Review by Peter Syslo
DEAD BODY MAN CHRONICLES (2008) is a 4th Floor Pictures production, which is distributed in a two-disc special edition DVD by GMD films (www.gmdfilms.com), (www.gmdfilmsonline.com). I am kind of torn, because I want to be fair and not sound like an arrogant a-hole, but at the same time I have to give an honest assessment. I just didn't like this film; it did have some funny moments but overall, it just fell short of my expectations. It did have some positive aspects, such as some of the storytell ing techniques and the production quality, but I felt that the core content was lacking. When it comes right down to it, I like to be entertained by a film but part of that entertainment is being engaged with an interesting story. For instance, DEMON KNIGHT may have been a total bomb if it hadn't been for the cool storyline. Another example is DRACULA 2000 – it would have been really bad (and not in a good way) if it wasn't for the great story underneath it all. DBMC would have been better if it just had more of a solid story and if it had a steady pace and direction for that story.
DBMC is produced, written, directed, filmed, and edited by Ryan Cavalline. It stars Eddie Benevich, Peter Blessel, Doug Moore, Jason Senior, and Todd Proesl.
DBMC is the story of a guy named Willie (Benevich). He was born to a stripper (in a memory-burning scene) and he was raised by a cannibalistic Vietnam Veteran. The majority of the film focuses upon Willie's stay at a psychiatric group home and the misadventures of Willie and his fellow housemates: a chronic masturbator; an alcoholic cuckold who runs the home; a paranoid-schizophrenic; a “loose” former porn star; a Hitler wannabe; and a man in a Quiet Riot/Hannibal Lecter mask. The whole film is basically a background story on Willie and it is meant to explain why he is a killer. The kicker of it all is that it is told in a “bedtime story” fashion by a deranged grandpa, to his grandson.
As I said before, the core story is a little obscured and that is the reason why I disliked the film. I was hoping for a film that was a little more serious and a little more focused, because it looked great from the standpoint of the DVD cover. I thought that it was going to be more of a behind-the-killer film or more of a slasher film, but it took a whole different direction. I did like the sense of humor (very twisted) and the sight gags were hilarious at times (the female porn star's stretched “lips”; the chronic masturbator; Hitler) but it got a little too convoluted and crazy. It started off very interesting, with the insane stripper-birth (words can't do it justice – you have to see it) and the cannibalistic ' Nam vet, but it seemed to lose its focus and identity after Willie went to the group home. I understand that Cavalline was going for a “tongue-in-cheek” type of film which played with the stereotypes surrounding serial killers, but I just wanted to see more of a logical progression of things and better pacing. The first fifteen minutes of the film are actually pretty unique and it does “grab” you (you definitely know you are watching something different) – it just didn't sustain that “grabbing” effect throughout the film.
Getting to some of the positive aspects, I really liked Cavalline's style of storytelling. There is a very surreal edge to the film, especially in that first fifteen minutes, and I thought that it was very daring and different – Cavalline definitely has some strong filmmaking skills. For example, the whole stripper birth scene was shocking and I was glad that he chose to “go there” (plus the effects were very ingenious – the bloody after-birth was filmed as being a red sludge which dipped down the camera lens or a piece of glass – very jarring and vivid). When the ' Nam vet was telling his story, there was the backdrop of war footage behind him – also very vivid, in a NATURAL BORN KILLERS sort of way. At the end, Willie sells “hot dogs” in an extended carnival scene which was totally surreal and brilliant (…and I did say out loud, “This is really f--ked up!”). Also, I can't forget how the “stretched” porn star kills a man with her vagina – I'll just leave that to the imagination, but I will say that it was also very bold and unique. Even though I didn't like the film, overall, I thought that Cavalline did a very good job with the production and he is brimming over with a unique style. Speaking constructively, I would really like to see him focus that style with a better script/story; it would really showcase his odd, yet refreshing techniques.
Cutting to the chase: DEAD BODY MAN CHRONICLES is a tough one. I didn't like the core content of the film; it was a little too scattered and it lost its steam early on. But, I did like the filmmaker's edgy, unique style. Also, the acting was pretty good – everyone gave a convincing performance and adhered to their characters (the humor played well off of the performances). So, as a reviewer, this is one of the toughest films that I have encountered. Again, I have the utmost respect for the filmmaker and I'm not just trying to be a trendy internet personality, making a name for myself by needlessly trashing a film to gain acceptance from the “cool” film community. I love the film medium and I have admiration for anyone who picks up a camera and puts his/her heart into it. To sum it up, if you like “zany” types of horror films, which are heavily based upon slapstick/comedy then you may like DBMC. If you like Troma, Hack Movies or the like then you may also enjoy it. On the whole, I like my horror to be a little more serious in nature but I did like the surrealism that I saw in this film. I give DBMC a 4/10.