Angst (1983) An artsy German slasher about an unhinged madman (Erwin Leder) who’s released from prison and immediately goes about terrorizing a family at a remote country estate. There’s way too much exposition involved in the killer’s backstory, with endless, ham-fisted psychological motivations behind his slaughter – but we already know he’s a psychopath from the first scene. Technically ahead of its time and featuring some impressive, dizzying camera work that’s since been mimicked to death, this is filled with too many uninteresting characters and predictable shocks to recommend it. C
Effects (1979) Life imitates art in this well-intended but meandering mystery about a group of working class Pittsburgh filmmakers making a low-budget horror movie in and around a house in the Pennsylvania countryside. Personalities clash and reality is blurred when the movie starts to resemble a snuff flick. A clever concept and smart characters (several discuss their favorite kills in horror movies) are unfortunately wasted on dull execution and a rather annoying performance from Joe Pilato (Day of the Dead). Tom Savini supplied the special FX but they aren’t enough to lift this out from its dusty plot trappings. C
Grotesque (1988) A dumb but undeniably entertaining shocker about a young woman (Linda Blair) whose visit to her family’s mountain house is interrupted by a gang of murderous punks, who in turn are set upon by Blair’s deformed, revenge-fueled cousin. Things get complicated when cousin dies and Blair’s uncle (Tab Hunter) steps into his son’s shoes. Sort of the Diet Coke version of Last House on the Left with more of an emphasis on cheap exploitation than emotional investment in the characters. Despite being in small roles, the presence of Blair, Hunter, and Donna Wilkes gives the lowbrow production an air of respectability, but only just. The double twist ending has to be seen to be believed. B–