Thursday, May 3, 2012

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)
Little Deaths (2011)

Genre: Horror Anthology
Director: Sean Hogan, Andrew Parkinson, Simon Rumley
Starring: Luke de Lacey, Holly Lucas, Kate Braithwaite, Jodie Jameson
Language: English
Duration: 94 min.
Rating: 7.5  

Summary:
Three disturbingly sensual and terrifying short narratives, unified by the twin themes of sex and death.



Little Deaths is a collection of three short films from the UK directed by Sean Hogan, Andrew Parkinson, and Simon Rumley. It premiered in the 2011 Film4 FrightFest, and also screened in the SXFantastic section of the 2011 SXSW Film Festival.

Making a strong case for a New Brit Extremity, this anthology whose title is a play on the French metaphor for an orgasm, is a series of three absolutely twisted and perverse tales, connected only by their unflinching exploration of some deeply abnormal depravities, complete with extreme and violent displays of body parts and fluids (all of them); and the trusty presence of a soundtrack from killer post-rock outfit Crippled Black Phoenix.

The first episode titled House and Home is directed by Sean Hogan and follows a well-off suburban couple with the strange habit of picking up young homeless women, inviting them home on the pretense of a hot meal and warm bath, and then having their way with them. It's a scenario with a decent setup, and plays out more or less just as you would predict, however the acts depicted and the ways that they are shown are quite unsettling.

The middle piece directed by Andrew Parkinson is called Mutant Tool and is a Cronenbergian body horror/science fiction mashup that follows a woman who becomes an unwitting test subject for a mad doctor who develops a potent drug that comes from a highly unusual source. A vastly imaginative scenario held back by some over-the-top moments but nevertheless offers up plenty of clever twists and one absolutely unforgettable prosthetic effect.
 
Saving the best for last, the final story by Simon Rumley who directed last year's extraordinary Red White & Blue, is titled Bitch and gives us the portrait of a young couple with what can only be deemed a terribly unhealthy relationship. This one is the least explicit of the bunch but because of the director's clear strength in knowing who and what needs to be shown, and just when to show it, he delivers the most disturbing and most powerful tale of all.

Just as with any anthology the quality here is uneven, and the extreme nature of these shorts means that only a seasoned horror fan or an adventurous viewer with a very open mind will be able to appreciate them, but if you've read this far then chances are you fit into one of those categories. Check it out.

Bonjour Tristesse

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)

Little Deaths (2011)

22 comments:

FrontRoomCinema said...

I saw this available the other day... But I walked on by, with just one look at the cover.

The Reel Foto said...

you had me at sex...until i watched the trailer. :|

The Angry Lurker said...

The trailer and your description has me hooked!

Margaret said...

Wow, you really have a great eye for finding intriguing films. I'm definetly going to see this one.

CastorTroy said...

This sounds really intriguing! And the poster certainly is eye-catchy. I might give it a rent someday :D

Pete Turner said...

Looks and sounds pretty cool! Still need to see Red White and Blue too! Thanks for sharing!

d_4 said...

I think it ate my comment when I signed in! I give anything horror based a shot when you give it a 7.5, that impresses me since I feel we have similar standards. The trailer looked a bit cheesy, but I think, from what you've said, that I'll be able to enjoy it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Well I'm glad you didn't do the same today

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I thought it might.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks, I try :) and I look forward to hearing what you have to say about it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks for stopping by CT, It's well worth a rental if you are into extreme cinema.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks for visiting Pete. After this and RW&B I feel I have to track down Rumley's earlier stuff as well.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I'm testing out the new Disqus beta. Let me know if there are issues.

It's the last part that earns it the 7.5, the other two while interesting are not nearly as well executed.

d_4 said...

Signing in erased my message, that's all. Aside from that it was a bit more comfortable.

The Warning Sign said...

Oh wow, new comment system. Haven't seen the new Disqus yet.


This movie sounds right up my alley. I'm a sucker for a good anthology, and a horror one to boot.

Andrei S. said...

Sounds promising. I remember stumbling upon 'Little Deaths' a while back, but I didn't give it much thought then and moved along. I may go back on my decision after reading up on your review, though.

Goregirl said...

This is definitely going in the queue!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah, not sure I entirely like the default look of it, but the new features are nice, and it's now search engine friendly.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks Andrei, if you do get around to watching it, please come back and let us know what you thought of it.

Dr Blood said...

I watched this last year. All the movies should have been re-edited before releasing them as a DVD because they suck hard. The first one was quite predictable as the story has been done before, in fact quite recently in Creepshow III and a certain Masters of Horror episode. The middle one was excruciatingly dull and way out of of sync with the quality/style of the first and last. The last one was the best but again very predictable and the overpowering music at the end ruined it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

As with every anthology this is a mixed bag. I don't know how any amount of editing could really improve the first two, but I agree with you about the music in the last one, I'm a fan of the band so it didn't really bother me, but I can see how it would be a turn off for a lot of viewers.

Dr Blood said...

The first one needed to slow down the pace, develop the characters more and also be way more sexually explicit. Editing by adding more footage would have worked there.

The second one by the guy who did "Dead Creatures" was completely out of place and should have been cut out of the movie entirely. Is his name Parkinson? I'm writing this while tired (which perhaps I shouldn't) but I do know that he still uses 35mm film not digicams so I give him kudos for that.

The director of the last segment did exactly trick the same with "Red White and Blue". I think he wants it to be a trademark of his but it's a stupid thing to do and very annoying.

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