A small group of potholers become trapped in a cave when a tunnel collapses. After two weeks the now bearded men are on the brink of starvation so they decide to draw straws and the loser must donate a limb that they can all eat, it is interesting that most of the characters are quick to deny that this would be an act of cannibalism. Just as the poor loser has his arm severed a rescue team arrive and the need for eating human meat has been averted, however the guy who has now lost an arm isn't too happy and swears revenge. Move on five years and a mysterious character is taking an axe to the individuals! There have been horror films about severed hands that kill, this is not a movie about a severed arm that is able to crawl and kill by itself, the title merely refers to the act of amputation. The very first scene has a man's arm severed bounce off a floor, not a drop of blood in sight and obviously made of rubber, straight away the viewer will see that the budget was low. The fabulous Talking Pictures UK screened this, the gore was minimal so I am assuming that this was the cut version (it was also of VHS quality). After an interesting start the middle section does sag a little but thankfully events culminate in a horrific twist ending, making it a worthwhile watch. The movie is notable for having the first film appearance by Angus Schrimm, he went on to play the Tall Man in the Phantasm franchise. Here he is uncredited as a mail delivery man. A radio DJ called Madman Herman provides some humour. The killer would not look out of place in an Italian Giallo film, the soundtrack is creepy and Severed Arm is a pretty good example of a slasher movie before the word "slasher" was coined.
Review of The Severed Arm
