December 6 - 10, 2018
Holy crap! It's only 19 days until Christmas!
But I'm already digressing...
Holy crap! I was supposed to post this review on Sunday, December 2, and now it's Thursday, four days later [NOTE: Maybe even Monday, December 10th... and 15 shopping days left!] and I'm still working on the review..!
But, what else is new...
Welcome back to yet another episode of the so-called Netflix Connection! Originally, what I called (and, uh, only I refer to as) the "Netflix Connection" is a series of movie reviews that I wrote this year based on movies that I watched with horror bloggers, Mermaid Heather and Zombie Dawn. Unfortunately, we don't watch the movies all together in the same room (ooh... wouldn't that be cozy...) due to geographical circumstances (Hey! At least the internet is good for something, hahaha!). Usually we pick a film showing on Netflix (hence and etc.), but this time Heather had the inspired idea to suggest a film that was being made by filmmaker Scott Schirmer who had a Kickstarter campaign going on at the time for his latest horror feature, THE BAD MAN. So we three horror film musketeers agreed to contribute to the campaign and watch the film when it was released. And it has been and here we are! Yay!
Now, Heather's choice of THE BAD MAN wasn't arbitrary. It features Ellie Church, who's been in a number of low-budget independent films since she became an actress around 2013. In the last five years she's racked up 24 acting credits (so far), according to IMDb. Heather has me beat in how many Ellie Church films she's seen, although I can still say I've seen MANIA and Heather still hasn't. With Heather's assistance (because she's awesome!) and also on my own, I've managed to accumulate a decent collection of those films on DVD or Blu-ray: TIME TO KILL, HEADLESS, HARVEST LAKE, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED BIKERS, PITFIRE OF HELL, PLANK FACE, SPACE BABES FROM OUTER SPACE, DEAD BODIES IN #223, and now, THE BAD MAN.
However, besides our fascination/unhealthy obsession with Ellie Church, THE BAD MAN also re-connects us with the filmmakers behind HEADLESS which I not only have the DVD for, but I also saw it (!) AND wrote a review (!!). I'm telling you, the universe is sometimes crazy and unpredictable.
Anyway, enough bla bla bla... on to THIS review, shall we?
THE BAD MAN (2018, Written and directed by Scott Schirmer, with Ellie Church, Arthur Cullipher, Jason Crowe, and Dave Parker)
Mary (Ellie Church) and PJ (Jason Crowe) have inherited a bed and breakfast from Mary's grandmother, Ginny, who recently passed away. The couple have just arrived at the establishment to settle in, hoping to take a few days to re-group from the sad event and also to prepare for a new direction in their life. Also, they're looking forward to some time just being alone together. Unfortunately, those plans are going to be seriously derailed...
Only a few minutes after having arrived themselves, they hear a knock at the door. Puzzled, Mary says she cancelled all the reservations. They go to find a man waiting in the front hallway, Lawrence (Arthur Cullipher). Mary explains the circumstances of the death of the B&B's owner and that she tried to notify everyone that reservations for the weekend were cancelled. Lawrence didn't get the message but he totally understands the situation and he goes to leave, offering his condolences and asking if there's another hotel nearby.
He also mentions what a nice lady Ginny was and that catches Mary's attention. Because Lawrence knew Ginny from previous visits to the house, Mary has a change of heart and invites Lawrence to stay, especially since he's only staying overnight.
In private, PJ's understandably disappointed because he was looking forward to being alone with Mary, but Mary says the distraction is good for her.
Horribly, Mary's kind change of heart will be rewarded with a non-stop descent into hell.
Lawrence will kidnap, restrain and psychologically separate the couple. His ulterior motives for coming to the place is actually to transform the two lovers into "products" for a sick and perverse clientele who are in the market for sex slaves, with the customers having very specific agendas. Specifically, Lawrence aims to transform Mary into a "living doll" and to re-program PJ into being a "dog" to be used by a human master for whatever sick purposes. To top things off, Lawrence does all this in full clown make-up.
So, yes. The premise for this film is pretty sick and twisted.
