I’m not generally a great fan of gore/horror even if I do sit through the odd one just to discover its notoriety, and I admit not having too many expectations either when I opened the DVD of the British film “Little Deaths”, a collection of three short films written and directed by different young directors. And boy was I pleasantly surprised – all three were of a particularly high standard for this genre, both in terms of performances and technical merits. All three pertain to sex and death. They manage to be shocking, and at the same time disturbingly sensual without going overboard with the blood and sex – a lot of it is implied, allowing us to construct the horror for ourselves – and the disturbing fact is we can’t take our eyes off the screen. But the films are anything but sleazy – these guys’ talents truly require some unearthing. I’ve not heard of any the directors or the cast, but they’ve done a commendable job with their apparently minimal budget.
1: House and Home
Written and directed by Sean Hogan. This is by far the more traditional ‘slasher’ of the three, using vampirism and forced bondage as its running theme. A well-to-do married couple keep their relationship going by indulging in dangerously deviant behaviour, by kidnapping homeless persons and having their way with them, and if they survive the ordeal, pay them off for their involuntary services. Richard brings home Sorrow, and drugs her so that he and wife Victoria could have some fun at her expense. Turns out it was a mistake, as Sorrow and her friends hadn’t eaten for several days, and they too have been waiting for such an opportunity.
2. Mutant
Written and directed by Andrew Parkinson. A doctor prepares his own unique medication for drug addicts using sperm farmed from a caged mutant. Turns out that the medication has some undesirable side effects – apart from some psychic abilities, patients such as Jen become sex addicts, and also feel the mutant’s thoughts. Add to this, not only does the mutant require a very special diet, if and when it dies (they usually do), it’s productive organs can also be transplanted into human beings, to create a new mutant.
3. Bitch
In my view the best of the three, very well written and directed by Simon Rumley. Pete loves Claire very much, but the woman uses him as little more than a doormat, as a dog in fact, complete with his own kennel. She refuses to treat him as a normal boyfriend, having flings with anyone she fancies, but expecting him to be there when needed. An upset Pete on one occasion behaves like an ‘untrained’ dog, and is promptly admonished. Strangely, Claire also has a phobia of real dogs, and can’t stand them in her vicinity (the film’s title couldn’t have been more loaded). But when Claire invites Pete’s best friend and even has sex with him in Pete’s presence, he considers it a step too far.
While all three films are shocking, they are also disturbingly kinky – in a manner all three dabble with BDSM themes, but the final film mixes it with horror intelligently and takes it to a different level. Even though this isn’t my area of interest, this collection is Highly Recommended Viewing..!
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