Another Son of Sam

Acting is atrocious, the plot is pure exploitation, the special effects are not believable. This movie should be included in those FB worse movies of all time videos.

I watched this because it was on my favorite channel (TCM) so there must be something there. Ben Mankiewicz owes me an explanation! I really do wish I could see his introduction!

My favorite scene was when the officers were huddled in the dormitory while the killer went about his business (bodies everywhere) and the lieutenant, deep in thought, scratched his cheek with the barrel of his gun. I laughed and laughed!

Another Son of Sam (1977)

* (out of 4)

An insane psychopath escapes from a mental hospital and before long he's stalking the streets and killing anyone he runs into.

That plot description makes this sound like a pretty good movie, right? Well, it starts off extremely entertaining as we hear gunshots and then see about several previous serial killers with a total number of victims. Then starts the title credits and from this point on ANOTHER SON OF SAM turns into a horribly boring and rather awful movie. This here was filmed in North Carolina so it's one of those regional horror movies that has picked up popularity over the years but sadly there's very little entertainment to be had here.

So, what's wrong with this movie? Pretty much everything but we can start with the plot, which is pretty messed up and rarely makes too much sense. It's almost as if they were filming the movie and forgot to film certain scenes as there are moments where things don't see to be connected or things happening out of place. The next awful thing is the editing, which is just downright bizarre at times and again there are a few moments where it seems like the film is broken.

The performances? Forget about it as they are quite awful but we don't really come to these types of movies for the performances do we? With that said, the dialogue is just as awful and there's really not too much going on here. What's worse is the fact that this clocks in at just 71-minutes and even at that time things drag.

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I was listed as production manager on this film... my very first! As a matter of fact, it was the first feature film for almost everyone who participated. Watch carefully, and you even get to see me in one of the opening scenes, as a soon-to-be-murdered asylum attendant named... "Cely" (my own last name).

Originally titled "Hostages" this picture was changed to "Another Son of Sam" by the Producer-Director who wanted to cash in on the serial killer in the news at the time. Nothing could have helped. I don't even think this picture was good enough to be shown on "MST 3K!"

The film was shot primarily with a collection of old Mitchell cameras and early Arriflex hand held cameras. Matter of fact, the shot of the helicopter during the hostage siege was filmed with my own WWII era Arri. The picture was filmed entirely in Charlotte and Belmont, North Carolina in the mid seventies. Most of the "Stars" were local TV newscasters, and the rest of the crew were just inexperienced enough or gullible enough to believe former stuntman and Producer-Director, Dave A, Adams' delusions of adequacy.

If you enjoy watching this kind of picture, you might love the work of another North Carolinian, the legendary Earl Owensby.

Another Son of Sam is definitely not an Oscar winner. Technically, it's horrible. The acting is not too good either. But there is something about it that makes you want to watch more (sort of like a car wreck). The ridiculous close-ups of the killers eyes are more funny than anything. If you are looking for a scare...this ain't the flick for you. It's very obscure and nearly impossible to find. I'm sure there's a reason for that. For a while, it was titled HOSTAGE. It don't matter what you call it, it's still a poor choice for entertainment. It might be good for a MST3000 party or something. Can you believe they would use such a title as ANOTHER SON OF SAM? If that don't have exploitation written all over it, I'll eat my hat. I remember when this was shot in Belmont, NC. A lot of local personalities were used as talent.