan song standout performance by a great genre actor like David Hess and an homage to one of the greats in gore in Lewis, SMASH CUT deserves to be seen by more people.

Check out the trailer here!!