Skinned Alive (2008)

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

One of the best parts about this movie was the music... when watching at 1am in a dark room by yourself, this music can really bring out the scares. Although it is easy to see the blood as fake, and the movie as shoddily-made, I would have to say that it is one of the scarier movies I have seen. Personally, it did little for me--I really only pay much attention to the base story (something that wasn't ever-present in this movie). While it was a bit of a scare, and gave me pause for sleep, I don't think it was meant as a full horror movie... It rather left me staring at the screen. I wasn't "scared" as such, but the thought of the vile acts done in the movie was the part that "scared" me... The thoughts of it, not actually watching it happen. Still, if you are a fan of low-order horrors, this would work for you. Just remember to be in a dark room... by yourself... at night... or it will be about as interesting as a cereal box.

Depressed, lonely insurance agent Jeffrey (Jack Dillon) lives alone in a huge house he inherited from his late mother. Striking out with every single woman he tries to ask out, Jeffrey becomes desperate enough to start arranging "dates" with women from an escort agency. None of them want anything to do with him once services are rendered, but things change once the mysterious Pandora (Melissa Bacelar) shows up at his doorstep. The two have an immediate emotional connection, but Pandora is harboring a deep, dark secret that will test their blossoming love... she's actually a cannibal who enjoys eating people alive! Will Jeffrey still stand by his new girl once the truth is revealed? Or will their union be cut short by thug brother of one of her victims (Joshua Nelson, also the writer), who's looking for revenge.I went into this with no knowledge about the plot or any of the people who made it and was surprised to see some genuine promise here. It's entertaining and a much more ambitious film than most micro-budget horror films I've seen. There's plenty of blood and nudity, the acting from the leads is OK, some of the dialogue is well-written and, compared to other films in its budget range, the sound and photography aren't too bad. The main thing I had a problem with was the fluctuation in tone. The film starts out being a dark and serious character study with an almost somber mood, but once Pandora reveals her secret to Jeffrey it becomes a little too camp for my tastes. Some of the humor works, but other times it falls flat or seems out of place.The filmmakers also toy around with keeping things ambiguous. We're never sure what exactly Pandora is. Is she a non-supernatural cannibal who just happens to crave human flesh, or some kind of monster? A vampire? A zombie? A demon? I liked this aspect of the film because slapping some kind of label on the character isn't even necessary. The film also introduces the idea that Pandora doesn't even exist and Jeffrey is just going mad, but that possibility is pretty much a waste of time since we've already spent part of the film watching "The Stalker" tracking down Pandora. The concept also isn't supported by the ending.Jeremy Selenfriend's gore fx are pretty good (especially a decapitation at the end) and there's a great Nine Inch Nails-style song over the opening credits, plus small roles for Jeanette Bonner as Jeffrey's concerned sister, Alan Rowe Kelly (I'LL BURY YOU TOMORROW) as a madam, Erika Smith (BITE ME!) as a prostitute and Peter Stickles ("The Lair") as a victim. It's set in New York City and has some decent aerial photography of the city.Worth a look.

I rented SKINNED ALIVE, a name given to James Tucker and Joshua Nelson's film originally titled EAT YOUR HEART OUT by LGF, a few weeks back. I later found that the film is available as a "Producer's Cut" from melissabacelar.com in a beautifully and appropriately named DVD "GORE WHORE" and of course I had to own it.GORE WHORE is a better title for this film than either EAT YOUR HEART OUT or SKINNED ALIVE. Melissa Bacelar, Lost Angeles Films, stars as a zombie ghoul-like prostitute, Pandora, that feeds her ravenous appetite for flesh by consuming her johns. Jack Dillon co-stars as the lonely and pathetic Jeffrey, who in a desperate attempt to find love after being rejected by all of his female co-workers and pretty much every other female he's ever known, turns to prostitutes. Jeffrey asks his "dates" to go to dinner with him after doing "business" and finds rejection in all of them, until one day Pandora comes calling. They fall in love - aaaaawwwwww - and Jeffrey is willing to look past the fact that not only is Pandora not Jewish as he is, but she's a flesh-eating undead ghoul or zombie. Joshua Nelson plays a character, only known as the Stalker, who's looking for Pandora and pretty much killing every pimp along the way in an attempt to find her. Alan Rowe Kelly cameos as Mama - a sick and twisted madame of a brothel and pimp that Pandora works for. Alan Rowe Kelly's performance is excellent and twisted. I love an actor that performs in cameo and supporting roles as though it was the most important role in the film and puts 110% of his talent into the role.I LOVE THIS FILM. It's sick, it's gory, it's well acted, and technically well-executed. The story works quite well. Melissa Bacelar is as beautiful covered in blood and eating flesh as she is on the cover of LOW RIDER magazine. The principal actors all hit the mark and execute well in character. The f/x are low-budget but believable and naaaaasty! This is my favorite screenplay from Joshua Nelson (Savage Roses Films) who has also written a couple of my other favorite low-budget horror films: Aunt Rose and Pink Eye.The biggest injustice to this film is the stupid "saw-like" hanging skin mask or SKINNED ALIVE title that just makes no sense.

A man (Jack Dillon) is lonely, oh so lonely. And when he cannot find a friend through the local Jewish singles scene (why they have to be Jewish, as he does not seem to be practicing, I am not sure) he turns to the adult ads to get some women in the other way. One of them, Pandora (Melissa Bacelar) is exactly what he is looking for and he tries to pursue the relationship beyond the customer-prostitute level. But she has a little secret.I put this DVD in my player and hit play, and was somewhat dismayed by the film quality. Better than home video but not quite professional level, I was afraid that I was in for yet another disaster. Less than five minutes in, however, I changed my mind... when the rocking soundtrack kicked in (presumably performed by Beyond the Shattered Mirror, who also did the score -- this guy (also known as Duane Perry) is amazing). What was lacking in picture quality was made up for in sound quality and I sat back to enjoy the film.While the plot is simple, it works effectively for what most horror fans are looking for. Blood, more than a fair share of nudity, and some suspense (not only is there a murderer on the loose, but a stalker trying to kill the murderer!). The blood and gore are rather fake, which was a drawback... but here again where the visuals were lacking they found ways to make up for it. "Hey Bob, our blood isn't really that gross." "How about we just let loose with gallons of the stuff, Dave?" "Sounds good."Melissa Bacelar is a star to be looking out for. While much of the cast is re-used from previous films by the writer and director (and are also in upcoming films), Bacelar seems to be on the edge of breaking into the big time. A Troma veteran -- like Kevin Costner -- she is ready to springboard. Be sure to catch her in this if you want to be the first one on your block to know her name when she's an A-list star.Overall, the film does not have the greatest draw, hence the mediocre ranking. Time better spent would be listening to an album from Beyond the Shattered Mirror, so I thank this film for turning me on to them. But if you cannot get enough of prostitutes (and a brief lesbian scene) then this is a film to check out if you can find it in your area. It was not perfect, but it had a lot of heart (no pun intended).