31 Days of Halloween: Mindwarp, Fangoria’s dystopian blood fest of horror
Welcome to Hell
Mindwarp – Angus Scrimm – Courtesy of Fangoria Films
Beneath the charred earth lies an unfortunate race of people. Due to their dire circumstances, they have turned into cannibals. Their idea of a good time is sacrificing undesirables by putting them through a gigantic meat grinder to drink their blood.
Stover and Judy are thrust into this hell hole. Judy is whisked away to be groomed as a “present” for the Seer. The Seer is the leader of the mutants.
On the other hand, Stover is doing hard time on some sort of back breaking archaeological dig. One of the items he unearthed appeared to be part of a food processor. The mutant bosses constantly beat him. I wonder if worker’s compensation is a possibility?
Finally, Judy is taken to the Seer. He is positively frightening. Wearing this mask of human flesh (Leatherface!) he is quite the imposing figure. Once his mask is removed we see it is Angus Scrimm! The Seer just so happens to be Judy’s long-lost father.
How Do I Love Thee?
It’s quite clear that Dad has lost his mind. He tries to convince her to rule with him and bear his children. Horrified, Judy runs away and tries to locate Stover.
Meanwhile, Stover is having issues of his own. He is in a pit being taken over by organisms that want to eat into his brain. Mission accomplished. By the time, Judy reaches him, he is transitioning into a crazed, blood thirsty cannibal.
When the Seer decides to sacrifice Judy because she has taken a hard pass on his offer to make babies, he makes plans to throw her in the grinder. Stover will have none of that and attempts to rescue his woman. He succeeds after tussling with the Seer and dispenses him properly. Blood Kool-Aid, anyone?
The Verdict
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- Pig Killer (2023): A morally ambiguous dive into shock cinema
- Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls: Demonically fun times
- Tobin Bell stars in new horror movie The Cello
I am not going to spoil the ending. Suffice it to say, you will either dig it or you will throw something through your plasma screen. The real question is should you spend time watching this flick?
Forgetting that I enjoy Bruce Campbell’s work, I am going to say enthusiastically, yes! If you are a fan of B movies, gore and trippy cinema then by all means, Mindwarp it. Scrimm and Campbell’s performances make it worthwhile.
Steve Barnett’s direction is adequate even though some of the effects border on cheesy but that’s okay. The script by John Brancato and Michael Ferris is a little disjointed because it seems like they were desperately trying for Omega Man and not quite hitting the mark in all the spots.
If you are in the mood for an atypical Halloween movie, then I highly recommend Mindwarp. So, give it a whirl and hook into the System.
Next: To Hell And Back with Kane Hodder doc (Review)