Industrial Animals

d. Sam Mason Bell; w./p. Sam Mason Bell, Tamsin Howland; cast: Sam Mason Bell, Tamsin Howland, Thomas J Davenport

Distributed by Troma but a long way from Tromaville, this disturbing, transgressive hour-long feature stands thematic comparison with Fluid Boy or The Hell Experiment. Director Ellis and cameraman Owens hire a prostitute for three days, interviewing her and filming Ellis partaking of her services, all for a putative documentary. She says they can do anything with her and go as far as they want, but how far is far enough, or too far? The film explores notions of abuse, power, vulnerability, dominance, submission, (mis)trust and misogyny, with both Bell and Howland going beyond the call of duty as actors. Ten minutes from the end, it takes an unexpected new direction which is at one and the same time more horrific and also more comforting – because it’s weirdly less transgressive. Mostly found footage, seen through Owens’ DSLR, although that is abandoned towards the end without detriment. Some of the less clear dialogue is subtitled, albeit with numerous typos. Entirely made by the three actors except for the score and impressive sound design.

• Available online via TromaNow

The Holly Kane Experiment

d. Tom Sands; w. Mick Sands; p. Tom Sands, Phil Harris; cast: Kirsty Averton, Nicky Henson, James Rose, Lindsey Campbell, Carl Gower, Simon Hepworth

An unengaging and unsatisfying film with an unclear plot and unsympathetic characters, this mind control conspiracy thriller from the writing/directing team of Sands pere et fils is at least considerably better than the dire Nazi Vengeance. Holly Kane is a hypnotherapist whose research into… something involves a flotation tank and a cocktail of unspecified hallucinogens provided by a friend. Her work is unexpectedly bankrolled by a smooth but creepy old guy who covertly works for the Government and overtly wants to get into her pants (in scenes that are uncomfortably rapey). None of the unlikeable characters have a clear goal; we don’t know what they’re trying to do so don’t care whether they achieve it. The hokey scifi dialogue includes talk of ‘clinical trials’ but the film-makers don’t seem to know what that means. Shot in October 2015 in London and Brighton, with scenes in the Royal Pavilion and on a cross-Channel ferry.

• www.thehollykaneexperiment.com

Red Kiss

d./w. Nigel Wingrove; p. Robin Woodgate; cast: Chantelle, Laura St Claire, Belladomma

Largely plotless hardcore lesbian vampire fetish feature of principal interest as a rare directorial credit for Salvation Films head honcho Wingrove (Sacred Flesh). Two girls in PVC outfits meet in a nightclub then go to a room full of cobwebs for a 25-minute G/G session. One cuts her hand which awakens a vampire dominatrix downstairs. She takes the brunette off for some BDSM then does the same with blondie. Then she takes them back upstairs and watches them basically repeat the first scene. Finally she cuts her wrist and dribbles blood into their mouths (and on their tits) before a G/G/G session to round things off. An epilogue has the two girls waking up, thinking it was a dream, then sprouting fangs and lunging onto a passing bloke. Shot in one day in 2004. Wingrove’s attempts to be slightly arty are frankly wasted here. Music by Band of Pain and Bent USA. Not on IMDB. A bizarre third BDSM sequence halfway through features the blonde and a girl dressed entirely in bin liners and carrier bags. Released on DVD in the Netherlands and Germany in 2007.

Dead and Awake

d./w. Alexander Fodor; p. Paul Allan-Slade, Kevin Phelan, Parvez Zabier; cast: Funda Onal, Jason Wing, Ian Alexander, Ryan Ebling, Renate Morley, Emmy Proctor, Bruce Wang, Carmen Coupeau Borras, Nadira Murray

Stunningly confident and accomplished, this stylish, intriguing, gripping horror feature should be much, much better known. When her car (with dead husband in the boot) breaks down, a young woman finds herself among a group of criminals whose kidnap of a teenage girl has gone fatally wrong. They don’t trust each other and are all scared of unseen client ‘The Skincrawler’. Fodor’s script and direction never take the easy, safe or lazy option, creating an enigmatic film packed with fascinating, shadowy characters, twisted relationships, and a jigsaw narrative. Subplots of mind control and psychic powers mentioned in the synopsis are neither obvious nor necessary, to be honest. Gorgeous cinematography by Isaiah McAye and skilful editing by Fodor himself are topped by simply the best sound design I've encountered in a British horror film. Jaw-dropping work by Leonardo Stoppa: bravo, sir. Fodor’s only other features are an Azerbaijani drama and a 2007 version of Hamlet.