Also, if you're a genuine fan of clowns because of the joy and good feelings they bring to children and the world in general, well, for god's sake, don't watch this movie.*
The primary cast for this film is Mary, PJ, Lawrence and, in a non-speaking role, Charlie, Lawrence's perpetually topless, muscled henchman whose face we never really see because he constantly wears a gas mask with the long tube dangling elephant-like, a visual that'e either obscene or comical or both simultaneously. Though, Charlie doesn't say a word throughout the film, his gas mask occasionally utters these terrible sounds approximating unfortunate associations with flatulence. On paper that sounds funny, but you usually hear these inappropriate and embarrassing noises when Charlie's mistreating PJ, so the whole effect is genuinely disturbing.
The bulk of the film is watching Lawrence's efforts to prepare his two products for sale, and the final act is when Mary and PJ are brought to the auction and we see more weirdos as they bid on the cursed couple (along with other unfortunate living products). The high bidders will take home their purchases and do with them what they will in secret and for as long as they like.
What's terrifying and (also depressing) about this scenario is that it has to compete with the audience's knowledge of reality, to some degree. In the past, a horror movie usually had some fantastic horror element that was firmly in the realm of make-believe: the Frankenstein Monster, a vampire, a wolfman, a creature that lived underwater and could walk on land, etc. But with films like PSYCHO and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, movie monsters started crossing into the demographic of... our own neighbors, people who look like you and I, but who harbor dark secrets. And now the horror films find "competition" with real life, like John Wayne Gacy who did charity work a clown but also lived a sinister secret life as a serial killer. Gacy is actually referred to in THE BAD MAN during a dinner conversation between Mary, PJ and Lawrence before the guest's true diabolical intentions are revealed. To refresh your memory, Gacy played "Pogo the Clown" at various charitable functions in a suburb of Chicago in the 70s, and, while doing that, he also had a surreptitious lifestyle where he sexually assaulted, tortured and killed at least 33 young men. Gacy also managed three KFC restaurants and was voted "outstanding vice-president" of the Waterloo (Illinois) Jaycees in 1967, the same year he committed his first sexual assault on a teenage boy. And this all actually happened.
Hell, even fictional zombies have to compete with real life.
That meta-discussion aside, THE BAD MAN does a nice job telling it's dark tale of two victims suddenly crossing paths with a sick side of society and how that particular society developed into a capitalist demographic. Writer/director Eli Roth's HOSTEL explores a similar idea, except in HOSTEL, the enterprise is kidnapping tourists and selling them to customers who want to kill and torture them in a safe environment. In THE BAD MAN, the customer is bidding on innocent people who have been programmed to be slaves to fulfill a specific sexual fetish. So, more of a specialty market in human trade. So, Schirmer's vision is either a pessimistic speculation of the world and where it can go, or THE BAD MAN is simply a glimpse 20 minutes into the future.
Ellie Church does a fine job here as the protagonist trying to survive her ordeal at the hands of Lawrence. Although she has her share of screaming and reacting in horror to the abuse her husband suffers and she herself has to endure, she also reveals a gentle, playful and loving dimension to her character when she's alone with PJ. Arthur Cullipher as Lawrence the Clown is a jarring combination of extremes: initially appearing as a kindly, arguably non-descript man with a kind face and polite and forgettably pleasant demeanor, he also reveals his believably disturbed and sadistic personality. Since Cullipher also directs and works SFX, I can't help but wonder what it's like working with him in real life on films when he's behind the scenes (cue nervous laughter).
The production values are quite good. It's sharply shot and I think what also enhances this independent film partially financed through Kickstarter are the props and production design that help depict this secret sinister world, like Lawrence's precise clown make-up, Mary dressed up as a doll, even the twisted scene when Lawrence wraps up part of Mary's body as a gift/punishment. The way her body is carefully packaged is a nice bizarre touch.
Also, as a product of a Kickstarter campaign, there were some cool extras that came with the limited edition Blu-ray I got (number 212 out of 450 copies):
The box's artwork features two designs: one cover's a photograph of Lawrence and the Doll, the other side is artwork which looks really great (I'll have to look up the artist);
One embroidered THE BAD MAN patch;
Six (6) autographed character cards;
A long sticker with individual photo portraits of the Doll, the Dog, the Clown and the Henchman;
Two (2), um, blank "product information" cards, one for a male, one for a female;
and
Two (2) wrapped lubricated latex condoms, each wrapper featuring a masked Dog logo saying, "Good Boys Wrap It Up!"
