August Underground's Mordum (2003)

I love this movie so much

Truly Dreadful Film

Fresh and Exciting

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Fred Vogel's original August Underground was a totally repulsive, yet very convincing piece of fake snuff that worked well due to the fine performances from the leads, the authentic camera-work, and the ultra-realistic gore.For their follow up movie, August Underground's Mordum, ToeTag Pictures have increased the level of sickness, depravity and violence, but in doing so, have lessened its effectiveness as pseudo-snuff. What happens in Mordum is so OTT and grotesque, that it no longer seems real. Despite being a wall-to-wall catalogue of violence, the result is a pretty tedious film (there's just TOO MUCH screaming and swearing) which ultimately lacks the visceral impact and shock value of its predecessor.Although not a great film, Mordum will nevertheless find an audience amongst gore-hounds and fans of extreme cinema thanks to some fine stomach-churning effects and a few very sick taboo-busting scenes: a man is forced to emasculate himself with a pair of scissors; a woman makes herself vomit over her two screaming victims (who not once put up any resistance); a man guts a woman, then drops his trousers and proceeds to have a go at the dead woman's abdominal cavity; and then there's the notorious bath scene which takes sexual deviancy on film to a new (low) level—Hell, I don't even want to describe what happens here!!I'm going to be generous and award Mordum 4 out of 10 for its sheer audacity and willingness to go the extra mile to offend, but to be honest I found it quite tiresome; it really should've been so much better.

This movie is an attempt to pull on a string in the darkest part of someone's subconscious and see just how much you can unravel.It lacks any razzle-dazzle or flair, it doesn't burden itself with overture. It simply shows you what could happen if we suspend our disbelief and spend 77 minutes trying to fathom what is motivating the protagonists.Some would say it doesn't have a plot, though I would counter that when the events of all three August Underground movies are considered there is certainly a story arc if not a definite plot. The plot exists outside of the films: How did you come across these movies and what were you expecting when you started watching them? This movie is a marvelous couple's activity for the dark and twisted ;)

This film is in all sense of the word... horror! If you sometimes like an occasional horror flick, go away, rent, watch, see, get involved in something else! You won't like this. Even in the event of the excitement of being told you won't like this.... YOU WON't LIKE THIS!!!This is, in every sentiment, an absolute, cut to the bone horror fans film!Even a seasoned gore, snuff, extreme horror fanatic can appreciate the boundaries this film attacks. Only the truly dedicated will find this film appealing. I love horror, and I give this film a higher rating purely because of it's absolute shock power!This is not a scary film! It is in absolution horrific!!!The cinematography is rigid; borderline awful. The acting is.... so foul that you may almost believe that antagonist's could be real!Those who question the acting at all, could arguably be appealing for a scapegoat from this film. I didn't once believe that such horrifying acts of human indecency could, or have not occurred.There is no mold for this film! Cannibal holocaust comes to mind; but even it had a moralistic endeavor... a plot at the very least.A U M! is the essence of pure chaos! A film that represents absolute indifference to human life. It almost makes a mockery of child sexual abuse, but saves itself with it's only hint of human questioning. Apart from that, there are no holds... it's barbaric, ancient, and relentless!It examines, and exposes the narcissistic voice in all our minds. Face it! You have all thought of at least once of the horrific happenings in this films... you have! And that is why this film resonates so negatively with everyone. To avoid anguish, and anger against human prehistoric mentalities avoid this! It is not simply a shocking scene from the book/T.V series A game of thrones! This will shock you! SHOCK YOU!You will hate it because you've been programmed to! Do not watch this! Unless shock is what you want! This isn't a scary movie! It's a horror movie! An absolute horror experience! You've been effin warned...Hold onto your cocks boys!You've been warned! Guys don't watch this in the hopes of scaring a lady into your safe arms. She will most probably violently resent any attempts of compassion once this film begins... No Sh%^t!

I guess when you're seeking out the most messed up films you can find, all roads lead to toetag in terms of gore fx. I really appreciate the work and effort Jerami Cruise puts into his trade. It takes me back to the pre CGI days when people had to be creative without the use of computer effects. Obviously Jerami is a master and this is extreme cinema, so the gore is definitely taken to extremes not really seen elsewhere. That's pretty much where the fun stops however. These films merely stand as set pieces for gore and have no plot, character depth of anything to actually make the scenes tense and frightening. It's no surprise they're involved with death metal bands, because both the people who make these films and death metal bands seem to fall so easily into the stereotype of pigeonholing themselves as extreme. The obsession with the macabre and brutality seems to distract them away from actually creating anything that hits the mark they are going for by trying to freak people out as much as possible. Tension requires release. When your film is the cinematic equivalent of someone jumping out of a box and screaming in your face for 90 minutes, the initial effect is surprise that quickly subsides into a dog & pony show where someone pulls the same rabbit out of their hat repeatedly asking whether you're shocked or not. In the end the attempt falls flat. It's easy to be controversial when that is your only goal. Especially when that goal is given more weight than the substance of making the people in your film have legitimate motivations and feelings anybody can actually relate to. That is the kind of stuff that allows these gore set pieces to become truly unsettling and get inside of people's heads in a way I would assume would be the director's primary motivation.