Snuff 102

Snuff 102 is a new movie in the "overhyped and labeled as most brutal ever" category. Like all the movies in that category (Murder Set pieces, chaos,etc) its not "that brutal" as reviews and comments wants us to believe (there are lots of fake reviews in this kind of movies, specially on MSP). What is Snuff 102? Well, lets start from whats not. This ain't a new August Underground, its a completely different kind of movie. Snuff 102 Its a movie with a traditional plot, its not a "fake snuff". The story is similar to Thesis or 8 mm but featuring some gross and very well done gore FX and some internet footage of animal killings. Overall, its worth a look, its boring sometimes (its too long and very slow-paced IMHO), the plot twist at the end is very predictable but its well done and its a good movie.

Now to start with, I would never recommend this film to anyone, with a clear conscience. This is the work of utter evil and sheer cruelty of the highest order. Even if you are familiar with the works of Extreme Cinema, this one rises to an even higher level than that. Upon watching this film, I got the impression that it was a work of hatred towards humanity and without a shred of apologetic or good intentions. This is an exercise in sheer depravity. It depicts acts of violence from characters without a shred of redeemable qualities. Mind you, the film never pretends to be anything that its not and it promises on what it delivers. Sheer torture, not only for the characters, but the viewer as well. We are thrust into a very very dirty atmosphere with a low budget that is evident in every scene, but the director takes advantage of this, making it even dirtier, if that were possible. Having said all of this, does this film serve a purpose? Yes, I think it does. Unlike August Underground, which was just based purely on shock value, this film attempts to explain the meaning of snuff films and the types of people who are into it. So, it separates itself from the usual Pseudo Snuff Film, by at least attempting to give us an insight into the psychology behind these sorts of films in the sub genre. However, this isn't much of a redeeming quality, and although it is of a higher standard in the Pseudo Snuff sub genre that in itself is a sub genre thats lacking in real movie quality talent, that is not saying much. Viewer, definitely beware!

Gory Argentinian film that doesn't really have any plot, the film switches between a girl's home, a room where three women are being held captive by a psychopath and psychobabble by an expert who tells us what are the reasons behind Snuff films and why the subject holds the publics interest. Snuff 102 also intersperses some dodgy internet "Snuff" clips, all in all the film is a sickening viewing but it left this viewer cold. I like this kind of material on occasion, but it was more the styling of the film i don't care for. Like the expert in the film says, those who watch such films don't really care for those that are being butchered, i have to agree.

As the title suggests, this is a Snuff version of classic I Spit On Your Grave. Three chicks get tortured, until one of them escapes, and kills the main villain. There's also a side plot to this film, that the chick that escaped did a investigation on the suspect, that did his mass-murders.

I'm going to be brutal honest here, when it comes to fictional Snuff-Movies, this one is probably the tamest i have seen, which was really a let down. Comparing this to Guinea Pig, Grotesque, Altroz and The Butcher, it's safe to say that Snuff 102 has no weight to the fictional snuff movies i have listed and seen.

The main problem i got with this film, is how boring it was. The whole movie was so slow, and repetitive, half of the scenes could of been cut out in order for this film to flow better. Until the last 20 minutes, everything else in this movie was painfully boring, and i could not wait for it to end. I have to mention, this movie does contain scenes of some real death gore scenes, one of which is where they slaughter a pig in Croatia, and they present is as snuff, which is understand why, is to compare the human body to a pig, for Snuff killers, the victims body is just like a Pig.

The movie is trying to prove a point, that Snuff-filming is just equal as Pornography, in the sence, that the human body is being exploitated and humiliated, and that there's no limits on the internet, that you can be perversed as you wish on the internet.

This movie could of been way better, if we had more likeable victims, that had any kind of backstory, the only one that has a flat barely exsisting backstory and development, is the chick that is investigating this guy. Sad to say but hour and twenty minutes of this was so boring, and you barely cared really. Yes the movie has some graphic scenes, if you never watched a fictional snuff flick, this probably could move you ill, however if you are somebody that is a veteran to extreme cinema, it's probably not going to bother you, and most of the effects look really cheap, and all of it is blacked out, probably because the budget was not there.

The only thing keeping this film at two stars, is the fact that it has a plot, because there's movies out there that nearly have zero plot, and are just a brain melter, like Gummo, Where The Dead Go To Die, and Begotten.

An investigative reporter, researching the phenomenon known as 'snuff', gets some first-hand experience in the subject after she is abducted by a psycho, taken to a blood spattered basement, and filmed whilst tortured (along with a couple of other unfortunate victims).

If you are a fan of extreme underground horror, then you have probably heard at least some of the controversy and hoopla surrounding this film (about the realistic gore, which led people to believe that the on-screen carnage they were seeing was real, or how the director was beaten up by an irate member of the audience after one particularly nasty sequence). However, any extreme underground horror fan worth his (or her) salt knows that it's never wise to believe the hype: more often than not, the rumour-mill isn't exactly providing accurate information.

For starters, I've seen this film described as 'faux-snuff', which it most certainly isn't: with its multiple camera angles, distinct narrative, creative editing, and an effective thumping industrial soundtrack, it could never be mistaken for 'the real McCoy' (and I don't believe that was ever the director's intention). Also, the gore in this film isn't really that graphic: sure... a LOT of nasty things happen to the women in the basement, but Snuff 102 manages to suggest a lot more than it actually shows.

The quality of the footage is grainy and has been treated with filters to achieve a distressed look; much of the action occurs in shadowy conditions, making it hard to discern what is happening; and clever editing deceives the viewer into believing that they have seen much more than they actually have. So, the 'chiselled teeth' scene, although certainly nasty, isn't as stomach-churning as it might've been, and the 'stomping' of the pregnant woman (the killer crushes her head and her distended belly), which is admittedly nauseating in concept, doesn't really warrant attacking the film-maker.

Much more disturbing, in my mind, is the inclusion of genuine images of pain and suffering taken from the internet (the sort of thing to be found on dubious sites such as Ogrish or Rotten), and a couple of scenes of animals being killed and mistreated (I always find real gore difficult to stomach).

Director Mariano Peralta has certainly delivered a gutsy, taboo-busting film which is genuinely unsettling, but is it the last word in gruelling snuff-themed cinema, as some might claim? Definitely not. Snuff 102 has far too many moments that drag (a very dull beginning and lots of talking throughout), is a little repetitive, and features much too much in the way of artistic pretension for it to walk away with that accolade.