Complex mindscrew following an underground newspaper journalist(..who authors the Cacophony Gazette)whose life is turned upside down when he visits(..supposedly)a flamboyant magician, Montag the Magnificent's gore-themed magic show which repels the audience with a(..supposedly)staged murder, through a chosen planted female assistant in the audience. Kip Pardue is Ed Bigelow, the writer who always dressed in suits and fedora hat as if he belonged in a Bogart movie, finding that his reality could very well be an illusion created by the drug tetrotoxin, planted on his hands thanks to Montag's handshake. He discovers that Montag's assistants are all chosen through the service of supplier Dr. Chong(Brad Dourif)winding up dead the night after their tour of duty for his live act. Ed utilizes the services of his pal, "Jinky"(Joshua Miller;Near Dark, The River's Edge), a coroner, in helping to establish Montag's use of a drug to possibly trick his audience in believing that they're seeing a live murder, quite an illusionist trick, while also hoping to indict him with their actual killings. But, what Ed soon discovers is that perhaps his whole life has become an illusion, the tetrotoxin creating a existence of constant disorientation and the impulse to attack those who provoke a negative response. We watch throughout the movie as Ed begins to breath into a paper bag as if hyperventilating, with bones cracking/popping due to the excessive abuse of tetrotoxin which is coursing through his body. Bijou Phillips is Ed's "girlfriend", Maggie who might or might not have been a whore working for Dr. Chong. Jeffrey Combs is Montag's "opening act", a filthy alley-cat who eats maggots and bites off rat heads as a means for sickening the audience in preparation for the really nasty stuff to come afterward.
I was excited when I rented this just because Crispin Glover was in it, as the magician who seems to be actually killing those he performs fake murders on stage. As expected(..with my hopes fulfilled), Glover brings his glorious weirdness to the film, creating such a strange stage performer in the magician, Montag. This isn't his film, unfortunately, as Pardue gets the lead as the very confused and befuddled reporter who may be used as a pawn in Montag's games of illusion. Dourif, well, is Dourif, creating a manic "salesman" who treats clientèle to whores and drugs. Wild-eyed and temperamental, Dourif provides us with yet another memorable character. Combs hides underneath scraggly hair, beard, and tattered clothes, quite an accurate depiction of a homeless nut-case willing to go the extra mile to put on a performance which would make an audience gag. Miller is a far cry from that annoying brat with an attitude we remember from THE RIVER'S EDGE(..also starring Glover). Sporting a beard and curly locks, tossing witty liners often hurled at Ed, he is much more mild-tempered than the kid who used to clash with those around him. The film mostly features CGI gore(..and even this is shown from a distance probably to be on the safe side as to not expose the special effects)when Glover performs his grisly stage acts on female victims(..the film proudly proclaims that the Suicide Girls perform the demanding tasks of standing on stage naked as Montag mistreats/humiliates them). The story is demanding and will require patient viewers willing to go the extra mile until everything falls into place with a satisfying(..to me, anyway)finale when we get answers to a lot of head-scratching scenarios which present themselves as Pardue's "hero" wishes to expose Montag for the criminal he is. But, Dourif's "connections" with Glover's Montag regarding his "girls" also plays a major part in the grand scheme of things. Pieces to a puzzle come to fruition as the bizarre plot continues to the end. Clever, but difficult, this remake of HGL's notorious gore film will probably alienate some while others might find it rewarding due to it's challenging story.
I was excited when I rented this just because Crispin Glover was in it, as the magician who seems to be actually killing those he performs fake murders on stage. As expected(..with my hopes fulfilled), Glover brings his glorious weirdness to the film, creating such a strange stage performer in the magician, Montag. This isn't his film, unfortunately, as Pardue gets the lead as the very confused and befuddled reporter who may be used as a pawn in Montag's games of illusion. Dourif, well, is Dourif, creating a manic "salesman" who treats clientèle to whores and drugs. Wild-eyed and temperamental, Dourif provides us with yet another memorable character. Combs hides underneath scraggly hair, beard, and tattered clothes, quite an accurate depiction of a homeless nut-case willing to go the extra mile to put on a performance which would make an audience gag. Miller is a far cry from that annoying brat with an attitude we remember from THE RIVER'S EDGE(..also starring Glover). Sporting a beard and curly locks, tossing witty liners often hurled at Ed, he is much more mild-tempered than the kid who used to clash with those around him. The film mostly features CGI gore(..and even this is shown from a distance probably to be on the safe side as to not expose the special effects)when Glover performs his grisly stage acts on female victims(..the film proudly proclaims that the Suicide Girls perform the demanding tasks of standing on stage naked as Montag mistreats/humiliates them). The story is demanding and will require patient viewers willing to go the extra mile until everything falls into place with a satisfying(..to me, anyway)finale when we get answers to a lot of head-scratching scenarios which present themselves as Pardue's "hero" wishes to expose Montag for the criminal he is. But, Dourif's "connections" with Glover's Montag regarding his "girls" also plays a major part in the grand scheme of things. Pieces to a puzzle come to fruition as the bizarre plot continues to the end. Clever, but difficult, this remake of HGL's notorious gore film will probably alienate some while others might find it rewarding due to it's challenging story.