Thursday, October 22, 2015

BLOODY KNUCKLES (2014)

BLOODY KNUCKLES (2014)

Label: Artsploitation Films
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 85 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Matt O.
Cast: Adam Boys, Kasey Ryne Mazak, Ken Tsui, Gabrielle Giraud, Dwayne Bryshun, Steve Thackray, Tim Lok, Jason Asuncion


If you want to win me over straight from the start of your movie paying tribute to splatter classic Street Trash (1987) and then launching straight into Mudhoney's "Touch me, I'm Sick" seems to be a pretty sure fire way to win my heart. Matt O.'s horror-comedy is a mighty fun blast of non-PC shenanigans about an underground comic artists named Travis who publishes the comic zine "Vulgarian Invasions" which offers a little something offensive for everyone, from a masked homo-avenger to pig-fellatio. Unfortunately Travis's latest issue takes aim at a local businessman named Leo Fong, an unscrupulous businessman who is secretly the head of an Asian street gang the Golden Dragons, he's also illicitly selling a toxic rat poison which threatens the community. 

When Fong finds out about the insulting underground comic he orders the Golden Dragons to abduct Travis and cut off his right arm with a buzz saw, afterward throwing his arm into the sewer. Afterward the distraught Leo takes to the drink and falls into a deep depression, pushing away his best friend and a cute young reporter, who is investigating Mr. Fong. One night while wandering the streets after dark a drunk Travis pukes into the sewer, unbeknownst to him the vomit lands right on top of his severed hand, which is reanimated and takes on a demented life of its own. The mischievous severed-hand, now in a sad state of decomposition, returns to Travis's apartment and tries to encourage him to take up the comic again, when Travis is unwilling to comply the arm sets of on a path of revenge, taking out one of the Golden Dragons and making life a living Hell for Travis. 

We've seen the severed hand horror movie before, with Oliver Stone's The Hand (1981) with Michael Caine, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2 (1981) and the underrated Idle Hands (1999). But none are as straight-up gross and offensive as this entry, I am not saying this is horror-comedy of the year, but it made me laugh and the gore was fun. If the idea of a severed hand sticking it's finger up someones ass and then putting that finger in the victim's mouth seems funny to you I think you are gonna love this one. 

Imagine Idle hands by way of Bad Milo and you have a pretty good idea what you're in for here . Adam Boys as Travis is pretty good, a young guy who loves to offend through his underground comic, a fun guy with a twisted sense of humor, whom after the traumatic hand-severing turns into a reclusive loner, the whole sad guy routine starts to wear a bit thin at times but the movie kicks it up a notch at just the right moment with a fun sequence at a gay s/m club with a bondage beheading and a leather-daddy bent on revenge, teaming-up with Travis and his severed hand to bring justice against Leo Fong and the Golden Dragons. This juvenile and sometimes revolting slice of cinema is one worth checking, fun stuff. 

Audio/Video: The disc from Artspoiltation is pretty stuffed with bonus content, beginning with an audio commentary from director Matt O.. There' are also two short films on the Blu-ray, one of which is just a ton of disturbing fun, dealing with a guy who has his cock gnawed off by an epileptic whore and is given a penis transplant, unfortunately the donor was a pedophile and in a way the brought to mind Body Parts the guy must now fight off his new found love of little boys. There are three deleted scenes, and a series of interviews with the participation of Cinema Sewer, Lunchmeat VHS, and a tour of Diabolik DVD headquarters, fun stuff. 

Special Features: 

- Trailer (2 Mins) HD 
- Three Deleted Scenes (3 Mins)
- Director's Audio Commentary with Matt O. 

- A Hate Letter To Censorship (7 Mins) HD 
- Diabolik DVD Tour (6 Mins) HD 
- Lunchmeat VHS Interview (5 Mins) HD 
- Q/A with Cinema Sewer (9 Mins) HD 
- Short Films "Adjust Tracking" (5 Mins) 
- Short Film "Electric Fence" (18 Mins) HD 
- Artsploitation Films Trailers: Children of the Night (1 Min), Horsehead (2 Mins) HD, Cub (2 Mins) HD 

I loved the punk rock spirit of Bloody Knuckles, there's a few pacing issues but overall this is a winner of an offensive comedy with some fun gore, despite the abundance of toilet humor you cannot help but appreciate this as was intended my Matt O., as a middle-finger to those who would censor art, fuck those guys. Highly recommended, this was a lot of fun. 3.5/5