S&Man 2006
"I have a feeling real murder would never itself be that satisfying, you'd have to commit it yourself, that's the end point, not just watch it."
This is a mokumetary style film directed by J.T. Petty that surrounds a group of mock snuff film fans, actors, and academics that speak about and explore the violent trends in modern horror. The main focuses of the film are Debbie D, a scream queen who is enthusiastic about her work but seems quite tight lipped about going much deeper on the 'why' of the need for these movies. There's also Bill Zebub, a drunk who's known for his film Jesus Christ: Serial Rapist and is absolutely a pervert. We also follow Fred Vogel who likes to play the killer in films and is also most likely a pervert. And finally there is Eric Rost - the star and creator behind the S&Man series, pronounced Sandman.
On the academic side we listen a lot to Carol Clover who penned the book "Men, Women, and Chainsaws" and speaks quite frankly about gender politics in horror and the shift in horror movies over the years. The narrator also sits down with two people who study sexual deviance.
Mostly though this documentary settles on Eric Rost. At first the host speaks about wanting to track down his old neighborhood peeping tom who was caught filming everyone in the neighborhood. Once the neighborhood realized they would have to play the films in court, the charges were suddenly dropped and the peeping tom went free. But the pervert wouldn't agree to be in the film, so the narrator focuses on Eric. Eric's movies are him stalking one woman at a time and then killing them in remote locations. And at first you think he's just another mock snuff lover, trying to sell his videos but soon you realize he's up to something. When the narrator tries to meet with some of the actresses from the S&Man films, Eric keeps evading him. And the way he refers to himself and his movies is unsettling.
Look....I hated this film. I hated everyone in it, it made my uncomfortable and I had to watch Casper afterwords to get my sanity back. Why does the narrator just give up on the actresses? If he truly believed the obvious, that Eric is really killing these women, why doesn't he do more? It seems unrealistic and sticks out like a sore thumb in this "realistic" documentary. They also touch on a lot in the movie that if someone were to see a real snuff film, would it have the same impact as a horror film? And then we see Eric's films and of course they are unconvincing and boring. But...we get it? Snuff is awful and it freaks me out that it exists. But this mockumentary isn't a snuff film. These are actors being "killed." So the point they're trying to drive home is completely pointless. It's like they want you to go OMG IVE NEVER THOUGHT OF IT LIKE THAT. But yet everyone knows that. Snuff films are fucked up, mock snuff films are fucked up, and quite honestly - most people who seek out this stuff...are fucked up.
I will admit that with the interviews and scenes with the directors and actresses - you do lose the line of what is real and what is staged. So you do absorb a lot of what they're trying to get across. But, again, this seems like an obvious point being made.
Regardless,
I hated this movie. I don't know why ya'll recommended it to me so much? Maybe back when it came out it had a Blair Witch thing happen and perhaps people thought it was all real? And maybe it's fond memories or something. But I'm over here in 2017 like....no thank you.
Boring, cringey, uncomfortable.
0/10
Stay Spooky!
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