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.

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.

Snuff 102 is a poor-quality attempt at a shocking, brutal thriller, but I cannot bring myself to hate it or even really dislike it. It is one of the few films with a relentless, oppressively grungy atmosphere that manages to be surprisingly disturbing. It is not as full of maiming and torture as you may think, sometimes dragging out long scenes of conversation and philosophy, yet it is much more disturbing than garbage like the sorry excuses of filmmaking August Underground.

Low on plot, yes, but high in its atmosphere and and aesthetic. The camera lens is grainy and dark, the gore effects are realistic, the film is soaked in a sickening brown-reddish lighting, but easily the best aspect of the film, which largely contributes to its disturbing nature, is the sound design. It's loud, overbearing, and clanging. We are blasted with loud industrial metal beats, synth and drums. There are gruesome sounds of wailing, screaming, and gory squishing, all while we are presented gruesome scenes of torture. Snuff 102 uses its low quality \cheap filmmaking to provide an outstandingly atmospheric film, one that leaves you feeling like you just need to take a long shower afterwards. Even without all the brutality, the grimy grittiness is almost sickening in this film, and it is the main reason I did not rate this film lower.

Additionally, Snuff 102 is more thought-provoking than I expected it would be. I would be hesitant to say this is not torture porn, but I also would not say it's a completely pointless film. The goal of the film is clear: to make a disturbing film with a message against human exploitation. The film makes its comparisons of pornography with snuff, as both are rely on abuse of the human body for personal enjoyment, all at the cost of the victim. It additionally argues that lack of restriction and privacy of pornography results in people willing to fall into total degeneracy; when you no one to stop you or discover you, why should you not fall into utter hedonism? It's a similar point made by Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (albeit a lot more effectively), but it uses snuff as an example to argue against pornography's perversion and evil.

Now, given my few praises of the film, why did I rate it so low? Truthfully, it's a bad film. It has earnest and respectable intentions, and it has some redeeming things about it, but it's technically atrocious. The camera quality is horrid, the cinematography is poor, the acting is stilted, the plot is practically non-existent, it's dragged out far too long in many scenes, and the editing is generally terrible. Though there are some interesting editing tricks using acceleration (visually reminiscent of Tetsuo: The Iron Man) the film's pasting of images on the screen, transitions and slow-motion outweigh the few decent cases of acceptable editing. Seriously, it sometimes looks like it was put in any old video editor, and random effects were just dragged onto the editing timeline. I have little to say here, as the technical quality is sloppy in quite literally every way, but it's honestly hard to blame the filmmakers, as it's clearly low-budget, and it isn't completely pointless, mindless exploitation (looking at you, August Underground).

Watch the film if you wish for a disturbing, gritty, and legitimately harrowing experience. Do not watch it if you are expecting a film of decent quality. Its brutal reputation is well-warranted, and it's far better and more disturbing than August Underground or Slaughtered Vomit Dolls. Still, it is hard to recommend unless you want some shocks.

This movie isn't rubbish because it's extreme, hardcore, brutal, or any of that. This movie is rubbish because it failed an attempt at a plot, it failed attempts of shock with unoriginal filmography, just drop the quality of other shock films by around 95% and you have snuff 102.

Gore 4/10 Camera 1/10 Music 1/10 Acting 3/10 Overall 3/10, feeing generous.

Just go watch Atroz.

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!