The Blu-ray package has 2 discs, one disc with the film, and the second has the 60 minute film, HOUSE OF HOPE, Scott Schirmer's first film PLUS 25 minutes of BONUS features.
A smartly designed little package!
If I have any criticism of the film, I think having the story bracketed by a television interview works against the telling of the story. Right from the start, this story is told in flashback as Mary tells what happened to her to a female TV reporter (who is unseen but we hear her asking questions). When I saw this as the set-up, I immediately wondered why do this? The implication is that whatever we're about to see from now on, we'll already know that Mary survives this, so it's kind of a spoiler. It removes a degree of tension, of suspense from the viewer right from the start. In fact, that idea is emphasized because the reporter describes Mary as a "survivor" as well. True, there are other elements to consider as the story continues, like what will happen to PJ, for instance. But still. And with this question of the narrative choice in my head already planted from the start, whenever we saw some of this interview throughout the film (it doesn't intrude often but it does come back) I felt none of it was necessary, it didn't really add to the story. But aside from this narrative decision, THE BAD MAN is an effective exploration into an unexpected, life-changing run-in with a practically invisible predatory element in our society.
Additional thoughts:
- THE CLOWN CONVERSATION AT DINNER: So, while they eat, Lawrence informs PJ and Mary that he also works as a clown. Mary confesses she's not a big fan of clowns and, to a certain degree, PJ agrees with her. So, there's a conversation where Lawrence is explaining the good he does as a clown and why he chose to do this and also the history of clowns before this bad rap became attached to clowns. And Mary and PJ keep coming up with examples, like Gacy, as to why they distrust clowns until Mary apologizes for being an "asshole." Of course, to be extremely simplistic and reductive, Mary's apology is sickeningly ironic: Lawrence will soon win the "asshole" title in spades. But, in hindsight, it's amusing that Lawrence's character seems to have compartmentalized his own behavior and attitudes so completely that he seems to be genuinely defensive during the conversation.
- SEXUAL ASSAULT AS PROGRAMMING: Okay, I confess. I took a peek at both Heather's and Dawn's reviews while I was still wrapping this review up. And Dawn understandably warns her readers about triggers for sexual assault as Lawrence's strategy to prepare Mary for what it will be like to be a living doll for a customer is essentially a regimen of varieties of rape. I understand this. She's going to be a sex slave, so she better get used to it. Although, really, I think Lawrence is just getting off on his own by doing this. Anyway, what I think is interesting is the idea of warning potential viewers of this story element, a practice that has grown over the past years. In movie ratings, for instance, it's stated if rape happens or is threatened in the film (along with drug use, etc.). I think this is a positive development. But, there's also another development over the years within the porn culture. Now, my knowledge of this is superficial, and I think I know just enough to get me into trouble, so my apologies if it turns out I'm over-simplifying the subject or even discussing it ignorantly. Anyway, I've heard that rape story-lines have been outlawed in porn films some years ago (I'm assuming after the 70s) and without researching it more, I wondered if there was some scandal where perhaps actual sexual assault was captured on camera and then sold as part of the film. In the era of so-called "roughies" I can imagine this scenario happening. But, now I see that there is a current porn genre where women (perhaps men, too) are subjected to gang assault and it's packaged like a rape fantasy for the actress. I have to confess to my personal shame and embarrassment that I've seen a few of these things, and I'm struck by not only the existence of this genre, but also the misogyny and barely restrained violence by the "assailants" toward the "victim" in some of these. And for the most part, the actresses seem to come out of it like they just accomplished some endurance test like a marathon or extreme rollercoaster. True, this is supposedly consensual and NOT everyone buys into this type of fantasy. I only bring it up because the subject matter of the film made me consider it. I guess my point is, the current culture in pornography now is such that you can be arguably be part of such a video and fairly easily, especially if you have a video camera and like-minded participants. What THE BAD MAN suggests is, even the most extreme behavior of sexual violence between participants isn't enough for some and that's simply because it IS consensual. For the buyers/consumers of this film's world, gratification comes only when you can have your way with someone and they DON'T want you to. The customers Lawrence deals with need to TAKE their pleasure from their products. And [SPOILER ALERT!] even then, one customer's gratification needs involve sex AND murder. It's, like, there's no pleasing these people! Also, transgressive behavior is already creeping into mainstream narratives. THE BAD MAN is labeled more of a genre film, but ROOM (2015) with an Oscar-winning performance by Brie Larsen is a drama, that tells of a woman captured by someone and kept as a sex slave and who raises her son in that environment. Like, to a certain degree, this terrible type of narrative is no longer that out of the ordinary. Just like serial killers like Gacy are no longer unique. Just like shooting sprees not only continue, but they have also "spread" from the schools to public venues. Just like... whatever horrible thing there is out there, it EXISTS and believe me, it'll soon be on the news. Tonight. People SUCK.
