The Horror Show
Tapeworm
by Brian Hirschbine
There's an old expression that I just made up that says “Affluence leads to laziness”. This is specifically referring to horror movies, the one thing I can honestly say I've studied with passion for years (ask any of my teachers who taught any non-horror related class). It's not that I'm saying I hate big-budget horror films. I've seen plenty over the years that I've genuinely enjoyed. But the ones that I cherish the most are usually made on the cheap by indie filmmakers with a true passion for the genre. I became obsessed with Cult/gore/violent cinema when I first saw “The Toxic Avenger” (it was actually in the comedy section) when I was maybe nine or so. I was disturbed, uneasy.... and then quickly obsessed. My love for the Toxic Avenger led to my love of Peter Jackson's early films which led to my love of Toetag inc., Brain Damage Films and several others. I will always have a special place in my demented heart for the type of horror movies that you won't see mentioned on a TV promo or a preview before the latest “Transformers” movie. I like the ones that make you feel physically dirty and know that lack of Hollywood association can be re-framed into something more daring and original than one of the bigger companies would feel comfortable promoting. In my journeys I've found a lot of different things. A lot of gems, a lot of mediocre efforts and quite a few pretentious pieces of crap.
My latest fun ride with a lovingly done shoestring horror flick was “TapeWorm”. Made by “Abortion Bin Productions” a company with quite a few releases already under their belt, TapeWorm is a stylized project that makes you feel like the movie itself is decaying. I don't mean that last statement in a negative way; it's exactly how this particular film should be.
TapeWorm smacks you in the head right off the bat, by introducing our hero right in the middle of bloody chaos. The hero in question is Frank (Brandon Hursell), a young “hired investigator” who likes the bottle a little too much. He receives a desperate call from a work associate named Sylvia (J.C. Howe). Not long after her call, Frank finds the poor woman ripped open in a clearing. The crime scene is odd. There are bottles of water strung up onto nearby tree branches. And even weirder, she has a micro-cassette tape in her lifeless mouth. He quietly asks what she has “gotten herself into” and, unfortunately for Frank, he soon starts to find out.
Frank sets out to investigate and what follows is a full-on blood-soaked assault on the senses. Things get weird straight away, so it's the type of film you just have to take as it comes. The nastiness of the situation that Frank is investigating takes a turn inward when he is jumped in an alley and injected with some kind of sinister substance. This starts to take a toll on Frank, leaving his body a victim to certain... changes.
Whether they were direct influences or not, the film is in good company with the “Body Horror” subgenre. For those of you unfamiliar with this, the term refers to movies that deal heavily with the deterioration or compromise of the human body. David Cronenberg's “The Fly” is an effective mainstream example. But “Body Horror” for me at least, will always conjure up images of the work of Frank Hennenlotter and “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”. TapeWorm fits right in, with many odd abnormalities being displayed. I've always been partial to this type of film. They're often overlooked for the more classic slasher style (which I also love). These types of movies allow you to feel more for the character because it is something that we all can relate to. No, I don't mean that most of us have to deal with falling apart and bleeding from the mouth as some type of conspiracy, but sickness and deterioration of the body are among the most basic fears we as a species have.
I won't go into too much more of the actual events that transpire, partially out of respect for readers who hate spoilers, but also because it would be too difficult to do so. The film is not confusing or hard to follow (although is intentionally strange) but it clearly knows where it's going right off the bat. Even though you, as the viewer, won't follow everything (neither will our hero) it's obvious that plenty of thought was put into the story and that really keeps your attention.
I will make it very clear that it is a low-budget film. Some mainstream folks would see that as a negative but I never will. Sure, I've seen plenty of bad low-budget films, but if you've got the talent and the passion, it won't hold you down that much. Personally, I think budgetary restrictions are the very thing that can make a film work. I don't know if I would like, say, “Redneck Zombies” if it had the budget of a film like “World War Z”. And other than the Vietnam scenes (foreign countries are hard to fake on the cheap), I thought the forgotten despair classic “Combat Shock” was largely effective because it wasn't overly prettied up with the bucks.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you that TapeWorm is 100% flawless. Some of the dialogue is a little expected and generic, but a lot of it is pretty clever as well. None of the acting is bad, but some performances are better than others which can lead to the lesser efforts sticking out more. But none of the main characters are weakly performed and they certainly aren't boring. There really aren't any throwaway characters and each one has something memorable or unique about them. This aspect isn't just restricted to the characters. A lot of aspects of the film could have been basic and unmemorable but somehow the filmmakers manage to add little touches that make it interesting. From Frank's old-school style to the various mechanisms that come into play throughout the film, there's something to notice around each corner.
Although not perfect, TapeWorm is well into safe territory. I've often said that there really should only be one “law” or horror and it is simply never be boring. One person saying a movie is complete dreck and another saying that it's brilliant is fine. As long as both people remember it and it stays with them in some capacity. If being boring is the only cardinal sin, then TapeWorm has a pretty decent set of wings on it, and it's on its way up to Heaven. Although, since this is horror, Hell is somehow still a more appropriate destination.
PJ Griffin, HMS
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