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Special Effects

  • 1984
  • R
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Special Effects (1984)
A director makes a movie based on a murder he committed.
Play trailer1:43
1 Video
36 Photos
DramaHorrorThriller

A director makes a movie based on a murder he committed.A director makes a movie based on a murder he committed.A director makes a movie based on a murder he committed.

  • Director
    • Larry Cohen
  • Writer
    • Larry Cohen
  • Stars
    • Zoë Lund
    • Eric Bogosian
    • Brad Rijn
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Larry Cohen
    • Writer
      • Larry Cohen
    • Stars
      • Zoë Lund
      • Eric Bogosian
      • Brad Rijn
    • 23User reviews
    • 26Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:43
    Trailer

    Photos35

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    Top cast13

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    Zoë Lund
    Zoë Lund
    • Andrea Wilcox
    • (as Zoe Tamerlis)
    • …
    Eric Bogosian
    Eric Bogosian
    • Neville
    Brad Rijn
    Brad Rijn
    • Keefe Waterman
    Kevin O'Connor
    • Det. Lt.Philip Delroy
    Bill Oland
    • Det. Vickers
    H. Richard Greene
    H. Richard Greene
    • Leon Gruskin
    • (as Richard Greene)
    Steven Pudenz
    • Wiesanthal
    Heidi Bassett
    • Neville's Asst. Director
    John Woehrle
    • Studio Executive
    • (as John Woerhle)
    Kitty Summerall
    • Andrea's Roommate
    Kris Evans
    Kris Evans
    • Cosmetician
    Mike Alpert
    • Taxi Driver
    Larry Cohen
    Larry Cohen
    • Journalist
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Larry Cohen
    • Writer
      • Larry Cohen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    5.41.4K
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    Featured reviews

    5merklekranz

    "Columbo"..... with nudity ...... without Peter Falk ...................

    "Special Effects" could easily pass for a weak episode of "Columbo", except for two things. There is nudity and there is no Peter Falk. I can just imagine an episode titled "Reel Death" on my television screen. This is not far fetched, as director Larry Cohen wrote no less than three episodes of "Columbo". Unfortunately "Special Effects" has problems. The gorgeous Zoe Tamerlis would not be one of them, that is until she opens her mouth. Her acting was perfect in Ms.45 since she played a mute. The New York locations and Eric Bogosian's artistically decorated film studio offer more entertainment than the film itself, which is almost awful ........................... MERK
    5drownsoda90

    Plodding thriller never quite gains traction

    "Special Effects" follows a filmmaker who murders a naive, wannabe actress in his New York City home. After, he cons the woman's ex-husband into appearing in his film about her life and demise, attempting to recreate her murder with a lookalike actress.

    Larry Cohen is alternately considered an auteur and utter hack depending on which critical circles you ask, and I frankly have not seen enough of his work to make a judgment call. That said, "Special Effects" is a bit of a tiresome thriller that juggles some interesting ideas surrounding self-reflexivity and voyeurism, but as a movie, never quite satisfies.

    Part of this is due to the screenplay feeling lopsided and disorienting, and Eric Bogosian frankly does not make for an effective or menacing villain. The lack of threat and any sense of true danger legitimately strips the film of suspense, which is ironic given Cohen's clear admiration for Hitchcock. Zoe Lund's performance here is effective as Elaine (the second actress who becomes a vessel for Bogosian's replication of reality), but her turn as the naive Texas woman who first meets her demise is laughably bad. Brad Rijn is a serviceable and handsome leading man, though his chemistry with the other actors feels shaky. Like with most of the film, the pacing and tone of the finale is bizarre and feels rushed and slightly sloppy, though it is ostensibly the only moment where Cohen seems to ramp up toward something daring.