[NOTE: By the way, even though I brought up the subject of porn, that's mostly me free-associating. I wouldn't at all describe the filmmakers' telling of THE BAD MAN as nearly pornographic at all versus, let's say, stretches of THE BUNNY GAME, for instance. In fact, THE BAD MAN is almost restrained in its storytelling. In fact, I'll go further and say that a few certain moments I thought it could have indulged a bit in a more exploitative approach, but just saying that seems contradictory or hypocritical regarding responsible storytelling. Still... I'm saying it!]
- LAWRENCE'S ATTITUDE TOWARD MARY [SPOILER ALERT!]: This was an interesting final twist. Lawrence actually reveals he had feelings for Mary and makes a last minute bid (literally) to convince her to see him as a possible companion. He even begs, saying he'll change for her! This is so sad and pathetic. And messed up! I don't have anything really insightful to say, except this seems like a believable turn of events. People are so complicated. It's typical for people to avoid relationships because they've been burned, in order to protect their feelings. But, that doesn't mean they don't still crave affection and the need to love someone. Of course, Lawrence's ability to love is questionable as it is, but his change of heart reveals, I think, that his lifestyle is a choice and therefore, he can always change his mind. People aren't just bad. The so-called "weirdoes" who bid on the products at the auction, I'm imagining not all of them live 24/7 in their strange disguises and outfits. I'm assuming some are like Lawrence, able to carry on some degree of normal behavior and interact with "normal" society, too, while till juggling the tasks required of the perverse and predatory.
Even Charlie, the henchman. He had some change of heart, too, didn't he? Did he become attached to PJ? Or was he just upset that all their work was going to be blown away in an instant? Very curious.
Anyway, Scott Schirmer's THE BAD MAN is a fascinating film about a troubling subject matter. Well worth a look and, speaking personally, it was very cool that I was able to have helped bring this project to fruition, too. True, by only a very teensy contribution, but still..!
Check it out, ya weirdos! Also, check out what Mermaid Heather and Zombie Dawn had to say, too!
NOTE: Holy bonus material! In the past, in addition to Heather, Dawn and myself posting our respective reviews of whatever movie we chose to watch, we've also posted a conversation about the movie, just talking about what we liked, didn't like, or asking each other questions about what we thought in general about the movie. Well, we did it again for THE BAD MAN, but this time Heather also finagled some very special guests to join us! Writer/director Scott Schirmer and actress Ellie Church also participate in our conversation. Unbelievable! Check it out here!
Finally, if you want to check out my other reviews in the "Netflix Connection" series, just click on the links. And yes, I hope to finish the reviews to ALL the movies we've seen (stay tuned!)
#1. January - THE SILENCED
#2. February - THE BLACK ROOM
#3. March - THEY LOOK LIKE PEOPLE
#4. April - TRASH FIRE
#5. May - TAG
#6. June - DIG TWO GRAVES
July (My "bye" month) - HELL HOUSE, LLC (on Amazon Prime)
#7. August - BEYOND THE GATES
*Or TERRIFIER (2016), for that matter!
Updated and amended December 13, 2018. Link to THE BAD MAN conversation added Dec. 22.
