Anybody out there ever hear of a little film called August Underground? Chances are you've heard of it alright, but have never seen it because it's almost become a myth of sorts amongst the horror community. A few years back, we received a VHS screener of August Underground, and to this day we still get emails about our review for the film (review here). I'm not going to get into specifics just now, but screeners were eventually recalled and the film was never distributed, that is until recently. One half of the original August Underground team was and still is Fred Vogel a former instructor at Tom Savini's school of FX. After seeing Fred's films, you'd likely think he should be immediately committed, but trust me when I tell you that in person, he's a genuinely nice guy - and extremely passionate about his art. Fred formed his new company, Toe Tag Pictures and released a limited edition VHS of the original August Underground, which he self distributed through Toe Tag. Soon after, work began on August Underground's two ambitious sequels, one of which was recently released as a special edition DVD called August Underground's Mordum.
Even if you've never seen the original August Underground, I'd be willing to wager that you're familiar with the basic premise. A couple of sicko killers, run around town - slicing, dicing and torturing their victims as they videotape the entire excursion. It's mean spirited, grotesque and at times, very difficult to watch. It's also very realistic and well executed for this type of film, which is what impressed me the most. Along the lines of Man Bites Dog and the soon to be released The Last Horror Movie, August Underground's Mordum, takes the 'serial killer videotaping his exploits' sub genre to a whole new level of depravity. You will feel dirty, outraged, upset and confused after a viewing of Mordum, which means the filmmakers have truly done their job here, not just that, but they've done it exceptionally well.
There's not much of a story to be told here, essentially what we are given is random home video footage of these depraved minds at work. Essentially led by Vogel himself along with Christie Whiles, other Toe Tag members stop by for some fun as well, including Michael T Schneider and Killjoy. The footage itself ranges from mildly amusing (harassing a store clerk) to outright sick and disturbing. While none of these characters are portrayed as particularly likable by any means, they still remain quite fascinating to watch, you'll definitely view them as real people. One of the strongest selling points of Mordum is the fact that it seems VERY real.
Now, it's not my job to sit here and hype this film up so you go in with expectations that are bound to disappoint. What I can do is tell you that August Underground's Mordum is way extreme, very sick, and once again, comes across throughout as too real for comfort. Let's pick out a few scenes to discuss in particular so you can see exactly what it is that you are getting yourself into. In one moment of utter nastiness, a woman and her boyfriend are dragged out of the makeshift coffins they have been bound and gagged in. The woman is raped, while the young man is forced to sever his own penis, (quite slowly mind you) with a very tiny pair of scissors. After his penis is detached, one of our killers picks it up, performs a bit of faux felatio on it and then proceeds to use the severed member to masturbate the young man's girlfriend with.
This is all just for starters, an appetizer if you will. In another extended scene two young girls are held hostage and put through all sorts of devilish atrocities from the groups female abductor. The young girls are taunted, constantly vomited on (which in turn causes them to vomit as well) stripped down and physically abused in more ways than I'd really like to mention here. Although I would like to tell you about the one girl who is gutted, only to have one of her attackers viscously fuck her in her now exposed stomach, nasty.
In addition to the nastiness of the actual crimes, we're also given a brief insight into our abductors, their lives and mindset. While these scenes don't actually give us any solid answer persay, they do offer us a certain level of explanation, and dare I say sympathy. There's an awfully bizarre family unit presence here, and even with as little exposition as we're offered - there's a certain level of understanding that manages to come across. It's a brutally honest portrayal of true dysfunction - amongst family and friends, and extremely effective, even as (or especially when) they turn on one another from time to time.
The quality of Mordum on DVD is about what one would expect - bad. Shot on video, Mordum is supposed to look like a mediocre home video and it does. To the filmmaker's credit, the viewer is able to see just about everything he/she is meant to view. Dark scenes are dark, and there are more than a few instances of artifacts. Still, the cheap, gritty look lends to the realism of the whole affair. The mono audio sounds fine as well, not that there's a whole lot of meaningful dialogue to be found, but when something is said (or shrieked) it's quite audible.
Extras include trailers for August Underground, August Underground's Mordum, and the upcoming August Underground's Penance, deleted scenes, a music video, and a still gallery with some great behind-the-scenes shots.
Through and through you will believe that you are watching a legit home video/snuff film. You will despise the abductors and feel for the victims. You will feel as if you have been put through the wringer just as much as those who are harmed and it's mostly (if not all) an unpleasant feeling. August Underground's Mordum, is a brave, effective hard-core horror film. While it's bound to have as many fans as enemies, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this flick and supporting the fine folks at Toe Tag Pictures - who seem to have a true independent spirit. This film is most certainly not for everyone, so you know who you are. |