Nekrology Review from Black Mafia!
Anthology flicks are an awesome way of converting short stories which could be seen as fantastic unless spread out way too thin to feature length into a way of comfortable viewing. It’s also (especially in the modern era) a tool in which directors and writers of varied backgrounds can merge and make something unique.
Nekrology is something different to what you’d expect. The theme is banging flesh into cadavers. I wrote an article, Severed Cinema’s Top Films Involving Necrophilia on this genre not long ago for Severed Cinema (see article here) and it’s interesting when you realize just how far back this subject goes in cinema. So why not create an extreme compilation of corpse fucking?
As you’d expect, some of the sequences in Nekrology contained within are far superior to others (there’s no stories here to one or two as such, just lengthy scenes for the most). Beginning with Nekro, by Matti Soikkeli (the titles are carved into a podgy dead guy throughout the film), it’s artier than some. It contains great music, and nifty editing forming a collage of images wherein a corpse is shafted.
Next up a young bloke in an OAP mask who dodders around like an ancient man, straddles a young female corpse on his kitchen floor. He takes photos, then performs a few other acts, this is cool and quite eerie. Afterwards comes Death Scented Lover, and a quick compilation introduces us to Jana, a cute actress, model and star, the spunky music breaks down to something more ominous as we see a guy who’s tried overdosing whilst surrounded by pictures of her. This segment’s story driven and is an absolute knock out. Obsessed fan and starlet. Classic tale told many times, but the use of soundtrack (eerie noises) through the whole run time along with top notch acting takes this to a high level. Shanie Lee Smith, as Jana, is marvelous, but it’s the outstanding Dean Houlihan who really nails this part of the movie.
Aye up, we’ve shifted over to my home country, my neck of the woods, the UK for Alexander Lee, by Kieran Johnson, a black and white piece narrated as poetry – based around Edgar Allen Poe, and quite strikingly different to all the others. This one will curve ball the viewer to begin with who comes seeking sickness, for, like the previous story, this is organized with care. Then the lengthy sex between man and his deceased lover will perhaps repel many for the amount of penis and balls on show, but as I’ve stated in previous reviews, this doesn’t bother me one bit for the human body whether male or female. In whatever shape it is an artform and when used to present a story, how can you back away? (Remember, I was once a blood-soaked nude clown in Domiziano Cristopharos’ House of Flesh Mannequins – see review here, art is art regardless). Martin (A Taste of Phobia, Lonely Hearts – see reviews here and here) W. Payne is excellent as always. I did find myself amused that throughout he was flopping all around, so I guess the character wasn’t that enthusiastic to be laid with the corpse of his lover. This gaggle of maniacs also provide us with the wraparound and interlude title snippets.
Tony (Deep Web XXX, Schlock-o-Rama, VHS Nasty) Newton and Joe (Jezebel, Carnal Monsters) Cash throw in, Necro Lesbians – as producer and director, respectively, a punkish rough around the edges short as two girls run out of petrol so wander into a rundown edifice in the middle of nowhere. This is filmed with terrible sound, bad colours, and made to look like a dirty ass booth or theatre porn from years ago. One girl dies, and her companion makes out with her. In a nutshell, there you go. See, if you’re annoyed by the abundance of male flesh previously, here’s the leveller. The skin and nudity of woman. Atmospheric, but could have done without the stupid fucking distraction of piss-taking wank wipe out-takes after it! What the fuck was that about???!! It wasn’t funny, in fact please comment when you’ve seen it, does anyone think that was called for and comical????!!!!
Rant concluded, onto the next! It’s Necro, and the moment TerrorVisions flashed up, I knew I was in good hands now after that blip, cause it’s Severed Cinema regular, Rob Ceus with a trailer. God this is so cool. Nuff said, see it now! The style, music, acting, edits, makes for a marvellous few minutes of nostalgia. Ahhhhh, I’m so relaxed now.
The prior mentioned, Tony Newton provides the longest and companion piece to the first, chunk of necro juicy goings on in Nekrology. A smoothly moving vision that is as intense as it is dragging in parts. Similar to the experimental shorts that roamed the lands from the ‘70s to the ‘90s before digital began to raise its ugly head, this feels authentic, and that is the highest praise imaginable.
Nekrology is really well put together. The direction is clear in its ambitions and achievements every time, the writing is a wicked balance of tenseness and unease, broken by Rob Ceus with his epic throwback trailer. This is complete visual darkness, it will disturb, entertain, and chill in equal doses.
Directed by: Matti Soikkeli, Dean Houlihan, Mercedes the Muse and Moses, Rob Ceus, Tony Newton, Kieran Johnston, Joe Cash
Produced by: Gore Zombie, Kieran Johnston, Tony Newton
Written by: Dean Houlihan, Mercedes the Muse and Moses, William Stretch, Joe Cash, Matti Soikkeli, Rob Ceus, Tony Newton
Cinematography by: Matti Soikkeli, Claire Houlihan, Dean Houlihan
Cast: Matti Soikkeli, Sonja Hadjiista, Martin W Payne, Mercedes the Muse, Moses, Harmony Filth, Shanie Lee Smith, Dean Houlihan, Bryan Edwards, Richard Houlihan, Laura Barker, Tony Newton
Year: 2022
Country: Various
Language: English
Colour: Colour/ Black &White
Runtime: 1h 2min
Nekrology Distribution: Black Mafia
