Lovesusti
The Worst Film Ever
JinRoz
For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Michael_Elliott
Savage Weekend (1979) * 1/2 (out of 4) Five New Yorkers head to the country so that one of them can check on a boat that he's having built. Once there they settle in but soon a psycho in a mask shows up and starts killing them off.SAVAGE WEEKEND might seem like a Friday THE 13TH or HALLOWEEN clone but this here was actually made in 1976 but not released until 1979. With that in mind, it's easy to see why this thing wasn't released because outside of a few good things there's really not too much here worth watching. The biggest problem with this picture is that it's pretty much deadly dull and you're just waiting around forever for something fun or interesting to happen but you just keep waiting and waiting.The boredom is the film's biggest fault as we're introduced to some slightly interesting characters but absolutely nothing is done with them. We get incredibly boring subplots that just drag the film down even more. The characters are pretty much what you'd expect from a one-note film like this. You've got the divorced woman fearful of her ex but she's still with her new boyfriend. You've got the slut friend and of course there's a good-looking man there for her. The fifth member of the group is a gay man who is basically just comic relief but I will admit that he's the best thing about the film. Not only do we get some funny scenes with him but he also manages to beat up some rednecks in a local bar.The murder sequences are all mostly forgettable as there's not enough memorable violence or gore to recommend this to horror fans. The actual mystery is kept fairly well but at the same time you don't really care who is killing everyone. The film ends with a decent machete versus chainsaw battle and I will admit that the set-up of the picture pays off nicely at the end. Still, SAVAGE WEEKEND is a forgettable horror film that not even the non-stop nudity can save.
Roman James Hoffman
I was interested in watching 'Savage Weekend' after hearing it mentioned in the same breath as 'Black Christmas' and 'Silent Night, Bloody Night' in being a type of proto-slasher flick as, despite being released in 1979, it was filmed pre-'Halloween'. However, apart from being made in the 70s and featuring a killing spree, it has nothing in common with the aforementioned films and is really more of an exploitation flick than a slasher. Maybe some would consider this hair-splitting, but the main thing is that, regardless of how you categorise it, 'Savage Weekend' is basically an exercise in almost totally forgettable film-making.The plot has a rich New York businessman taking a vacation upstate with a group of friends to his summer house where a creepy local has been hired to build a large boat for him. While there they hang out, sunbathe, flirt, and have sex a lot which for some may seem a bit gratuitous. For my money, the sex is an important part of the attempt at a plot as it is the sexual politics among the city types, the libidinal frustrations of the locals, and the interactions between them which pushes the film forward (albeit at a slow pace) and indeed the sexually charged atmosphere is well crafted in parts and may have resulted in a better film.Two-thirds in, the violence kicks in. However, the release of the sexual tension isn't executed well and the sloppy editing lets the film deflate before your eyes and robs the kills of any suspense or anything to sate those in search of 'Friday the 13th' style Tom Savini kills…save for the needle kill, that is. In conjunction with the painfully, painfully obvious red herrings and consequent (yawn) "twist" reveal, as well as the lacklustre final confrontation, when the film finished my overall feeling was one of boredom. Sure there are a few good scenes, and a couple of good ideas, but taken as a whole this movie offers nothing. Whether you chalk it up as a slasher or an exploitation film, this rates quite poorly and can be safely avoided.***********************Public domain movie. Watch free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKz3-WBcVv8
qormi
Not bad....very low production values, obvious cheap budget, but the acting is okay and the plot and pace are okay, too. One of the country bumpkins was of "Larry, Darryl, and Darryl" fame from the Bob Newhart Show; this time playing a much edgier Darryl. The lead actress, Marilyn Hammel, is very hot and a very good actress. Why she had virtually no career aside from this is a mystery. The ending was not predictable,but the light switch was. The violence was understated, but very unnerving. Much better than many of the subsequent slasher flicks. One thing - the fights were very phony. They should have used stunt doubles or hired a fight choreographer and ran a few takes until they got it right.
Chase_Witherspoon
Five people take a trip to a backwoods community where one of them is restoring a large boat, the ownership of which is a matter of considerable anger on behalf of local yokel Otis (Sanderson) whose father, and the original owner of the boat, has recently died. Otis is "none too pleased" that city folk are taking away his blood, sweat and tears and he plans to get even. Meanwhile, promiscuous Shirley (O'Heaney) sunbathes naked, has random sexual encounters with Jay (Goldenberg) while the new boat owner (Doerr) and his girlfriend Marie (Hamilin, essentially the central character) are also indulging their carnal desires at every given opportunity. Flamboyant queen Chris Allport minces about, making salads and peeping lustfully as the two couples cavort, all the while Otis is plotting his revenge by his late-father's grave-stone.It reminds me of a poor man's "Deliverance" in some respects and while at first glance, the cast may be unfamiliar, many of the faces are recognisable. Sanderson, Allport and Pomerantz have become better known actors, while Gale (pre "Re-Animator") appears in an early role as the sinister-looking Mac, all-purpose local man who could be a hero or a villain. Despite these names, it's Caitlin O'Heaney's presence that really emboldens this low-budget slasher flick. Light years before "Tales of the Gold Monkey", the brassy brunette is like a divine nymph and between Allport's colourful peacock like performance, the two make an odd yet engaging pair.If you can overlook the moments of despair (Hamlin's cow-milking scene or the irritating banjo music spring to mind), there's enough material in this low-budget shocker to make it worthwhile. And while the climax descends into little more than a killing spree, it's energetic, gruesome and the plot twists satisfying. I watched this film many years ago and found it underwhelming, but on second more recent viewing, there's more depth in the cast and sub-text than perhaps initially meets the eye.