Trash Arts Killers Volume 1

d. various; w. various; p. Sam Mason Bell; cast: Suki Jones, Chris Mills, Rebecca Rolph, Aaron Thomas, Alice Mullholland, Simon Berry, Jessica Hunt, Suzy Weatherall, Michel Du Vegan, Rennie Pilgrem,

Enjoyable avant-garde anthology compiled by Portsmouth-based Bell (Industrial Animals) who wrote and/or directed five of the ten segments. Highlights are: The Angel of Decay – obsessive ‘Bundyphile’ emulates her hero; Desire – abstract bondage imagery with hints of cannibalism, directed by Martyna Madej; South Bank – extended video selfie of man drinking, smoking, collapsing and visited by Death, from Martin W Payne; Attraction – young married couple flicker between loving and violent realities; and The Call – Poe-esque tale of woman driven mad by hit-and-run guilt (sound design by Spirits of the Fall helmer Rusty Apper). Other writers and/or directors include Jackson Batchelor, Jessica Hunt, Mike Reed, Chris Mills and Ryan Edwards. Segments vary from 12 minutes down to brief snippets, some silent, some black and white, some non-continuous, some conventionally shot, some experimental, some with title card and credits, some without. Not everything works, but there’s enough here to satisfy anyone with an interest in underground contemporary UK horror. Available on Versusmedia via your Firestick, Roku etc.

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Welcome to Essex

d./w. Ryan J Fleming; p. Philip Scott; cast: Catherine Delaloye, Greg Burridge, Muzzy Tahir, Sarah-Grace Neal, Sophie Jones, Michele Reynolds, Jonathan Walker, Robert Evans

England’s most reviled county, titular location of so many awful crime films, is finally redeemed with this impressive micro-budget zombie epic that has moments of genuine brilliance. After a sudden zombie apocalypse, a handful of survivors set off for the coast, gradually losing members along the way. The boilerplate plot is leavened by fine characterisation, especially Burridge as the squaddie leading the group; both script and actor make him a believable soldier rather than a gung-ho actor playing dress-up. Locations, characters and dialogue are all distinctively local without falling into parody, and local support is evident in terrific scenes featuring dozens of abandoned vehicles and hundreds of zombie extras. With some enjoyably gory deaths, numerous moments of both humour and pathos, and a cameo by Russell Brand (sadly not eaten by the undead). The actual film runs 100 minutes but sit through the 16-minute credits for funny out-takes and great jokes in the text crawl. Mostly shot in 2012/13, four years of pick-ups and post pushed the release back to 2018.

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Blaze of Gory

d./p. various; w. David VG Davies; Cast: Juliette Strange, Nathan Head, Jade Wallis, Robert Chapman, Mark Ivan Benfield, Oliver Malam, Asleigh Gloyne, Simon Craig, Jenny Miller, Rami Hilmi, Susan Adriensen, Vikki Spit, Sandra Veronica Stanczyk, Victoria Broom, Emily Booth, Rudi Barrow

Unashamedly sleazy and sadistic anthology of sexual violence executive produced by Davies, based on stories written by Blaize-Alix Szanto when she was just 12/13. ‘Stories’ is stretching it as 10 tales crammed into 110 minutes, mostly based around extended scenes of bloody violence (with some good prosthetic effects), leaves little room for actual narrative. Recurring elements include knife rape, incest, VHS tapes and the Damocles Foundation, an organisation also in Davies’ Monitor. Originally planned as linked stories with a wrap-around tale, there are still vestigial connections between some segments. Shot between January 2013 and September 2015 by ten directors including Szanto herself, who was 20 when this was finally released. Individual segments played festivals as shorts. Strictly for connoisseurs of gore.

Details: 'The Beer Cellar' (Szanto): pub-owning couple hit problems because the wife is having an affair and the husband is screwing the kidnapped girls they keep downstairs. 'If You Were Here' (MJ Dixon): woman who was abused by her father hallucinates that he’s on a VHS tape and then attacking her. 'Sick Little Boy' (Simon P Edwards): schizophrenic young man is confused by feelings for his hot, abused stepmum. 'Young and Naïve' (Antoni McVay): young woman kidnapped by psycho stalker imagines her revenge. 'Abort' (Yana Kolesnyk): East European back street abortion leaves mother dead, baby alive; 12 years later it takes revenge. 'Snow' (Davies): fairy tale allegory as paranoid older women hires woodcutter to dismember stepdaughter. 'Masque of the Red Rape' (Robert Noel Gifford): nutter videos himself torturing young woman. 'Monster' (Andy Edwards): murderous young woman incarcerated in mental asylum kills staff and escapes. 'Precious' (Jason Wright): mother calls in team to exorcise possessed daughter. There is also a brief story among the credits directed by Chris Yardley.

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