The Degenerates Review from Vile Video Productions!
The Degenerates is Jonathan Doe’s second entry in the “Erotic Grotesque Nonsense” series, a tribute to bizarre fetish films from Japan (Terrible Meal). He initiated the series with Barf Bunny but has also previously directed the short film Hexagon showcased in Marcus Koch’s series Symbolicus Vol. 1.
The Degenerates is inspired by the real-life murder case of Robert Beckowitz which took place in 1982. Beckowitz was brutally murdered by friend James Edward Glover, being shot in the head which proceeded with being stabbed 83 times. The cruelty didn’t end there. Glover and Beckowitz’s girlfriend, Jeannine Clark, continued the prurient festivities for three days with sex and dismemberment of Beckowitz’s corpse, documenting the events with photographs which leaked to the public.
The film begins in found footage fashion with a cameraman entering a hotel, then an elevator, and heads to a 5th floor room. Immediately inside, we see a dismembered body resting on a white sheet on the floor. “Dude, where are you?” inquires the Man. A Woman, played by Felicia Fisher (Green Hell, Fluid Fields, Barf Bunny) appears from the side washroom, nude carrying a severed head. The two disputes whether they should start cleaning. “Come on we haven’t taken pictures yet.” The Woman implores. “Alright fine we have one more day.” the Man caves. The Man then enters the bathroom. Human hair fills the sink. The bathtub is painted with a pool of splattered blood containing a severed arm, severed penis, and a saw. At this point I can’t help but wonder what would happen if hotel staff entered the room, but I digress…
The Woman smokes a substance through tinfoil, followed by a joint, and the duo continues with some playful flirty banter for some time. The Woman breaks out a polaroid camera to document their depravity and begins with the Man taking photos of the Woman posing playfully with body parts for the camera. The shoot continues with her trying on various wardrobes. This escalates to masturbation and bloody tampon play with the severed head, plus more activities I won’t divulge in detail here.
The Degenerates comes off as an authentic piece of found footage, especially being shot on VHS. The degraded quality amplifies the debauchery seen on screen as well as being intercut with other footage of outdoor shots. While there is definitely inspiration found with Fred Vogel’s seminal August Underground (read review here), this doesn’t try to mimic that at all. The Degenerates is its own beast. There are plenty close-ups of James Bell’s amazing corpse FX work as well as some other perverse activities such as evisceration play, blood, piss, and proverbial vomit. Overall, The Degenerates has some nasty stuff found within which should keep fans of such revolting content satiated.
The Degenerates is available in a two-disc DVD set now for pre-order from Putrid Productions which comes with a making of, interview with Felicia Fisher, Nightmares Fest World premier footage, Griphook music video, and trailers.
The official release date is November 28th, 2021.
Directed by: Jonathan Doe
Written by: Jonathan Doe
Produced by: Jonathan Doe
Edited by: Jonathan Doe, Marcus Koch
Cinematography by: Jonathan Doe
Special Effects by: James Bell, Jessie Seitz, Marcus Koch
Cast: Felicia Fisher, Jonathan Doe
Year: 2021
Country: USA
Language: English
Colour: Colour
Runtime: 50min
Studio: Vile Video Productions
Distributor: Putrid Productions
