The Last Horror Movie (2003)

Director:

Julian Richards

Writers:

James Handel (writer)
Julian Richards (idea)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (UK)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Wait until you see the final cut...

Plot:

A serial killer uses a horror video rental to lure his next victim. What begins as a teen slasher transforms into a disturbing journey through the mind of Max Parry, a mild mannered wedding photographer with a taste for human flesh. |

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Taunting | Film In Film | Diner | Cynic

Awards:

9 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kevin Howarth	...	Max
Mark Stevenson	...	The Assistant
Antonia Beamish	...	Petra
Christabel Muir	...	Sam
Jonathan Coote	...	John
Rita Davies	...	Grandma
Joe Hurley	...	Ben (as Joe Morley)
Jamie Langthorne	...	Nico
John Berlyne	...	Phil
Mandy Gordon	...	Sarah
Jim Bywater	...	Bill
Lisa Renée	...	Waitress
Christopher Adamson	...	Killer (as Chris Adamson)
Adrian Johnson	...	Kelly
John MacCrossan	...	Groom

MPAA:

Rated R for strong brutal violence and language.

Runtime:

UK:80 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) (cut) | Australia:R (DVD rating) | Finland:K-18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA | Norway:15 | Ireland:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Prolific Films

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Max slits the throat of the woman his assistant was supposed to kill, you can clearly see that the knife does not make contact with her throat.

Quotes:

Max Parry: Now, why don't I care about that? I mean, I know you care about that; that's why you think I'm a bad person, but the thing is, I don't care about it. I didn't ask not to care about it, but I don't. And if I don't care, how can I think it's wrong? And if I don't think it's wrong, why shouldn't I do it?

Movie Connections:

References The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

British filmmaking with an unnerving edge

Though the title of this film might suggest conventional horror forthcomings, don't despair. The last Horror Movie is a unique cinematic exploration in to the mind of a serial killer. Wedding filmmaker Max Parry [Kevin Howarth] is a London bachelor who enjoys looking after his sisters' kids, entertaining friends and honing the art of murder. He decides to make his own horror film in order to help him discover his victim's attitudes to death. The commonsensical style of this movie is its real charm. It lacks the sardonic comedy that makes Rémy Belvauxs' Belgian film Man Bites Dog an obvious fiction, but henceforth the horror becomes much more feasible. Howarth conceivably becomes someone we could know, and like. His charismatic portrayal of Parry makes us open to his rational debates of art vs. humanity. The last horror movie takes the horror genre and turns it on its head; it pushes the viewer to challenge why they enjoy purveying murder and brutal senseless acts of killing. It forces us to consider the value of a human life and then contradicts our opinion with the general antipathy shown for human life in the third world. It tries to make us believe that murder is in essence a force of nature. The protection and reassurance of your own home is no longer a safe haven but a fruitful opportunity to gratify the predator among us. If you can stomach horror and gore then go and see this film. It's a powerful piece of British filmmaking with an unnerving edge. Director Julian Richards commented that the real horror of this film starts when you leave the cinema, a concept that entertained me, as I lay awake, convincing myself that the squeaking floorboards below were not as innocent as they sounded.