Following the release of Antropophagus, director Joe D’Amato wanted to make a sequel, but writer/star George Eastman opposed it. He felt that given how the film ended, it wouldn’t make sense to do a sequel, but D’Amato wanted it. Eastman agreed to star and write after the original treatment was considered lackluster, taking some inspiration from Halloween. D’Amato shot the film in English and set it in the States to try and appeal to the US market. In addition to Eastman, English actor Edmund Purdom, best known for starring in 1954’s The Egyptian, was cast opposite him. The film was shot quickly in May 1981 and rushed out to meet a theatrical release that year. Like many Italian exploitation films, this one had numerous alternate titles, including Horrible, Antropophagus 2, and Zombie 6: Monster Hunter. However, its most widely known title is simply Absurd.
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Synopsis
After being subjected to church-sanctioned experiments that drove him insane, Mikos Tanoupoulos (George Eastman) is on the run. A Vatican priest (Edmund Purdom) who oversaw the experiments is tracking him down fearful of what he’ll do. Mikos gets impaled and disemboweled, but he’s taken to a hospital and revived before he kills a nurse and escapes. The priest informs Sgt. Engleman (Charles Borromel) that the only way to kill Mikos is to ‘destroy the cerebral mass’. Meanwhile, Ian Bennett (Ian Danby) and his wife Carol (Hanja Kochansky) leave their kids with their babysitter Emily (Annie Belle). Soon enough, Mikos makes his way to the Bennetts’ house and kills their family friend Peggy (Cindy Leadbetter). To make matters worse, their daughter Katya (Katya Berger) is bedridden due to a spinal injury. Will the authorities make it in time, or will Mikos make these children his next victims?
Review
While clearly an imitation of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, Absurd is still a solid Italian-made slasher film. The real highlight of the film is George Eastman, who is a beast of a man with some wicked faces. Much like in Antropophagus, Eastman fully embraces the character and makes for a truly terrifying killer, especially with no lines. Even though he’s filling in the Donald Pleasence role, Edmund Purdom brings plenty of class to the production. There are some pretty gruesome kills here, including a drill to the temple and a bandsaw to the crown. Granted, these don’t quite compare to the fetus-eating scene from the previous film, but they’re certainly up there. Also, the filmmakers take full advantage of the nighttime shooting to create a real sense of dread in the proceedings. For as much flack as he gets, D’Amato can be a decent director.
Admittedly, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between this and Halloween, such as mentioning the Boogeyman and even the music. That said, there are a few differences to help it stand out, so it’s not a complete rip-off. For instance, both the babysitter and the main authority figure are killed, and one of the kids dispatches the killer. Given how quickly this was rushed out, it’s impressive they were able to get a full movie this decent made. While it moves at a decent pace at 96 minutes, there are several dead spots of characters sitting around talking. It doesn’t help that there are some really annoying kid characters, most especially Willy, who acts like an obnoxious brat. Even if it’s not as slickly made as its American counterparts, this is still a decent watch for horror fans. Overall, Absurd is a good alternative to more conventional early 80s shockers.
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