Directed by:
Joe D'AmatoScreenplay:
George EastmanCinematography:
Joe D'AmatoComposer:
Carlo Maria CordioCast:
George Eastman, Annie Belle, Charles Borromel, Edmund Purdom, Michele Soavi, Lucia Ramirez, Mark Shannon, Katya Berger, Ted Rusoff, Carolyn De Fonseca (more)Plots(1)
A man is running, followed by a priest. He comes across a house but the tall gates are locked so he begins to climb them, however he slips at the top and impales himself on the spikes. Injured to death he's taken to an hospital. Once there, the doctors discover that this man has an amazing regenerative power and his blood coagulates very quickly, making him almost indestructible. Sergeant Ben Engleman is put on the case, and he finds out that the priest has the answers: this man, Mikos Stenopolis, is the result of a nuclear scientific experiment gone wrong. He's now completely insane and will kill everybody who crosses his path, showing no mercy. (88 Films)
(more)Reviews (4)
I don’t quite understand how this could get into the list of the cult videonasties. It has only about four brutal scenes that don’t even show that much and there aren’t any scenes with nakedness and sex, for a change. Even modern, more commercial stuff like Hostel or Borders would fit better in such list. The first fifteen minutes may be entertaining thanks to the raw atmosphere (typical for 1970s Euro-horror), but they can’t compensate for the more than one hour that follows. Absurd is lifeless trash and its cult status is truly absurd, I guess. Two stars for the atmosphere, the killer (he should be in another film) and the scene where they roast a head in the oven.
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The story is one of those that aren't designed to have a crucial twist, although we do get some sort of revelation. The primary goal is for us to observe what the camera can capture in a way that makes it all believable. Believable and disgusting. This succeeds, even though the characters aren't particularly well-written or exceptionally acted. Absurd belongs to the good Italian gore school and definitely showcases its special effects quality, which is also the reason why it's worth watching. The ending is truly spectacular in terms of special effects.
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I believe that George Eastman, the representative of the bloodthirsty beast, had a lot of fun writing the script and what he produced and made together with D.Amato is "pure" trash. The script and the performances are adequate, i.e. awful, there is no suspense and the scares don't work. However, compared to the poor first one, there is no boundless boredom, the gore is more frequent and more elaborate and the ending is quite good. D’Amato surprised me, so three and a half stars, which is too much for him :)
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This Italian slasher borrows the character of the killer from the previous year’s classic Anthropophagus, without that film’s atmosphere and tragic mystery, but rather with the simple storyline of “a monster on the run goes on a killing spree”. The intense soundtrack and the character of the priest chasing the “boogeyman” suggest inspiration in Carpenter’s Halloween, but instead of any filmmaking inventiveness, it plays on crude violence, cruelty and gory brutality. Absurd is an average though still decent Eurotrash horror flick in the context of the subgenre. **1/2
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