RE-PENETRATOR
A Film by Doug Sakmann
Featuring Joanna Angel and Tommy Pistol
2004/20 min./DV
Official Site (and purchase info)

In an early issue of the long-defunct horror mag GOREZONE, author Chas Balun gave the following advice to fright fans searching for the next level of gross: watch RE-ANIMATOR one more time. It doesn't get much better than that. And right he was. Some flicks may have a higher amount of splatter, more nudity, or perhaps an even darker sense of humor, but RE-ANIMATOR remains a fan favorite and horror staple because it's got all of that and much more. It's perverse, disgusting, and scary, but also funny, well-made and well-acted. You can't beat it.

Speaking of which, all good films eventually get the porn treatment, but generally the results are very far removed from the movie they're inspired by. WET DREAM ON ELM STREET, for example, didn't even try to have a Freddy-like character. It was just a bunch of fucking, peppered with some occasional bad acting and special effects. No blood to be found, no horror. And why? Probably because they figured the audience has tuned in for some sex, not scares. After all, you wouldn't want your audience to recoil in fear. You wouldn't want them to get grossed out, right? 'Cause that would be the opposite of what porn is supposed to do.

Or is it?

The makers of RE-PENETRATOR realize that this is the age of the internet, there's something out there to satisfy every possible taste, and there is no such thing as going too far. So if you're going to make porn, why not make horror porn? Why not make it an unforgettable, shocking experience? Why not go for the gusto?! Why not take your inspiration from an already nasty cult horror film and take things a step further? I can't think of a reason, but if you're going to do it, don't be coy. Kick some ass.

And RE-PENETRATOR does.

This 20-minute, gore-soaked flesh fest begins with Doctor Hubert Breast (Tommy Pistol) standing beside the naked corpse of a voluptuous woman (Joanna Angel), holding the lifegiving syringe full of glowing green re-agent, just as Bruce Abbott did Barbara Crampton at the end of the original film. However, when this corpse is re-animated, she screams "BALLS! BALLS!" repeatedly, and the necro-mania begins. But that's not to say the horror aspect of the film is put aside in favor of the hardcore action at that point. Nope. The woman remains covered in head-to-toe zombie makeup the whole time, spitting blood and moaning, remaining in character, and the Doc soldiers on in true mad scientist fashion, at one point gleefully earning his "red wings" by going down on her gore-spewing vagina (and even winks at the camera, proudly displaying his "bloody sanchez"). The on-screen sex accounts for about 85% of the running time, but along the way there are heapin' helpings of horror and humor to be found.

As a production, this flick is top notch. The image, sound and overall production quality are very professional, the lighting and set dressing are creative, and the special fx are outstanding (after all, director Doug Sakmann, a Troma alumni, knows a thing or two about making a gory mess). Everyone involved, particularly the actors, are to be commended for enduring what must have been a grueling shoot. Angel and Pistol are continuously doused in blood, guts, and more of the green fluid for basically the whole running time, and are having actual sex thoughout. Their performances remain energized, fun, and fittingly insane right through to the end credits. And when I found out that this movie was made in one 12-hour stretch (6 of which was spent shooting the sex), I had an even greater respect for them.

DVD EXTRAS:
The disc contains two versions of the film, the full director's cut and the edited-down "screening cut". The latter isn't devoid of the penetration shots, but rather the sex is trimmed down a bit, presumably to make festival audiences feel a bit less like they're sitting there watching a porno. Also included is a making-of segment, which consists of interviews with the director & cast (there's no on-set footage or behind the scenes stuff, unfortunately), trailers, and two commentary tracks. I found both fascinating, as one covers what went on behind the camera (Sakmann & the DP), while the other what went on in front (Angel and Pistol). Basically, everything you wonder about when you watch the movie is discussed in detail, and more. Surprisingly, not much time is spent detailing the fact that when RE-PENETRATOR first appeared online as a download in Halloween '04, it was banned by the site that originally hosted it. Apparently there's nothing wrong with all the freaky hardcore sex in the world, but add horror in the mix and that's a no-no. Definitely backward from the way censorship usually works!

Speaking as a devoted fan of RE-ANIMATOR, it is my opinion that this version does the Stuart Gordon original proud. While necrophilia certainly was implied in the source films, they didn't take that extra step, and that's fine. It wasn't porn. But RE-PENETRATOR isn't exactly a porno either, because it's too gross, and it isn't horror because it's mostly sex. However, it succeeds at being shocking, twisted and funny, which is exactly the spirit Herbert West's adventures were made in. I hope there are many many sequels.

(August 2005)