Just to begin with a side-note: I watched this one together with Coventry yesterday night, and at one point we both went "What the hell kind of trash did we manage to put on this time...?!?".
This being said, SAVAGE WEEKEND - in my humble opinion - is about as pure vintage, obscure trash as you can get 'em, when it comes to horror and sleaze. There's a bit of torture, gruesome/inventive killings (but I'll warn you right away: don't start drooling over this yet) and quite a bit of uncomfortable yet strangely arousing (and very naked) sex-scenes that are supported be the most unworldly sounding music and sound effects. To top things off, we even get a pretty damn pathetic chainsaw-fight during the movie's climax (thankfully, the saw did hit the flesh in at least one, brief shot).
Sadly, all this comes in the shape of a very, very bad film. Seriously, this might have been one of the worst attempts at film-making I've ever seen (but hey, at least it was shot on real film - thank God it was still the 70's). The way the film was put together (from story-telling to editing) was so atrocious the word "sloppy" doesn't even begin to describe things in a million years. To make it all worse, we've got microphones and boom-sticks pooping into to the frame all over the place (sorry, I meant to say "popping", but I really like this typo).
A truly horrible film, and at the same time fascinating (even if for all the wrong reasons). The red herrings are laughable, though they made guessing the identity of the killer all the more fun (at least when you watch it with some friends). The acting - I hate to admit - could have been worse. But not much, of course. When you're looking for killings and death-scenes, you might become bored rather soon, as you practically have to wait for all of them until the third act of this wretched film. Before all this, you can only be amazed by all the inept qualities this rancid pile of celluloid displays. Actors mumble stupid things, pointless events take place, and all character-drawings are a bit, ehrr,... odd, to say the least.
What the motivation behind certain scenes were, are plain incomprehensible. At one point, we witness the killer's POV when he's walking through the house in a creepy search & stalk manner (think Carpenter's opening-scene from HALLOWEEN). Best thing about this scene: There's actually no-one in the house at the time he's doing his lingering 'heavy breathing'-routine. It's completely deserted. Everybody's outside in the woods, at the lake or in the stable (having sex in one way or another, I might add). So what the hell was this stupid killer doing in the house? One of my favorite scenes, sets up for an incredibly gruesome (and potentially very nasty and bloody) killing. I found myself cheering during the set-up (so trust me, you're bound to love the idea as it's close to frickin' Torture Heaven). It takes place in a basement; That's about all I'll say. But damn the hell out of this movie for totally failing to deliver the bloody carnage it promises during the pay-off! Utterly aggravating.
Another "OMG"-scene has one lady caressing the udder of a cow (in an explicit, sexually orientated fashion). A big-moustached local (friend of the family, apparently) steps in to give her a helping hand. It doesn't take long for these actions to lead to attempted rape (and again the gratuitous portrayal of female breasts). I have frowned upon lesser things, if I may say so.
I'll just wrap it up, because if by now I don't have you convinced this is a very, very bad movie, then I'm sorry to say you're a lost cause. However, when it comes to SAVAGE WEEKEND, I'd love to play the bad boy: I recommend this to anybody who's into Total Trash and alleged Shock Features. I myself can't even help having liked that "100% vintage 70's exploitation feel" the movie irrefutably has. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I did. Yes, I know, I can be a bad boy sometimes.
Oh, I failed to mention this in my ravings: SAVAGE WEEKEND stars William Sanderson (of BLADE RUNNER fame, no less) and David Gale (RE-ANIMATOR's Dr. Hill). Though their presence saves absolutely nothing about this putrid film, it does add some cult-value to the matter.
This being said, SAVAGE WEEKEND - in my humble opinion - is about as pure vintage, obscure trash as you can get 'em, when it comes to horror and sleaze. There's a bit of torture, gruesome/inventive killings (but I'll warn you right away: don't start drooling over this yet) and quite a bit of uncomfortable yet strangely arousing (and very naked) sex-scenes that are supported be the most unworldly sounding music and sound effects. To top things off, we even get a pretty damn pathetic chainsaw-fight during the movie's climax (thankfully, the saw did hit the flesh in at least one, brief shot).
Sadly, all this comes in the shape of a very, very bad film. Seriously, this might have been one of the worst attempts at film-making I've ever seen (but hey, at least it was shot on real film - thank God it was still the 70's). The way the film was put together (from story-telling to editing) was so atrocious the word "sloppy" doesn't even begin to describe things in a million years. To make it all worse, we've got microphones and boom-sticks pooping into to the frame all over the place (sorry, I meant to say "popping", but I really like this typo).
A truly horrible film, and at the same time fascinating (even if for all the wrong reasons). The red herrings are laughable, though they made guessing the identity of the killer all the more fun (at least when you watch it with some friends). The acting - I hate to admit - could have been worse. But not much, of course. When you're looking for killings and death-scenes, you might become bored rather soon, as you practically have to wait for all of them until the third act of this wretched film. Before all this, you can only be amazed by all the inept qualities this rancid pile of celluloid displays. Actors mumble stupid things, pointless events take place, and all character-drawings are a bit, ehrr,... odd, to say the least.
What the motivation behind certain scenes were, are plain incomprehensible. At one point, we witness the killer's POV when he's walking through the house in a creepy search & stalk manner (think Carpenter's opening-scene from HALLOWEEN). Best thing about this scene: There's actually no-one in the house at the time he's doing his lingering 'heavy breathing'-routine. It's completely deserted. Everybody's outside in the woods, at the lake or in the stable (having sex in one way or another, I might add). So what the hell was this stupid killer doing in the house? One of my favorite scenes, sets up for an incredibly gruesome (and potentially very nasty and bloody) killing. I found myself cheering during the set-up (so trust me, you're bound to love the idea as it's close to frickin' Torture Heaven). It takes place in a basement; That's about all I'll say. But damn the hell out of this movie for totally failing to deliver the bloody carnage it promises during the pay-off! Utterly aggravating.
Another "OMG"-scene has one lady caressing the udder of a cow (in an explicit, sexually orientated fashion). A big-moustached local (friend of the family, apparently) steps in to give her a helping hand. It doesn't take long for these actions to lead to attempted rape (and again the gratuitous portrayal of female breasts). I have frowned upon lesser things, if I may say so.
I'll just wrap it up, because if by now I don't have you convinced this is a very, very bad movie, then I'm sorry to say you're a lost cause. However, when it comes to SAVAGE WEEKEND, I'd love to play the bad boy: I recommend this to anybody who's into Total Trash and alleged Shock Features. I myself can't even help having liked that "100% vintage 70's exploitation feel" the movie irrefutably has. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I did. Yes, I know, I can be a bad boy sometimes.
Oh, I failed to mention this in my ravings: SAVAGE WEEKEND stars William Sanderson (of BLADE RUNNER fame, no less) and David Gale (RE-ANIMATOR's Dr. Hill). Though their presence saves absolutely nothing about this putrid film, it does add some cult-value to the matter.