    In the end, "Special Effects" feels like a lost opportunity. Its core thematic ideas are intriguing, but the execution is half-witted and feels quite sloppy at times. Save for Lund's turn as would-be-dead-girl-number-two and some time capsule photography of 1980s Manhattan, there is frankly not a whole lot to praise here. Worth a watch for hardcore genre fans, but that's about it. 5/10.
    4Falconeer

    A Chore To Sit Through

    It seems like Larry Cohen was trying to emulate DePalma with this ambitious, but poorly realized knock off of "Body Double." Some nice sets and decent shots cannot change the fact that Zoe Tamerlis is the WORST actress ever captured on film. If you thought Bo Derek or Pia Zadora were bad actresses, then after seeing Zoe in THIS, those ladies will look like Kathryn Hepburn and Meryl Streep by comparison. Usually poor acting isn't too much of a distraction if the material is good, but every time Tamerlis speaks it is painful. Eric Bogasian and Brad Rijn fare much better. Larry Cohen has made so many great movies, mostly in the 1970's, which seemed to be his decade. Interestingly he made another film the same year as "Special Effects," called "Perfect Strangers," which is actually MUCH better than this one. Strangely it's not nearly as well-known, probably due to the fact that it isn't flashy, and loaded with sex and violence. You do get plenty of that in this film. My advice is to skip this one and seek out "Perfect Strangers" instead. This movie gave me a headache, and I feel like i lost some brain cells in the process.
    6HumanoidOfFlesh

    An average film!

    Larry Cohen's "Special Effects" is an average snuff-themed horror film.Eric Bogosian plays here an on-the-decline director who murders a starlet(brilliant Zoe Tamerlis,who sadly died in 1999)on camera and decides to use a dead ringer to make a film about the killing."Special Effects" is average-the script is mediocre and the action is dull at times.Still the snuff/murder scene(the strangling)is pretty nasty!The ending is also effective.All in all I'd recommend this film for undemanding horror fans-it's really nothing special,but if you want a passable time-killer...
    7Hey_Sweden

    "We make it up, and then we make it happen."

    Eric Bogosian of "Talk Radio" fame stars as Chris Neville, a hotshot young filmmaker. His career is going downhill fast, so he decides to try something unusual. He films himself murdering aspiring starlet Mary Jean (the late Zoe Lund of "Ms. 45" cult stardom), then proceeds to make a movie telling Mary Jeans' sad life. Swept into the filmmaking process are Mary Jeans' husband Keefe (Brad Rijn, "Smithereens"), and the detective (Kevin O'Connor, "Let's Scare Jessica to Death") investigating the case; the detective quickly gets stars in his eyes. Neville actually finds a young woman who's a dead ringer for the murdered actress, also played by Lund.

    There is a good idea here, about satirizing the entire movie-making business, and showing what happens as real life and reel life blend together. It's written and directed by low budget movie icon Larry Cohen, so you know that he will come up with some interesting material, and movie moments. (It IS intriguing to think what a filmmaker of Brian De Palmas' sensibilities could have done with this!) It's a good blend of art and trash, with a little bit of sex and shots of the beautiful Lund baring her body. It's also a marvel of art direction: dig that garish studio and townhouse in which Neville does his dirty work. Perhaps the most entertainment value arises out of O'Connor enjoying his "technical adviser" capacity and becoming fixated on receiving the appropriate credits. Given that Neville is such a smarmy character, you watch and keep waiting for him to get his just desserts. Michael Minard supplies a fun electronic score that unfortunately is used a little too much.

    The performances are fine. Lund has a field day in her dual roles. Bogosian is superb as the creepy director. Rijn, O'Connor, Bill Oland, H. Richard Greene ('Mad Men'), and Steven Pudenz offer fine support.

    The most striking image of all: Neville standing on a floor completely covered with headshots. (Among those he thumbs through is one of Dustin Hoffman as "Dorothy Michaels" in "Tootsie".)

    Seven out of 10.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      One of the head shots Neville and Detective Delroy look through is Dustin Hoffman as Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie
    • Goofs
      Andreas hair changes from wavy to curly in each scene
    • Quotes

      Reporter: What directors influenced you the most?

      Neville: Abraham Zapruder.

      Reporter: Who?

      Neville: Honest Abe.

      Reporter: How do you spell that?

      Neville: J-F-K.

    • Alternate versions
      The UK video version was cut by 30 secs and edits shots from the stranglings of Andrea and the blackmailer, as well as heavily reducing a scene of Neville watching film footage of Andrea's murder.
    • Connections
      Featured in King Cohen (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Just A Face (But Just The Same)
      Performed by David Snider and The Defiel Band

      Music and Lyrics by Michael Minard

      ©1984 Minard Music Company-ASCAP

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Special Effects?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 16, 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Cutting Room
    • Filming locations
      • Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Hemdale
      • Larco Productions
      • Larry Cohen Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 46m(106 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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