Monday, July 21, 2014

Dead Nude Girls (Ryan Nicholson, 2014)



        Modern Roughie. That was the term Mr. Parka used in his video review of Ryan Nicholson's new sleaze flick Dead Nude Girls that initially piqued my interest in it. Roughie. That is a term notorious in the annals of exploitation film fandom, a realm that few fans venture into. Since the 1960's the least reputable subset of exploitation has always had it's fans and been popular, from the Olga films, to the films of the Findlays, Cresse, Campa and onward.

In the 1970's through the early-1980's the roughie ended up being a subgenre of the porn world as well as the trash film world, and this era gave us some of the most notorious examples. Films like Forced Entry and The Taming of Rebecca pushed the envelope and about every button imaginable, and they sure as hell weren't the only ones.

In the late 80's through today, the Japanese have carried the roughie torch. The Guinea Pig series, Merzbow's Seppuku series, and notorious smutty splatterfests like Mu Zan E and Niku Daruma are definitely heirs to the roughie throne in numerous ways.

Now, what does this admittedly rudimentary incomplete history of roughie films have to do with Ryan Nicholson's new flick? Yeah, there's a history and some examples, but what IS a roughie, anyway?

A roughie is a type of exploitation flick that was born in the pre-porn days of the 1960's. Graphic sex, even graphic implied sex, was a big no-no in this time period while nudity was still permissible on the grindhouse and drive-in circuit. Nudity was the selling point back then, but there had to be a narrative to package it in. Some went the nudist camp route, ho-hum. Some went the nudie cutie route and punctuated their nude sequences with comedy, but after a bit few ended up being funny. The bravest and/or sickest of the exploiteers went the roughie route; they capped their softcore scenes with violence. Sometimes graphic violence, and sometimes graphic sexual violence. This was the classic, archetypal 1960's template of a roughie but it morphed over time, taking on a flavor reflective of their era but at their core they were all films where sexuality was as woven into every frame as violence was.

Ryan Nicholson's Dead Nude Girls is in every way a continuation of this tradition, with more than a passing resemblance to it's 1960's counterparts. DNG is essentially three short films featuring a rapist/murderer played by director Ryan Nicholson. In each of the sequences women are kidnapped or duped into returning to the killer's home where they are sexually humiliated and then murdered. Sound simple? It is. Simple does not mean bad, not at all.

The simple, trashy premise is imminently watchable due to the quality cinematography for what was obviously a quickly-made affair, as well as competent acting from all involved. All of the women seem like actual, real people giving believable and at times harrowing performances, particularly in the last sequence. Nicholson is eerily restrained in his role as the killer, staying more calm and deliberate than frenzied. The effects aren't wall-to-wall, but when they do show up they are quite effective.

While watching the flick I found myself surprised at how often I was laughing. This was not due to any incompetence, cheesiness, or "so-bad-it's-good" type bullshit, this was due to the streak of jet-black, deadpan morbid humor that runs throughout the movie. The sequence where a potential caretaker is being interviewed is truly funny due to some great performances and a suitably awkward and bizarre situation. This is where Nicholson truly shines and I'd love to see him tackle a movie that is comedic yet played totally straight, as I think he would nail it.

At various times, DNG has moments that remind me of almost all of the classic roughies I named above, as well as a grimy tone similar to films like Henry, and I also noticed a definite nod to Fulci's Touch of Death which I appreciated highly. Needless to say, fans of exploitation and horror from throughout the years will find much to smile about in their viewing of this short and mean lil flick.

I truly had a lot of fun with this one, and recommend it highly to fans of all eras of sleazy horror. It is evident Nicholson is a fan of this stuff, and it comes through naturally in all of his work. This, in my opinion, results in his films being more honest tributes to the horror and exploitation films of the past than any number of studio-backed, "homages," we are force-fed endlessly.  If this movie sounds REMOTELY up your alley, check it out at your nearest possible convenience.

I have copy 95/100 signed by Director Ryan Nicholson, so if you want one of the signed ones I'd get over to Plotdigger Films and order a copy A.S.A.P.! Also be sure to pre-order your copy of More Dead Nude Girls, the upcoming collection of more exploits of our sleazy killer!

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